Blood and Money

Perhaps on a handful of occasions, you come across a story that can paradoxically alter and reinforce your understanding of the human condition. A story so rich in complex and interesting characters, their lives narrated with such vivid detail and telling dialogue, they have to be real people and not the imagined composites of a novelist. A story set so perfectly in a place and time in history that you come away believing for a while that you lived there, traveled the streets, overheard conversations or had supper with the denizens. Of the hundreds of books I have enjoyed reading, like an endless buffet of delicious meals, there are few and far between the luscious delicacies found in Thomas Thompson's book, Blood and Money. This sumptuous feast requires slow, deliberate relish in order to luxuriate in every chapter like exquisitely prepared courses served in the finest restaurant. Before I had finished the first chapter of the book, I began to pace myself to allow the rare beauty and satisfying depth of this engrossing experience to linger. Thompson's masterpiece made him famous, along with introducing the Robinson family to a worldwide audience. He tragically died at age 49 from an illness he acquired while researching another superb work, Serpentine, a riveting and bizarre true story about a serial killer who preyed on tourists in multiple continents. Were not Thompson's career cut short, I would be happily standing in line for his next offering. As it is, I have read and enjoyed every one of his books. His thorough understanding of human nature, exhaustive research and attention to detail, and his virtuoso ear for vernacular, anecdote and irony vaults his work far above the usual pulp suspense or crime genre into the category of great literature, along the lines of William Faulkner, James Joyce, or Dostoevsky. None of the reviews, dust cover blurbs, or quotes from publishers do justice to this book; there are no superlatives that can overstate its brilliance. Blood and Money is set in Houston, Texas, from its beginnings as an uninhabitable swamp to its colorful and extraordinary ascension as a major power metropolis in America. Every influential player in the story is traced from childhood to his or her participation in the intricate drama, which at its core is a familiar tale of love, betrayal, murder, money, and revenge. Ash Robinson, a rags to riches hero, indulges his talented and popular daughter, Joan, to virtually anything her heart desires, including private education, champion horses, and three deadbeat husbands, the last of whom, plastic surgeon Dr. John Hill, probably murders her with a mysterious concoction of bacteria. I don't want to spoil the story, but suffice it to say I believe John Hill facilitated Joan's demise, if not precipitated it out of greed and expedience. Hill is a portrait of narcissism: self-serving ambition, reckless indulgence, cold and calculating cruelty, and with an overly protective, self-righteous mother who defends him to the bitter end. Some of you, like me, may despise Hill so intensely by the first half of the book, you begin rooting for the "bad guys" to escape punishment. As in the Shakespearian tragedy, Macbeth, there are quite a few dead bodies before the end of the saga, and by now most of the survivors have passed on to the big oil rig in the sky. Unlike in most crime books, however, the reader is privy to an energetic biographical history of the lawyers, judges, prostitutes, pimps, gamblers, ruffians, cops, oil men, socialites, and even some famous Texan politicians, which could only be accomplished through massive research, countless interviews, and dissecting court transcripts and newspaper reports in an investigative fervor unmatched by many writers. Thompson was a journalist with obvious connections and charisma, in whom nearly everyone confided like a priest at the last rites. Joan Robinson Hill is the most ambivalent character in the book, followed in a close second by her father, Ash, whose relationship with her was akin to worship. Unlucky in love, Joan is nevertheless adored by her family and friends, if not most of Houston, and represents the quintessential independent woman: talented, passionate, strong-willed, temperamental, philanthropic, and a devoted mother to her only child, a son she shared with the wretched Hill. Joan is no saint, but her failings and flaws are so endearing, she is someone with whom you can imagine being good friends or at least a doting admirer. Her death is only the beginning of a complex series of relationships, crime and murder. If I tell you anything else, it will ruin the suspense. Buy a copy of Blood and Money. You will want to own this book, and savor every piquant page.

