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The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer
New York Times bestselling author Robert K. Tanenbaum tells the terrifying and gripping story of Charles Yukl, a mild-mannered piano and voice teacher that killed and abused his students.Everybody has a dream. For aspiring actress Suzanne Reynolds, her dream ended in a gruesome encounter with eccentric New York artist Charles Yukl. Fooled by his choirboy looks, Reynolds had no idea the man who taught her the piano was a woman-hating recluse who spent his days lost in fantasies of perversion. As a result of the plea bargain for Suzanne¹s brutal murder, Yukl soon gained his freedom due to a shocking series of legal errors -- and killed again. A riveting dramatization of two horrific crimes and their aftermath, The Piano Teacher brilliantly portrays a madman set on fulfilling his own sadistic and homicidal dreams...and the flawed justice system that gave him the opportunities to do so.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 1989
About the author
Robert K. Tanenbaum
49 books283 followersRobert K. Tanenbaum is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five legal thrillers and has an accomplished legal career of his own. Before his first book was published, Tanenbaum had already been the Bureau Chief of the Criminal Courts, had run the Homicide Bureau, and had been in charge of the training program for the legal staff for the New York County District Attorney’s Office. He also served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Congressional Committee investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. In his professional career, Tanenbaum has never lost a felony case. His courtroom experiences bring his books to life, especially in his bestselling series featuring prosecutor Roger “Butch” Karp and his wife, Marlene Ciampi.
Tanenbaum was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the University of California at Berkeley on a basketball scholarship, and remained at Cal, where he earned his law degree from the prestigious Boalt Hall School of Law. After graduating from Berkeley Law, Tanenbaum moved back to New York to work as an assistant district attorney under the legendary New York County DA Frank Hogan. Tanenbaum then served as Deputy Chief Counsel in charge of the Congressional investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The blockbuster novel Corruption of Blood (1994), is a fictionalized account of his experience in Washington, D.C.
Tanenbaum returned to the West Coast and began to serve in public office. He was elected to the Beverly Hills City Council in 1986 and twice served as the mayor of Beverly Hills. It was during this time that Tanenbaum began his career as a novelist, drawing from the many fascinating stories of his time as a New York ADA. His successful debut novel, No Lesser Plea (1987), introduces Butch Karp, an assistant district attorney who is battling for justice, and Marlene Ciampi, his associate and love interest. Tanenbaum’s subsequent twenty-two novels portrayed Karp and his crime fighting family and eclectic colleagues facing off against drug lords, corrupt politicians, international assassins, the mafia, and hard-core violent felons.
He has had published eight recent novels as part of the series, as well as two nonfiction titles: The Piano Teacher (1987), exploring his investigation and prosecution of a recidivist psychosexual killer, and Badge of the Assassin (1979), about his prosecution of cop killers, which was made into a movie starring James Woods as Tanenbaum.
Tanenbaum and his wife of forty-three years have three children. He currently resides in California where he has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure at the Boalt Hall School of Law and maintains a private law practice.
Tanenbaum was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the University of California at Berkeley on a basketball scholarship, and remained at Cal, where he earned his law degree from the prestigious Boalt Hall School of Law. After graduating from Berkeley Law, Tanenbaum moved back to New York to work as an assistant district attorney under the legendary New York County DA Frank Hogan. Tanenbaum then served as Deputy Chief Counsel in charge of the Congressional investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The blockbuster novel Corruption of Blood (1994), is a fictionalized account of his experience in Washington, D.C.
Tanenbaum returned to the West Coast and began to serve in public office. He was elected to the Beverly Hills City Council in 1986 and twice served as the mayor of Beverly Hills. It was during this time that Tanenbaum began his career as a novelist, drawing from the many fascinating stories of his time as a New York ADA. His successful debut novel, No Lesser Plea (1987), introduces Butch Karp, an assistant district attorney who is battling for justice, and Marlene Ciampi, his associate and love interest. Tanenbaum’s subsequent twenty-two novels portrayed Karp and his crime fighting family and eclectic colleagues facing off against drug lords, corrupt politicians, international assassins, the mafia, and hard-core violent felons.
He has had published eight recent novels as part of the series, as well as two nonfiction titles: The Piano Teacher (1987), exploring his investigation and prosecution of a recidivist psychosexual killer, and Badge of the Assassin (1979), about his prosecution of cop killers, which was made into a movie starring James Woods as Tanenbaum.
