Devil’s Waltz was published by Bantam Books in 1993. Cassie Jones, a toddler, has been hospitalized repeatedly with symptoms that defy medical explanation. Alex is consulted to evaluate whether the child’s mother is suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy — a condition in which a parent deliberately makes their child sick to receive attention and sympathy from medical professionals. The diagnosis is complicated by the hospital’s own institutional politics: staff who suspect the mother, staff who defend her, and administrators who want the problem to disappear.
The novel draws directly on Kellerman’s clinical expertise and is one of the earliest fictional treatments of Munchausen by proxy — a condition that was still poorly understood by the general public in 1993.
Collecting Devil’s Waltz
First edition (Bantam Books, New York, 1993): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $15–$35
- Very good: $8–$15
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
Munchausen by Proxy
Devil’s Waltz is one of the first novels to explore Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now called Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another). Kellerman depicts the condition with clinical precision: a parent who makes her child sick in order to receive attention, sympathy, and the validation of the medical establishment. The horror lies in the apparent devotion — the mother appears to be the child’s most loving advocate, while secretly being the source of the suffering.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Munchausen syndrome by proxy? A form of child abuse in which a caregiver fabricates or induces illness in a person under their care, typically a child, to gain attention or sympathy. It was first described by Roy Meadow in 1977 and remains one of the most difficult forms of abuse to detect because the perpetrator presents as a devoted parent.