THOMPSON, THOMAS (1933–1982). Thomas (Tommy) Thompson, journalist and writer, the son of Clarence and Ruth Thompson, was born on October 3, 1933, at Fort Worth, Texas. His father was a high school principal and his mother a teacher. After graduating from Arlington Heights High School, Thompson earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1955. He had started his own newspaper at age eight; by age twenty-three he was city editor of the Houston Press. Around 1958 he married Joyce Alford; they divorced in 1969. He joined Life magazine in 1961 and became an editor and staff writer. When Life ceased publication in 1972, Thompson turned to writing freelance magazine articles and books. His first two books-Hearts (1971), on the rivalry between Houston surgeons Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley at the dawn of the heart transplant era, and Richie (1973), the story of a Long Island man who killed his drug-addicted son-were based on stories that first appeared in Life. While doing research in Houston for Hearts, Thompson heard a story that inspired his most successful book, Blood and Money (1976). It was based on a true story of scandal and murder among Houston's social elite and involved the deaths of Joan Robinson Hill and her husband, Dr. John Hill, who was accused of her murder before he himself was killed by an alleged hit man. The book made Thompson a millionaire and the target of three libel suits. It sold four million copies in fourteen languages. Thompson said that he wanted to write about the psyche of Texas as reflected in this case, since he felt that it was still a frontier state and its violence had always concerned him. A prodigious researcher, Thompson flew around the world three times and spent two years in Asia doing research for Serpentine (1979), the bizarre story of convicted murderer Charles Sobhraj.
Thompson was said to be among the most consistently successful practitioners of the nonfiction novel pioneered by writers Truman Capote and Norman Mailer. Among other honors, he received the National Headliner Award for investigative reporting and the 1977 Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Blood and Money. After Serpentine, he turned to the challenge of fiction and produced one novel, Celebrity (1982). The novel described the impact of fame on three men who grew up in Fort Worth, one of them a journalist who covered the Kennedfy assassination, as Thompson did. It received mixed reviews but stayed on the national best-seller list for six months. Thompson, who had taught writing at the University of Southern California and other institutions, agreed to become an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin on September 1, 1982. Before he could return to Texas from Los Angeles, where he had lived for six years, he became ill with liver cancer. It may have been caused by hepatitis he contracted while doing research in India for Serpentine. In response to the news, he said "If the Lord says it's my time to go, I can't complain. I've already done everything twice." His sons Kirk and Scott were at his bedside when he died in a Los Angeles hospital on October 29, 1982. Thompson's craft was his main religion. The nondenominational funeral services for him at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church attracted many celebrities.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series, Vol. 14. Dallas Morning News, September 14, 1976, January 26, 1978, October 30, 1982. Houston Post, September 12, 1976, October 18, 1978, April 25, 1982.
-- Sarah L. Greene, "THOMPSON, THOMAS," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fth53), Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Customer Reviews of Blood and Money from Amazon.com follow:
A True Life Tale of Texan Greed, Love and Murder By A Customer on July 12, 1999
"Blood and Money" first published in 1976 is a true page-turner and a major piece of non-fiction journalism. Set thirty years ago in the moneyed mansions of Houston’s River Oaks it is a spellbinding tale of an oil millionaires (Ash Robinson) obsessive love for his daughter (Joan Robinson) and her ill fated third marriage to a rising star plastic surgeon (John Hill). Events take tragic and unexpected turns carrying along the reader’s emotions. Then the author brings us through a series of court trials deepening 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 transcripts, autopsy reports, police files, photographs) and person available 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 supplementary information perhaps other versions do. This caliber of journalism is damned impressive and it's a pity we don't have its originator Thomas Thompson with us any longer.
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5 Stars
EVEN FOR HOUSTON THIS WAS SHOCKING By Shannon Deason on September 3, 2006
When I was a little boy, I snagged this book off my mother's bed stand and could not put 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 barnburner on a story that pleaded for this kind of treatment. Really, one of the best true crime books every written, highly recommended.
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5 Stars
If You Love True Crime Books, This is One You Can’t Put Down By Collar Wilson on October 28, 1999
I saw the mini-series starring Farrah Fawcett before I read the book. I was intrigued by the movie. I had never heard of Joan Olive Robinson Hill before and after seeing the movie I wondered about her and her life and if it were possible that her husband did in fact kill her. There were a lot of questions that needed answering. I read the book and was amazed at the attention Thomas Thompson gave to even the smallest detail and how he was able to draw you into the story, you almost felt like you were there when these events happened. The book did not absolutely say that John Hill had killed Joan Hill, but it certainly provided ample motive and opportunity. And the scenario that describes the way he might have done it seems plausible. Who knows? This does not take away at all from the drama of this story and as John Hill himself is dead as well, there are some things we will never know. Thomas Thompson makes you feel empathy for Joan and her situation. He also makes you feel sympathy, compassion and scorn; why didn't she just leave the bum and find someone who really wanted her. I loved this story.
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3 Stars
Engrossing True Crime Story – But Needs an Update By Edison McIntyre on May 29, 2006
I don't write many "me too" reviews in this space, but I can't resist recommending "Blood and Money," not only for aficionados of "true crime" literature, but for anyone interested in the workings of the American legal system. I know little of the city of Houston or of Texas, but I gather that Thomas Thompson's tome is also an excellent snapshot of this booming energy/medical/cultural complex, c.1970.
The details of the story are covered by other reviewers here. It's interesting that many have come to hard conclusions about the legal culpability of certain principals in this long, involved story (perhaps being influenced by other sources), while Thompson himself passes no definite judgments (though it's not difficult to tell what he's implying). Although there are no source notes or acknowledgments, one has the impression that Thompson included little in this account that could not be corroborated by "reliable sources," although he does include some speculation on specific points.
But the real value of the book, as I said, is not so much in portraying guilt or innocence but in dealing with a larger issue: the impact of wealth, social prestige, and publicity on the legal process and on justice. Depending on how one views the evidence presented by Thompson, it's not unreasonable to say that none of the principals involved in this entire episode received justice from the Texas court system. Some relatively minor players went to jail, and one died, in part, because of their involvement. But for the big fish in this case, the legal system in the end had no answers and no closure. I'll leave the deeper reflections on class and justice to Karl Marx.
Another thought: This book should be required reading in medical schools. A physician who insists on treating his own family and friends is asking for it!
The publishers of this thirty-year-old book would do well to commission an "Afterword" for a new edition, to cover what happened since the 1976 publication. A few developments (based on some Internet searching): John Hill's third wife, Connie, sued Ash Robinson for wrongful death in the slaying of her husband, but no damages were awarded. Thompson was himself sued for defamation by Ash Robinson, as well as by Ann Kurth (John Hill's second wife), and by a Texas police officer who figured in the story. Robinson's case eventually was dismissed, and Thompson won the other suits. Thompson died in 1982, Ash Robinson in 1985. The story was dramatized as a TV film, "Murder in Texas," in 1981, based on the book "Prescription: Murder" by Ann Kurth, who maintained that John Hill tried to kill her and may have faked his own death. Kurth's book, and the film version, no doubt has left many with a much more definite idea as to who was responsible for the death of Joan Robinson Hill.
Not exactly the most vital book I've read lately, but if you are seeking an intriguing, novelistic and somewhat illuminating book for bedtime or the airport, you could do far worse. And if you ARE a "true crime" fan, this book is a must.
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