Of Susan, a parent who suspects that her child has been sexually abused, Unspeakable Acts" tells us: "Susan said she couldn't rest until she knew the truth. She wouldn't rest afterward, either." Readers of Jan Hollingsworth's account of a widely publicized Florida child-abuse case may feel the same. In its lurid details, its frustrating complexity and in the agony of the children and families who were victimized, this case would seem to be the paradigm of incidents in Minnesota, California and elsewhere that have surfaced in recent years. A startling difference, though, is the outcome: the molester was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. In October 1985, the owner of the Country Walk Babysitting Service, one Frank Fuster, was found guilty of 14 counts of abuse. Mr. Fuster's unspeakable acts were more than just the repeated sexual abuse of children; the victims also testified that he led them in satanic rituals in which both crucifixes and excrement played a part. The author cites the specifics of these revolting rituals to illustrate disturbing similarities in some of the multiple-victim sexual-abuse cases that have recently been discovered in other states. She suggests that such acts are fostered by a nationwide network of pedophiles who swap information and videotapes in a mega-dollar child-pornography business the F.B.I. would do well to target. Certainly, the Florida parents and children are fortunate to have this volume to document and bear witness to their collective nightmare.