75 books like Blood Will Tell

In my view, fellow Texan Tommy Thompson is the best true crime writer around.

That’s why I recommend Blood and Money, which paints a vivid picture of boom and bust Houston, Texas café society with all of its charity balls, gossip columns, infidelities, and murders.

Dr. John Hill, a social-climbing but not particularly hard-working plastic surgeon, was accused of killing his stunning wife, Joan Robinson, renowned for her show horsemanship and platinum blonde ponytail. Joan was also the daddy’s girl of oil baron Ash Robinson, who had a conniving history of breaking the law.

So when Ash’s freeloading son-in-law was set free, thanks to a hung jury and the slick work of famed attorney Richard “Racehorse” Haynes, the city’s headlines were quickly filled with another murder—that of Dr. John Hill.

Whenever anyone writes about Dallas, Texas, odds are it’s going to include the rich, the seedy, and a murder.

In this case it’s the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But this book is so much more.

It’s a history of the moneyed-powerful and the stepped on in early 1960s Dallas, setting up an understanding of how this murder that shook the world was destined to happen in the Lone Star State.

And it’s a book I have been recommending for 10 years, not simply because it’s a riveting read, which it most definitely is, but because—despite the passage of 60 years—it’s a reflection of the U.S. today.

Run, Brother, Run is my favorite true crime memoir simply because the author, David Berg, slices through the legal aspects and cuts deeply into the personal pain of murder.

After all, David is a prominent Houston attorney and the brother of the murder victim, Alan Berg. Just as David was beginning his law career and arguing (and winning) a case before the Supreme Court, Alan mysteriously disappeared.

David’s gut told him that Alan had been murdered by a ticked off business associate who had hired hitman Charles Harrelson, actor Woody Harrelson’s father. This time it’s Percy Foreman, Richard “Racehorse” Haynes’s mentor, who outguns the prosecution, freeing Harrelson to later murder a Texas judge.

David’s an outstanding author whose prose is vivid, tight, and heartfelt.

After reading a lot of true crime, I need a break from reality. That’s when I escape into murderous thrillers by May Cobb, an author many people call the Jackie Collins of Texas.

Whereas Jackie wrote about the glamorous and cosmopolitan, May writes about the small-town scions of East Texas, who think they’re glamorous and cosmopolitan.

A Likeable Woman, which comes out July 11, 2023, revolves around Kira, who has believed since she was 12 years old that her mother was murdered. Everyone else in Longview, Texas, including her grandmother and sister, knows that Sadie Foster committed suicide.

Decades later, Kira learns that her grandmother holds an unpublished memoir written by Sadie that indicates Kira might have been right all along.

A Likeable Woman contains everything that drives my writing passions—murder, memoir, and East Texas—and reads at breakneck speed. 

If you think this book is just about the trash can-banging Houston Astros and how they stole signs on the way to winning the 2017 World Series, you’re wrong. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Drellich was covering the Astros long before all of that started, so he gives you a deep look at the organizational culture that led to the scandal.

Choosing this book was a no-brainer for me as I absolutely adored this novel. It reminded me of my younger self in high school, very artistic and yet still trying to “fit in” with the cool kids and trying to find my own way and destiny. The storyline revolves around a cool Piper Perish who “inhales air and exhales art.” She and her best friends Enzo and Kit, are dreaming of leaving Houston to get into art school in New York City. It’s been Piper’s dream her whole life, and now that senior year is halfway over, she’s ready for the Big Apple. Of course, a few challenges get in the way, including boys and family drama, which make the story very relatable and engaging.

Patricia Hunt Holmes is a fellow writer and friend who has written two books. Her second novel is titled, Crude Ambitions, and Pat weaves a great story of the good and evil in the ever-booming Texas oil industry. After leaving the Texas Hill Country to fulfill her dreams of becoming a lawyer, the main character in the book, Carolyn Page, faces numerous crises of consciousness in her personal life and professional career. Nevertheless, Carolyn excels and works tirelessly to become a partner in a prestigious Houston law firm that exposes her to many challenging and life-changing decisions for herself and others. Pat has developed a rich cast of characters to deliver a riveting story that is sure to please. 

It might look like another romance novel slipped into this list by mistake, but Andrews elevates a typical paranormal romance plot by placing it in an extraordinary open-world urban fantasy setting and emphasizing the main character’s relationship with her family over her love life. Nevada and her loved ones would rather live quiet lives than welcome society’s scrutiny by exposing abilities that are extraordinary even in a world socially ruled by magical dynasties. This book proves explosive magical fights can occur in a world where the response is live-streaming and not an immediate cover-up attempt.

Texas Destiny is a historical romance that showcases a family of three brothers trying to start a ranch. Each brother has his own personality, his own way to contribute to the development of their family which enthralled me. Dallas holds it all together, a Type A personality to be sure. Austin, the youngest, does everything he can to help but still makes impulsive decisions. And Houston, the middle brother…scarred in battle, he has to fight feelings of worthlessness. It’s a beautiful story about how three brothers learned to be a family. My heart almost couldn’t take it.

I love the start of this. An actor (again!) wakes to find himself naked and bound to a plank in the middle of the Texas range. Fortunately, along comes his saviour in the form of Duke, his knight in shining armour, or in this case, a cowboy. It’s a debut novel and it’s very good. Romantic and sweet with a bit of a mystery and I loved the touches of humour. Humour always brings a book alive for me. Sadly I think that’s the only book Thorny has written and it’s shame.