Tanenbaum and his wife of forty-three years have three children. He currently resides in California where he has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure at the Boalt Hall School of Law and maintains a private law practice.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 1, 2017
This was an excellent read about a very interesting case, told by one of the prosecutors. There was a very nice emphasis on the victims in this case, with a few excellent bombshells thrown at the reader. Well-written, well-edited, and well-thought-out. Highly recommended. I have no idea why someone decided to subtitle this book "The True Story Of A Psychotic Killer;" didn't the people designing the jacket know what the book was about?
April 3, 2026
A little different from your typical true-crime read. This was co-written by the district attorney on the case along with a journalist. Kept it interesting without getting off into the weeds. A quick read,
August 13, 2021
The Case:
Charles William "Charlie" Yukl was a ragtime pianist in New York City who murdered Suzanne Reynolds in 1966. Although convicted of the murder, due to legal errors, he was paroled in 1973 after serving only five years in Sing Sing. In 1974 while on parole, he went back to his old ways and murdered Karin Schlegel.
My thoughts: This was one riveting story about how a manipulative killer manipulated the flawed justice system trying to get out of punishment. It was pretty clever but absolutely infuriating seeing how arrogant Charlie was.
There was a lot of research put in into this book. We read about Charlie's background up to the time he committed the murders. It was informative, but pretty disturbing especially on his MO part. Ugh. The interrogation and trial parts were really interesting and you can really see what kind of character Charlie was.
As always, this author writes his non-fiction in a very engaging, easy to read way which feels like reading a fiction. I flew through this book in two days!
In a nutshell, another compelling true crime book by Tanenbaum and I enjoyed reading it!
TW: graphic details of crimes, sexual assault, suicidal behavior, abuse
My thoughts: This was one riveting story about how a manipulative killer manipulated the flawed justice system trying to get out of punishment. It was pretty clever but absolutely infuriating seeing how arrogant Charlie was.
There was a lot of research put in into this book. We read about Charlie's background up to the time he committed the murders. It was informative, but pretty disturbing especially on his MO part. Ugh. The interrogation and trial parts were really interesting and you can really see what kind of character Charlie was.
As always, this author writes his non-fiction in a very engaging, easy to read way which feels like reading a fiction. I flew through this book in two days!
In a nutshell, another compelling true crime book by Tanenbaum and I enjoyed reading it!
TW: graphic details of crimes, sexual assault, suicidal behavior, abuse
December 14, 2016
A tough one to rate because one of the chapters was tremendously gripping and incredibly suspenseful while much of the book was just okay. So, on average I'd have to give it three stars and say I liked it.
August 15, 2018
As a fan of the author's Butch Karp series, I was interested in reading this factual account of his experiences as a young prosecutor in this case involving two brutal murders in New York City, one in 1966, the other in 1974, committed by a twisted psychotic young man who presented himself as a mild-mannered pianist and teacher. Allowed to take a plea bargain for the first murder in an incredible series of legal errors, he was released from prison eight years later and proceeded to murder another young woman. The author presents the case in a fascinating manner, giving us insights into the victims and their friends and families, the police and attorneys working the case, as well as the horrific details of the murderer and the crimes. An excellent book for fans of true crime!
March 3, 2018
True Crime
Another great book by Robert Tannenbaum, the New York assistant district attorney. This is the story of a convicted killer who was paroled and went on to commit a second murder, almost the same as the first. The investigation and trial are explained well, and the story is riveting.
Another great book by Robert Tannenbaum, the New York assistant district attorney. This is the story of a convicted killer who was paroled and went on to commit a second murder, almost the same as the first. The investigation and trial are explained well, and the story is riveting.
November 18, 2022
Spellbinding!!
What a compelling account of a true crime by one of the prosecutors himself! Fascinating look anti the judicial and penal systems. Even more of a page turner because it is true !!
What a compelling account of a true crime by one of the prosecutors himself! Fascinating look anti the judicial and penal systems. Even more of a page turner because it is true !!
April 18, 2023
It was ok. Real events can seem so artificial at times.
