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Daddy's Girl: The Campbell Murder Case
On June 19, 1982, successful Houston lawyer James Campbell and Virginia, his wife of forty years, were found brutally shot to death in their own bed. From investigative reporter Clifford Irving comes the shocking story of the most complex murder case in Texas history -- the story of Cindy Ray Campbell, a tortured woman driven by perverted love and bitter hatred to commit the most heinous crime against nature: the murder of her own parents.
620 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1988
278 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
Clifford Irving
54 books69 followersClifford Irving was the author of 20 published books & just released 12 of his works as Kindle/Nook eBooks; he was currently writing a memoir called Around the World in 80 Years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 29, 2023
This was a 645 page kindle read. I love my true crime and what I like to know is :
Who did it?
Why did they do it?
Where did they do it?
How did they do it?
Most true crime books discuss the trial. We need that . I felt this book spent way too much time on the trial and it became repetitive towards the end. I still enjoyed reading the book however my rating is due to the repetitiveness and length of the book.
Who did it?
Why did they do it?
Where did they do it?
How did they do it?
Most true crime books discuss the trial. We need that . I felt this book spent way too much time on the trial and it became repetitive towards the end. I still enjoyed reading the book however my rating is due to the repetitiveness and length of the book.
Currently reading
January 14, 2009It's been kinda a slow start...But the book is starting to pick up now..It's crazy to read this and see what some people are capable of doing in this world..I'll let you know more when I get further along in it.
February 4, 2014
One of my free Book Bub selections. True crime is one of my guilty pleasures - maybe from a latent desire I had to go into forensics to probe the criminal mind.
It took me forever to read this book - granted I had a lot of distractions. The story is about murder done Texas style - which means it's done big with sex, drugs, incest, and a lot of strange characters proving you just don't really know what goes on behind close doors in middle America. I'm afraid after reading this book I'm still not quite sure what really happened.
Maybe I'm spoiled, but nobody does real crime like Ann Rule.
There were typos in the Kindle version.
It took me forever to read this book - granted I had a lot of distractions. The story is about murder done Texas style - which means it's done big with sex, drugs, incest, and a lot of strange characters proving you just don't really know what goes on behind close doors in middle America. I'm afraid after reading this book I'm still not quite sure what really happened.
Maybe I'm spoiled, but nobody does real crime like Ann Rule.
There were typos in the Kindle version.
July 8, 2019
Written by Clifford Irving--most famous for writing the fake biography of Howard Hughes. Irving not only sat through three court trials gathering material for this book, but also ended up testifying in the second trial. The reason I give it three stars instead of four, is I believe the material on the second trial could have been edited down. Thankfully he didn't get off into the weeds as much on the third trial. A long read, and so much to digest made for some slow reading. Some questions didn't really get answered, but an 'anonymous' source presents their opinion on what actually occurred during the murder at the end of the book.
April 30, 2019
This 617 page book took me way too long to read and that is sincerely the nicest thing I can say about it. This book had me seriously questioning myself on my reading hobby. Read this if you must for a legal how-to, but not for the true crime aspects, because that is all over and done with by like page 50 or some other unGodly early page number and no, I will not go over and pick it up to look up the exact page thankyouverymuch. So as the title suggests, this book is less about the actual murder of Mr. and Mrs. Campbell in Houston, Texas in the early 80's and more about prosecuting the murderers, specifically one of them. The author went to Texas to investigate the crime and became a little too wrapped up in the case, to the point where he was offering legal advice to the attorneys and being subpoenaed to testify. Don't worry; I'm not spoiling anything here that the author hasn't already spoiled himself....and by that I mean at least twice, no three times...
Consider yourself warned. This book really isn't all that great in the annals of true crime books. You can probably Wikipedia this case and save yourself some time. Also, as a PS, this case has also been covered by Jack Olsen in his book, "Cold Kill," although apparently before the outcome of the murder trials.
Consider yourself warned. This book really isn't all that great in the annals of true crime books. You can probably Wikipedia this case and save yourself some time. Also, as a PS, this case has also been covered by Jack Olsen in his book, "Cold Kill," although apparently before the outcome of the murder trials.
December 29, 2019
I’ve read all of the Campbell murder books (the case and players fascinate me), and this one is the best, hands down. This is one of the most intriguing and interesting true crime books I’ve ever read, I couldn’t put it down. Cindy Campbell and her boyfriend David West are accused of murdering her parents while they slept in their River Oaks home, the most expensive neighborhood in Houston.
It’s very detailed and digs deep into the crazy lives of the defendants, David and Cindy. Cindy has many issues, including out an of control temper (then she talks in a baby voice), hoarding, yo-yo dieting (losing and gaining hundreds of lbs) and David was an odd duck as well.
It also involves a private detective agency who hires a naive, pretty young girl and she goes in undercover and begins dating David in order to get a confession. She became an instant celebrity when the story broke.
