Murder and Mayhem in Houston: Historic Bayou City Crime

by Mike Vance, John Nova Lomax

When the Allen brothers sold Houston's first lots, the city became a magnet for enterprising tycoons and opportunistic crooks alike. As the young city grew, a scourge of crime and vice accompanied the success of oil and real estate. The Bayou City's seedy side--flashing Bowie knives, privileged bad boys, hardened prostitutes and unchecked serial killers--established its hold. From a young Clyde Barrow to the Man Who Killed Halloween," Houston's past is filled with bloody tales, heartbreaking loss and despicable deeds. Authors Mike Vance and John Nova Lomax shine a light on these dark days."

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2014

About the author

Mike Vance is the author of 4 novels and 15 non-fiction books on Texas history, historic true crime, comedy, and sports history. That non-fiction work informs his historical novels. He has produced well over 150 award-winning videos including feature length documentaries, short films and television shows on a variety of Texas history stories. Mike also traveled the English speaking world for 16 years doing stand-up comedy and fronting a band for which he wrote original music. He sometimes teaches Texas history at Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a fascinating, though grisly, look at the history of Houston through the lens of true crime, starting with Texas' days as a republic and ending in the late 1990s. The information on Houston in the 1950s and 1960s was particularly interesting to me. The authors have backgrounds in script writing and journalism respectively, and I felt that their previous writing experience positively affected the writing style, although there were a few points where I felt Vance and Lomax were being unnecessarily comedic. On the whole, though, I think this book provides a pretty good starting point for anyone looking into Houston's grimmer history, so long as they are prepared to read about such subject matter.

[Kay Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories, mostly from before 1950 or so, but the writing rambles down rabbit holes and doesn't always return to the original story.

[Michele Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book as it provided some interesting narratives on crime in Houston from the early days to the late 90's. I would think that a sequel is in order to cover the late 90's to current crime as there is certainly much more material to mine.

A short read that was very interesting.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well chronicled history of Houston, TX whether the reader is born and raised there, or if you move to the big state. His is a well researched piece of non fiction.
Starting with a well described, picturesque view of the birth of Houston, to the multitude of crimes that have taken place since 1863.
Perfect for fans of true crime and history buffs.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very interesting reading since I lived in Houston for many years, but it was also very
gruesome. I didn't live there when some of these crimes occured, but it was creepy. I think it was well
researched. I can't say that I enjoyed the book considering the subject matter.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few interesting tidbits here and there, but mostly I was struggling to get through this dog.

[Randi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Houston was a dangerous place! Not sure the authors selected the same stories that I would have.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really interesting and well researched. I thought it would make a great series.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book about the criminal history of Houston starting in the 1830's. Included were stories I was familiar with and plenty I was not. As a native Houstonian, I learned a lot about my town, for better or worse. The book was well written though there were times stories went down a rabbit hole without always bringing it back to the original point. It was a fast read which makes me wonder if the authors could have gone more in depth resulting in a longer book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for Houstonians...True crime, lots of locations, etc. Great history for someone who does not know so much about Houston, besides crime, has some interesting history.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evil things happen, even in your hometown and they have been happening for a long, long time. This book covers the details of some of the more sinister events that have taken place in Houston. As a teacher, I particularly was interested in the Poe Elementary bombing and the connection with the Jonestown Massacre. Shocking stuff!

[Deeanna Antosh]

As someone native to the Houston area, it was interesting. However, it was hard to get past a geographical error in the first chapter. Unfortunately, it made me question some of the other research.