July 28, 2023
Well written. No fillers, all story
January 7, 2015
Charles William Yukl was the eldest of two sons born to Czech parents - pianist and conductor Dorothea Freitag Yukl, and trumpeter Charles W. Yukl. Charles Yukl claimed that his parents were often abusive to him as a child, attributing severe beatings and other random cruelty to his "perfectionist, demanding" parents. As a young child, Charles was fascinated by fire and was accused of setting several fires by the age of nine.
He held a variety of jobs as an adult, and was soon urged by his mother to become a professional ragtime pianist. He was rather successful and played in Manhattan, Union City, New Jersey and in the Catskills, often using the stage name Yogi Freitag. He married a German photography student named Enken in 1961 and subsequently became a voice and piano teacher.
The real Charles Yukl was nothing at all like the facade he portrayed to the world. Behind the well-mannered musical prodigy with the choirboy looks dwelt a twisted psychotic misogynist. A reclusive, eccentric man whose dreams of perverse sexual fulfillment lived - and died - only in his fertile imagination.
Then on Monday, October 24, 1966, Charles Yukl brought his perverted fantasies to vivid life when he brutally murdered twenty-five year old Suzanne Reynolds. Suzanne was an aspiring actress who had been taking voice lessons for three months from the thirty-one year old ragtime pianist, and she had absolutely no idea of his true nature. Then, eight years later - on Tuesday, August 20, 1974 - due to a shocking series of legal errors that granted him the freedom to kill again, he lured a twenty-three year old aspiring model named Karin Schlegel to a Greenwich Village rooftop and savagely strangled her to death.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I had never heard of Charles Yukl or of the murders he committed. I found this story incredibly sad, and the fact that due to a bureaucratic oversight, he was allowed to kill again really made me angry. I will say that I found this book to be rather slow in places, and I really would have appreciated a deeper investigation of the wife's personality; other than mentioning that she was disturbing, very little else was explained about her, or their strange relationship. I would give The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer by Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg a B+!
He held a variety of jobs as an adult, and was soon urged by his mother to become a professional ragtime pianist. He was rather successful and played in Manhattan, Union City, New Jersey and in the Catskills, often using the stage name Yogi Freitag. He married a German photography student named Enken in 1961 and subsequently became a voice and piano teacher.
The real Charles Yukl was nothing at all like the facade he portrayed to the world. Behind the well-mannered musical prodigy with the choirboy looks dwelt a twisted psychotic misogynist. A reclusive, eccentric man whose dreams of perverse sexual fulfillment lived - and died - only in his fertile imagination.
Then on Monday, October 24, 1966, Charles Yukl brought his perverted fantasies to vivid life when he brutally murdered twenty-five year old Suzanne Reynolds. Suzanne was an aspiring actress who had been taking voice lessons for three months from the thirty-one year old ragtime pianist, and she had absolutely no idea of his true nature. Then, eight years later - on Tuesday, August 20, 1974 - due to a shocking series of legal errors that granted him the freedom to kill again, he lured a twenty-three year old aspiring model named Karin Schlegel to a Greenwich Village rooftop and savagely strangled her to death.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I had never heard of Charles Yukl or of the murders he committed. I found this story incredibly sad, and the fact that due to a bureaucratic oversight, he was allowed to kill again really made me angry. I will say that I found this book to be rather slow in places, and I really would have appreciated a deeper investigation of the wife's personality; other than mentioning that she was disturbing, very little else was explained about her, or their strange relationship. I would give The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer by Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg a B+!
June 20, 2015
I think there were too many cases like this. A criminal got free because of some missing notes, some misunderstanding among law enforcement officers, or was it actually because nobody really cared unless the victim was a loved one?
December 27, 2016
I bought this book for my son, the musician in our lives. Because I am also a musician and a book lover, and I find interest in psychological issues I was hoping to like this book. I did! Keep me wanting to read with no sleep in between!
April 12, 2010
Amazing to get this so long after the fact and not have heard of this particular murderer !!
November 15, 2011
Kept Attention: 5
Must Read: 3
Well-written: 5
Meaningful: 3
Accessible: 5
Must Read: 3
Well-written: 5
Meaningful: 3
Accessible: 5
November 9, 2012
This was just okay for me. I would have liked more psychological insights...this was more of a dry re-telling of the events as they happened. 2.5 stars
March 16, 2016
A very interesting (but dated) true crime story by one of my favorite authors.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews