She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales

(Hardback)

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"I love Skip Hollandsworth. I love his extraordinary stories, I love his rabid curiosity, and I love that as a writer, he personifiestoeing the line between horror, humor, and absurdity. I am inspired by every single character he has introduced us to."Laura Dern

A superb collection of true-crime storieswritten byTexas Monthlyslegendary feature writer Skip Hollandsworththatreminds us why America is perennially obsessed with the genre.

Skip Hollandsworth has been covering true crime since long before the podcasts, networks, and television shows discovered it. Raised in Texas, the revered journalist joinedTexas Monthlyin 1989, and the stories he has written over three-plus decades have helped define a locale and a culture.

Curated by Hollandsworth,She Killsbrings together beloved stories that focus in particular on female perpetratorsfrom the high schooler who was so desperate to move back in with Momthat she had no choice but to poison her fathers refried beans,to the wallflower nurse in small-town Texas who one day started killing off her patients, to the lovelorn dental hygienist who ordered a hit on her rival.

These are expertly crafted tales that will stop readers in their tracks and leave them gasping with shock and pleasure. Each story is updated by Hollandsworth, who provides background on his original storytelling and new information on the perpetrators and victims, where available.

She Killsisajaw-dropping, addictively readable compendium ofwomen whose often sensational crimes and circumstances put them on the wrong side of the law.

She Killsis illustrated with 44 black-and-white photos throughout.

Reviews

"I love Skip Hollandsworth. I love his extraordinary stories, I love his rabid curiosity, and I love that as a writer, he personifiestoeing the line between horror, humor, and absurdity. And yet, he is just always trying to find the humanity and the truth of the thing. Who knew it would take an Eagle Scout from WichitaFalls to love complicated women in all their despair as much as this actress does I am inspired by every single character he has introduced us to." Laura Dern "An undisputed master of long-form true crime reporting, Skip Hollandsworth brings nuance, sensitivity, cultural context and a big, beating heart to every story he writes, but probably foremost in his pieces on women. There are no simple femme fatales in this stunning collection, only complicated women, all of whomsome justified, some nothave their reasons. Not only is this an exhilarating, illuminating read, it is vital social history." Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of The Turnout "Therealtrue-crime aficionados have always read Skip Hollandsworth, because we care more about terrific story-telling than trying to solve cold cases. This collection has all the Hollandsworth hallmarksfascinating women whose mysteries only deepen the more we learn about them. Profoundly empathetic, compulsively readable." Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of Murder Takes a Vacation "Texas readers have had a long love affair with Skip Hollandsworthfor good reason. He tells us stories about who we really are, and he does it with an unsparing eye. Even the killers get a fair hearing in his court. Count me as a student in his class on literary journalism." Lawrence Wright, author of The Human Scale "Skip Hollandsworth does not so much report a story as sidle up to it. He writes with such unhurried decorum and gentlemanly curiosity that sometimes you forgeteven as your eyes are glued to the pagethat youre reading about some of the grisliest forms of human behavior." Stephen Harrigan,author of Big Wonderful Thing:A History of Texas "The words of master True Crime storyteller Skip Hollandsworth will get under your skinand worm their way into your heart.These storiesare unpredictable, unforgettable, and revelatory." Lise Olsen, author of The Scientist and the Serial Killer "Skip Hollandsworth isn't just a master of the True Crime genre; he is also a master of journalism, period.He is such a deft and inspired writer that it's easy to forget that he is also a five-star reporter.The soup will get cold, the grass won't get mowed, the bills won't get paid because his readers can't stop reading!" Mimi Swartz, longtime Texas Monthly contributor and author ofTicker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart "Masterful storyteller Skip Hollandsworth guides usacross Texasfrom moneyed suburbs to sleepy towns where some women murder out of desperation and others do it simply because they want to.In his patented Hollandsworth style, the writing is crisp, the imagery visceral, and the compassion authentic. Kate Winkler Dawson, The Sinners All Bow and American Sherlock

Author Bio

SkipHollandsworthisanaward-winningjournalist, a screenwriter,and an executive editor ofTexas Monthly. He has won a National Magazine Award for feature writing,and his 2016 book,TheMidnight Assassin,was aNew York Times bestseller. Healso cowrote the acclaimed screenplay Bernie with director Richard Linklater. The film was based onHollandsworths 1998Texas Monthlyarticle Midnight in the Garden of East Texas.Linklater recently adaptedHollandsworthsTexas Monthlyarticle Hit Man for a 2024 feature with Glen Powell.Hollandsworthlives in Texas, where heand his wife have raised two children.