Review: Washed in the Blood by Shelton L. Williams

 

WASHED IN THE BLOOD

by

SHELTON L. WILLIAMS

Memoir / Biography / True Crime

Newly updated!

Date of Publication: February 17, 2022

Number of Pages: 175 pages

 

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The true story behind the Kiss and Kill murder in Texas in 1961. Author Larry King says: Washed in the Blood is a page-turning read about the time--early 1960s--and place--Odessa, Texas--during its rowdy oil boom days when violence often rode the range. It is at once an examination of local mores and foibles, piety and hypocrisy and an inside-look at the famed 'Kiss and Kill' murder of a 17-year-old would-be actress, Betty Jean Williams, whose ghost is said to haunt the Odessa High School campus to this very day.

 

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Shelton L. Williams (Shelly) is founder and president of the Osgood Center for International Studies in Washington, DC. He holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and he taught for nearly 40 years at Austin College in Sherman, Texas. He has served in the US Government on 4 occasions, and he has written books and articles on nuclear proliferation. In 2004 he began a new career of writing books on crime and society. Those books are Washed in the Blood, Summer of 66, and now the three books in the Covey Jencks Mysteries series. All firmly prove that he is still a Texan at heart.

 

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Thank you to the author and Lone Star Literary for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Washed in the blood is a fascinating look at the tragic demise of a young woman in Odessa, Texas in March of 1961, months before she was to graduate from high school. Her killer, an ex-boyfriend, drove her to a remote spot at her request, kissed her then shot her in the head. Her death and subsequent murder trial rocked the tight knit community. Her ghost haunts the high school to this day.

Betty Jean’s story is told by her first cousin, the author, who explores life in football-crazy Odessa. He lays out her lower middle-class background, difficult family life and her desire to be different from her classmates. Betty Jean dreamed of leaving the dusty staid town behind when she left high school for a chance at acting. Sadly, the quirky girl didn’t get the chance. 

The details from the trial are a revelation in themselves. The attitudes toward girls like Betty, outsiders who flaunted social conventions, are on full display. Not surprising but still shocking was the way the town rallied around the killer and not the victim. 

I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s a slice of Texas history told from an eyewitness. Great details of Odessa’s obsession with high school football and life in that dusty oil field town. If you enjoy true crime stories this is a great short read. It’s an interesting look at what we'd like to believe was a simpler time, but was really quite complicated.

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