Blood and Money

When i was a little boy, I snagged this book off my mother's bed stand and could not but it down, obviously it was not exactly what my mother would want me to read at ten, but it was just a fantastic read, and it happened in Houston, which for me made it totally fascinating. The story is so amazing you really cannot believe this really happened, but shockingly it did, the Hill mansion in River Oaks still sits on its corner, astride to Kirby Drive. This is a well written barn burner on a story that pleaded for this kind of treatment. Really, one of the best true crime books every written, highly recommended.

The depiction in this interesting book is accurate, according to events reported in the Houston newspapers that covered these events. I was fortunate to actually see Ash Robinson one morning in 1978, in the driveway of his River Oaks home, wearing pajamas and putting something in the trunk of his car. It was awesome.

"Blood and Money" first published in 1976 is a true page turner and a major piece of non-fiction journalism. Set thiry years ago in the moneyed mansions of Houstons River Oaks it is a spellbinding tale of an oil millionares(Ash Robinson) obsessive love for his daughter(Joan Robinson) and her ill fated third marraige to a rising star plastic surgeon(John Hill). Events take tragic and unexpected turns carrying along the readers emotions. Then the author brings us through a series of court trials deepeening the characters and shading their motives. Abruptly the story leaves behind the privileged rich lives and burrows into the sleazy underbelly of Texan prostitution and petty crime culminating in a final pursuit and spectacular murder trial. No fiction is a match for the awful truth here and the writer Thomas Thompson meticulously unravels this bizarre saga of greed, power, lust, love and murder. All the characters are deeply shaded and by force of sheer detail their lives are brought into vivid focus. It is a sprawling narrative similar to Norman Mailers "The Executioners Song" although largely confined to the somewhat strange state of Texas. Thompson must have utilized every possible material(court transcrits, autopsy reports, police files, photographs) and person avialable to him. Conversations are carefully reconstructed, events are colorfully described and the author seamlessly insinuates himself into the mind of each of the characters. Readers enjoy a fly- on-the-wall perspective of the characters doings and actions. Ultimately "Blood and Money" can fairly take its place alongside other New Journalism classics like "In Cold Blood". It would have been nice however if the author had included a preface, (some notes about his research techniques) photographs and character epilogues. The hard cover Doubleday publication does not contain any supplementry information perhaps other versions do. This calibre of jornalism is damned impressive and it's a pity we don't have its originator Thomas Thompson with us any longer.

Thomas Thompson does a fantastic job of re-telling the events surrounding the mysterious death of a Houston socialite, the investigation into the death, the trial of her prominent surgeon husband, and the circumstances surrounding his murder a few years after hers. This is without a doubt the most gripping story I have ever read. Thompson's research on this project was extensive, and I would imagine exhaustive. It is written as if he were a witness to all the events which took place in this story. It is a story so bizarre, it would have to be fiction, but sadly was a very true story of adultery, greed, and vengeance. If you can find the book I highly recommend you buy it. You will have a hard time putting it down.