This was a page turned about the death of a socialite, her husband who was accused of her murder and those who conspired to kill her husband. It's a sad tale with no happy ending. I feel for Ash Robinson, a self made man who loved his daughter Joan and would do anything for her. Unfortunately, her taste in men was less than ideal. Her third husband, a doctor, was an awful man who killed her in a brutal and agonizing way and got away with it. He was later killed himself, as was his killer. The first section covers Joan, the second Jon Hill and the third covers the three conspirators who plotted to kill Jon Hill. Only one was convicted. A thrilling, page turner, including the trial at the end, I was sad not to see a footnote to find out what happened to the remaining participants. Bios of all involved, from doctors, to lawyers, police officers and more enhance the narrative and illuminate the story. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audio book. The narrator read the book with a dry voice that took a while to get used to. It was done in a monotone and would've been better with a more animated personality. A fantastic book nine the less.

One of the benefits of the e-book publishing boom is the reissuing of old, out-of-print books. Several books by the late author Thomas Thompson have been published in e-form and I just reread two of his classics, "Richie", and "Blood and Money". I had read both books when they were originally published in the 1970's and I found they have both stood the test of time. I'm going to review them together; both are true crime books but they differ in scope. One, "Richie", is a very personal story of one family, which is torn apart by one son's use of drugs and his death at the hand of his father in a final horrific scene. The other, "Blood and Money", is a sprawling tale, set in Houston, and is the story of many people who are touched by a woman's death and the murder of her husband a couple of years later. I've read three classic true-crime books. They are Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood", Norman Mailer's "The Executioner's Song", and Tommy Thompson's "Blood and Money". All three books feature the crime in the first part, and the after-events in the second part. In "Blood", the first part is the life and death of Joan Robinson Hill, a legendary Houston society beauty and equestrian. Adopted as an infant by oilman Ash Robinson and his wife, Joan had been through two short marriages before meeting and marrying Dr John Hill, a young plastic surgeon just establishing a practice in Houston. Rarely has there been a more mismatched couple and the marriage soon soured after the birth of their only child, Robert. Joan Robinson Hill died in very murky circumstances - possibly abetted by her estranged husband - and her father, who adored her more than anything else in his life, vowed revenge on Dr John Hill. The book's second part is about the murder of John Hill, in front of his third wife, his son, and his mother, and the cast of characters involved in that murder. It is this part that Thompson's writing shines. The plot and execution of the Hill's murder involved some of the strangest "characters" you'll ever read about. From Marcia McKittrick - the proverbial prostitute with a heart of gold -, to her sometime boyfriend, Bobby Vandiver, who carried out the murder, to Lilla Paulus, the Houston matron with the bad, bad past who set up the assassination, and to the lawmen who worked the case and the lawyers that defended and prosecuted McKittrick and Paulus, Tommy Thompson brings the characters to life. The reader feels as if he's there, with Dr Orrin Staves, who loses his pistol to Marcia McKittrick in a funny scene and then tries to walk off with the weapon when he's testifying in court. The man just wants his gun back...even if it now evidence in a murder trial! But if Thompson's characters are beautifully written, so is his writing about the city and society - high and low - of Houston, which almost becomes a character. Thompson's book is about people - good and bad, high and low, moral and immoral - who find themselves bound together in the death of a woman and the aftermath of that death.

first read this in the 80s. and so began my love of true crime books. the early ann rule books are some of my favourites and often reread. this book is such a great read. very "meaty" and well written. was thrilled to find in kindle store.

A RICH AND HEAVY TALE ! And it's true ! You will forget everything around you !

This is the story of some sensational events, including murder, in Houston in the late 1960s. It is brilliantly told by the author. It is a long book, as Thompson takes time to draw in-depth portraits of all the many key players. In these portraits, he tells the person's life history, building layer by layer a picture of their character which enables the reader to understand why that person behaves the way they do. These portraits are fully rounded, whether the person in question is rich and powerful or from lower social and economic echelons. For Thompson, this is a study of character more than anything else. The narrative never drags, so crisp and instructive is Thompson's prose. He covers the complex trial processes and tactics with clarity and conciseness. So startling is the story it would be a good read in the hands of even a pedestrian writer. In the hands of Thompson, it is a classic.

A truly great read. An older book, thus a long read........... thank goodness. So, so well written, a story that twists and turns, I loved every minute of it. Much to convoluted to go into plot specifics, it has all the ingredients us TRUE true crime readers need. I have found some of the newer books to be to short, moreover some of the great authors have gone down hill. The only criticism I have is, on my Kindle read, no photographs! I would have loved to see each and every character in this book.

Really enjoyed this book. A little long and confusing towards the end but a magnificently told and tragic story of love and loss.