Washed in the Blood
by Shelton Williams
...a page-turning, crackling read about ...the
famed"Kiss and Kill" murder of a 17-year old.
- Larry L. King, author,
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Murder/True Crime
5.25 inches x 8.25 inches
184 pages; Paperback
ISBN 0975566733
Regular price: $12.95
Sale price: $11.95
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
I was very close to some of the people in this case
and after some trepidation picked up "Washed in
the Blood." I couldn't put it down. Mack Herring
pulled the trigger yet it is more of an indictment of
families that don't work as well as growing up in
Odessa, Texas in the 50's & 60's. It is also a book
of hope in that Betty Williams still "lives" in the
hearts and minds of a lot of people.
If you grew up in West Texas at that time or are
close to someone who did, or locked into a point of
view in regard to this case, please do yourself a
favor and read this book. - Garry Francell
(Honolulu, HI)
A disturbing, sad, quirky, true tale- mainly
biographical that pulls you in and holds you to the
end. Set mainly in working class West Texas in the
late 60's, it tells the story of a dysfunctional family
struggling with demons of their own making and with
those thrust on them by religiosity, the environment
and the times. To be different from the norm meant
heart-breaking ostracism and isolation. For Shelly's
cousin, it meant her mysterious death at 17. A West
Texas '60's story but more than that it is a story
about universal questions and truths. Compact,
understated, minimalist writing style with strong
underlying warm feeling tones. H. A. Peacock
This is a fascinating story that vividly paints the
picture of growing up in the 1950's West Texas.
Shelton Williams sensitively tells the tale of his
cousin's dramatic life. If you are a fan of Ann Rule
or Larry McMurtry, this would definitely be worth
your time. Kristi Carrillo "Buukfairy" (Orange
County, CA USA)
Takes a minute or two.
- The oil fields of West Texas have been the site of a lop-sided share of notorious crimes. But, few have
consumed more printers’ ink or broadcast air as the “Kiss and Kill” murder a few years back near
Odessa, Texas .
It is a passionate story of high school lovers who set about early on a path of destruction. Their
harrowing tale ended 40 years ago with a kiss and a shotgun blast at the edge of a playa lake near
Odessa .
Author-college professor Shelton Williams, classmate, cousin and confidant of the young woman who
died at muzzle-end of a 12 gauge shotgun vividly retells the story. As Williams tells it, the life of his
cousin, Betty Williams, was a 17-year tragedy. A series of failed and unfulfilling relationships left her
wanting and depressed to the point of seeking death as the only way out. Her solution was to ask her on-
again, off-again boyfriend, Mack Herring, to do the deed.
- Writer Williams, a professor of International Relations at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, provides a
- wrenching first-person account of the events leading up to his cousin’s death and Herring’s ensuing
trial. It’s packed with the pain Williams endured and the guilt and helplessness he felt as a teenager in
somehow not coming to Betty’s rescue.
Texas Monthly Senior Editor Gary Cartwright calls Washed In The Blood “The stuff of great literature.
Except it’s tragically real.” Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights calls it “…hypnotic, eerie, a
spine-tingling murder mystery and haunting memoir…” Playwright Larry L. King, author of The Best
Little Whorehouse In Texas says the story is “…a courtroom saga starring the late trial super-lawyer
Warren Burnett, along with a verdict that some think stood the blind Goddess of Justice on her head.”
A professor of political science and international relations at Austin College,
Williams is an architect of a United Nations' nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Throughout his adult life, he has been haunted by the death of his cousin, Betty
Jean, when he was 16. The two were as close as brother and sister, mutual
confidants.