Homicide in the Hood: Murders That Haunt A Small Town Girl

by Kelli Martin

Kelli Martin is a small town girl from Granbury, Texas located in Hood County about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Growing up in this quaint, picturesque town was not what people might think. Women in the 1980s were being murdered in the hood and no one was being arrested. People were scared and began locking their doors. A convicted rapist was running loose, peeping in the author’s window, and stalking her. These events in childhood and the murder of a friend and co-worker in 1990 had a profound impact on Martin and her choice to enter the field of criminal justice. All these years later she wrote this book Homicide in the Murders that Haunt a Small Town Girl, in hopes of these cases finally being solved. The unsolved cases covered is this book are now being worked by law enforcement.

Martin started her career in 1995 as an adult probation officer and throughout her tenure was a pre-sentence investigation officer, a court officer, an officer in the specialized sex crimes unit, a training officer, search & seizure team leader, an officer in several specialized units for substance abusers, and general caseloads. Martin has 18 years’ experience in executive-level management and administration in community corrections agencies including supervising the Sex Crimes Unit, Training Academy Director, and Research & Policy Planner. Martin has many years of experience as a college instructor teaching over 15 different classes, including several special topics courses for which she developed the curricula. Martin has published numerous articles on community corrections issues, a chapter in a two-volume series called, Icons of Crime Fighting, an e-book college criminology textbook, and various technical reports and research briefs.

310 pages, Paperback

Published October 16, 2024

Reviews

[em (christian harper’s version) ♡ ︎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

met the author… entitled and rude

[Harley Mcgruder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kelli Martin’s Homicide In The Hood was an interesting read for me simply because I grew up 25 minutes from Granbury. I would recommend this book for anyone who grew up in the area or simply has a love for reading about unsolved cases. I usually wouldn’t reach for a book like this, but I had the opportunity to met Kelli herself and she sold me on the stories she had and working in the criminal justice field herself. It’s definitely written in her perspective and what she had gathered from talking to family/friends involved with the crimes.

[Sarah Blevins · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book as it’s written about the murders of my home town. I was sadly disappointed! The author made every death into something about her before she would even begin to tell about the victims. She repeated herself constantly on unnecessary information. She didn’t release any new info that hasn’t already been shared by the local newspapers. Would not recommend at all. I feel she did an injustice to the victims and their families.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelli Martin's Homicide in the Hood is a heartfelt and haunting exploration of unsolved murders in the seemingly quaint town of Granbury, Texas. Drawing on her personal experiences growing up there, Martin provides an emotional narrative about six specific cases that left an indelible mark on the community. The detailed accounts not only memorialize the victims but also call for justice and renewed attention to these cold cases.

What struck me most about Martin’s writing is her ability to weave personal anecdotes with meticulous research. She describes the murder of Lillian Peart, who was brutally shot in a convenience store for a mere $57. Her recounting of how this event shook her childhood innocence is raw and moving, making it easy to empathize with the fear and confusion she must have felt. The inclusion of small-town quirks, such as the community's reliance on word-of-mouth gossip, adds an authentic charm to an otherwise grim subject matter. Martin’s knack for storytelling truly shines when she recounts how these murders affected her family and her career path. In the chapter on Holly Palmer’s murder near the sheriff’s department, Martin ties her personal memories of riding her bike past the location to a broader discussion of law enforcement’s struggles in solving these cases.

The contrast between her idyllic childhood memories and the brutal reality of these crimes adds an emotional depth that is hard to ignore. While the book is gripping, it’s also frustrating and that’s no fault of the author. Martin is transparent about the challenges law enforcement faced due to the lack of modern technology like DNA testing during the 1980s. For example, she discusses how suspects were identified but not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, leaving readers with a sense of unresolved injustice. Her writing conveys not just the facts but also her palpable frustration and determination to bring attention to these cases.

I particularly appreciated Martin’s plea to humanize the victims. Her insistence that these women were more than statistics resonates strongly. In discussing Dorothy Sanders, who was stabbed over 100 times, Martin paints a vivid picture of the victim’s humanity and the ripple effects of her loss on the community. This level of compassion and advocacy is what makes the book stand out.

Homicide in the Hood is a compelling read for true crime enthusiasts, particularly those interested in cold cases and the intricacies of small-town dynamics. Martin’s passion for justice and her ability to connect the reader to her past create an engaging and thought-provoking narrative. This book is perfect for those looking to better understand the long-term impacts of unsolved crimes on families and communities. It left me both heartbroken and hopeful, a testament to Martin's powerful storytelling.

[Joyce Hackett · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really hard to read, not because of the subject matter, but because it seemed as though the author wanted to make the book more about herself rather than the victims of the cold cases she has written about. The writing style leaves something to be desired as well, I felt as though I was reading random personal ramblings rather than a factual account of the investigations. All in all, I was very disappointed in this book because I was really looking forward to reading and learning more about these cases and the people whose lives were cut short. Instead I came away with nothing more than I had heard by word of mouth while living in Granbury for 20 years and the feeling that this book was written only for the monetary value that will come from it because of the sensationalism of these particular crimes

[Judith A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written with pure intentions of empathy for those in Granbury, Tx, who had loved ones taken from them in evil horrific ways and most without closure by perpatrator procecution. That is a most difficult road to have to travel in life. Reading this book helps readers share the burden of grief and gives great incite to the world of forensic investigation - the pluses and pitfalls included.

[Brit Brit · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing often feels self-indulgent and sophomoric, with frequent repetition and an overreliance on personal opinion, which detracts from the book’s overall impact