Blind Faith in Joe

“Blind Faith”--Joe McGinnis’ upcoming chronicle (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) about the 1983 murder case that shocked the community of Toms River, N.J.--won’t be on the shelves until January. But it’s already been snatched for an NBC miniseries.

It’s being produced by Dan Wigutow, --who did NBC’s highly rated 1984 miniseries “Fatal Vision,” based on McGinnis’ book about convicted killer Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald.

The Toms River case, tried in 1986, generated headlines with its murder-for-hire scenario that found insurance salesman Robert Marshall accused of arranging the contract killing of his wife, Maria. The Marshalls had seemed like the perfect couple . . . until it was discovered that Maria’s life had been insured for $1.5 million, a policy purchased the day before her death. And that Marshall had been involved with a neighbor woman. Suspicion then pitted family members against each other.

The outcome: Marshall has been sentenced to die by lethal injection.