The Death Shift

Nurse Genene Jones and the Texas Baby Murders

By: Peter Elkind

Narrated by: Lee Ann Howlett

Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Updated with dramatic developments and new murder charges, filed in the coldest of cold cases, to keep a serial baby-killer behind bars. This tale is every parent's worst nightmare: the horrifying account of a Texas nurse who killed children under her care, and the hospital that covered it up.

It's 1980, and Genene Jones is working in the pediatric ICU at San Antonio's charity hospital, on what soon came to be known as "the Death Shift". From 3-11 PM, infants under her care begin experiencing unexpected emergencies - and dying - in alarming numbers, prompting rumors that there is a murderer among the staff. This chilling epidemic continued unabated for more than a year, before Jones was quietly sent off - with a good recommendation - to a small-town pediatric clinic. There, eight children under her care mysteriously stopped breathing in a single month - and a 15-month-old baby girl died.

In May 1983, Jones was finally arrested, leading to trials that revealed her strange attraction to medical emergencies and a desire to "play God" with the lives of the children under her care. More shocking still, as The Death Shift reveals, the hospital had volunteered nothing to law-enforcement authorities about Jones' horrific deeds, allowing her spree to continue and prompting grieving parents to ask: Why? Elkind chronicles Jones chilling rampage, while also turning his piercing gaze onto those responsible for its cover-up.

This updated edition is a tale with fresh relevance, revealing how prosecutors raced to keep Jones behind bars, despite her scheduled mandatory release from a Texas prison in early 2018, after one-third of a 99-year murder sentence; Jones' cryptic secret prison confessions - followed by giddy exultations to a band of evangelical allies about her expected release; and how prosecutors finally won a guilty plea from Jones on the eve of a new murder trial.

©1983, 1989, 2021 Peter Elkind (P)2021 Peter Elkind

Chilling

Disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. A very well written and informative piece. Chilling to listen to. Nicely organized as well, brings the story through smoothly, through the different people involved and of Genene Jones from childhood to present day. Narration by Lee Ann Howlett is amazing and well paced.

Thorough and updated

This is a well researched and thorough account of nearly inconceivable crimes, updated with current details that bring closure to this case. And Lee Ann Howlett's narration is excellent.

Note: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Some people have no moral compass

It's mind-boggling that there is a segment in society who has no value for human life ( or any life for that matter). This woman is a shining example.
I wish she had stayed a hair stylist. The worst place to have someone like her employed is a hospital! People are compromised, and infants in particular are defenseless, also access to drugs, etc. Thinking about someone with her psychopathy in a health care setting is downright scary.

The tale unfolded well in the first few chapters. The author painted a clear picture of Genene Jones from a young girl on up to her adulthood. But the middle got bogged down with a lot of medical jargon and bureaucratic details. I understand it being an RN but others may not be interested in that part of the puzzle. While it's i certainly a big part of any medical story, I think it was long-winded.

Narration was excellent.

I was given this book at no charge for my honest review, which I have done. Thank you!
All in all, a good listen.

Hard to Believe

Evil has come to earth and inhabits the body of Genene Jones, LPN.

The swath of misery cut by this deranged woman is painful to contemplate. Her coldblooded murder of helpless babies, followed in quick order by an ostentatious outpouring of grief over their death is both horrible and peculiar. She is beyond comprehension, her motivations an unknowable mystery.

Narration is good, except for the odd stumble in pronunciation, e.g. fêted (not "fate-ed"), minutiae (not min-oosh'-ee), accede (not a-seed'). "Frequent", when used as a verb, is pronounced fre-quent', with the accent on the second syllable. Howlett also needs to check out the difference between "imminent" and "eminent". However, she does a good job overall.

Riveting!!!!

Excellently done, great details on a true psychopath, well read as well, kept me engaged from start to finish

Heartbreaking and Detailed

The Death Shift is a very heartbreaking book that details the death of innocent babies by nurse Jones in Texas. This true story is very detailed and really packs a punch to the heart. I will admit this book made me cry for all the babies that were murdered and how cold and callous she was. Lee Ann Howlett did such a stellar job narrating that I could actually feel how the parents must have felt either their grief and pain. If you like true life crime books I highly recommend this book. This is my honest unbiased review that I am voluntarily leaving of my own volition.