I loved hearing the inside scoop about all the courtroom antics going on behind the scenes, involving famous Houston hotshot prosecutor Rusty Hardin, the defense team, David and Cindy, etc.
You need to read it if you are a true crime fan, it is excellent. The story flows well and I love the author’s writing style.
It’s very detailed and digs deep into the crazy lives of the defendants, David and Cindy. Cindy has many issues, including out an of control temper (then she talks in a baby voice), hoarding, yo-yo dieting (losing and gaining hundreds of lbs) and David was an odd duck as well.
It also involves a private detective agency who hires a naive, pretty young girl and she goes in undercover and begins dating David in order to get a confession. She became an instant celebrity when the story broke.
I loved hearing the inside scoop about all the courtroom antics going on behind the scenes, involving famous Houston hotshot prosecutor Rusty Hardin, the defense team, David and Cindy, etc.
You need to read it if you are a true crime fan, it is excellent. The story flows well and I love the author’s writing style.
February 1, 2024
I unfairly took against this book near the beginning, when the author referred to one of the witnesses, Maria, as "squat." One can almost accept when he refers to "daddy's girl", one of the convicted murderers, as fat, or obese, since she is a murderer, not a victim or a witness. But there is not really a causal link between obesity and crime. If there was, I would be a killer, and I am only fat, and a survivor of incest. No doubt this makes me unduly annoyed by these usages (I am not particularly short, so you can trust me on "squat"). Irving is a little shaky in his use of Spanish and the Old French etymology of legal terms, but although I am qualified by a masters in Spanish and a Ph.d. in Medieval French, I do not want to nit-pick. Irving is reliable as an eye-witness to the events of the trial, even a witness, and seems to understand the vagaries of trials and prisons due to extensive research and personal experience. His participation in the Howard Hughes hoax made me curious about his take on things, even though I had read another book about the Campbell/west imbroglio. I love true crime, and raced through this one, with only a bit of a headache at the end.
November 27, 2018
Long but enjoyable. There were too many characters to keep track of. If I did not set it down constantly I could have kept up with the multitude of characters. I probably restarted within the 43 chapters 30 times. A character is introduced and later the new first name or even last name left me lost.
Most of the book was the 3 trials. I stayed interested throughout. If I were in any jury I would have thought both main characters were guilty but with very little direct evidence I would have had a hard time giving much of a sentence knowing that.
The author put down a few characters too much past where it was needed. There was too much shaming overweight and living standards. That was a turn-off. Maybe it had to be mentioned but it was dwelled on too much to where it was overkill.
Most of the book was the 3 trials. I stayed interested throughout. If I were in any jury I would have thought both main characters were guilty but with very little direct evidence I would have had a hard time giving much of a sentence knowing that.
The author put down a few characters too much past where it was needed. There was too much shaming overweight and living standards. That was a turn-off. Maybe it had to be mentioned but it was dwelled on too much to where it was overkill.
October 2, 2023
I have just read the same crime in a book written by Jack Olsen which I did think was a superior story but I didn’t mind this version either. Jack Olsen did get the rites to the two main characters (David and Kim) and I think he has the advantage.
Clifford Irving’s book does go into much more details with the trial which Jack Olsen didn’t do but I thought Clifford try too hard to put himself into the story instead of letting the story flow. All in all I would read it again though. Personally I don’t agree that David was an evil man but a man who was trying to fix what he thought was a wrong.
Clifford Irving’s book does go into much more details with the trial which Jack Olsen didn’t do but I thought Clifford try too hard to put himself into the story instead of letting the story flow. All in all I would read it again though. Personally I don’t agree that David was an evil man but a man who was trying to fix what he thought was a wrong.
June 27, 2020
This is one of the worst true crimes books I've ever read. It went on, and on, and on...Three chapters devoted to jury selection for one of the defendants! It appears that the author even got bored with it - at the beginning there was TOO much detail, when his enthusiasm for the book was high. Toward the end, he gave much less detail. I cannot, and will not, recommend it to anyone. I didn't even recycle the book by taking it to a used book store. I threw it away.
November 10, 2018
Long but enjoyable
One of the most intriguing true crime books i have ever read. I am from Houston and lived for several years in Montrose so I couldn't get enough of hearing about the city back around the time of my birth. I found the closeness of the author to the story to be a positive.
One of the most intriguing true crime books i have ever read. I am from Houston and lived for several years in Montrose so I couldn't get enough of hearing about the city back around the time of my birth. I found the closeness of the author to the story to be a positive.
September 13, 2018
Crazy! This is a good book about a tragic story. I like the way the book is written. Though a bit long, it tells all the necessary details of the Campbell family and how things went horribly wrong.
If you like true crime, I recommend this one.
If you like true crime, I recommend this one.
September 27, 2017
Interesting!
A well written and interesting court room drama, but way too much detail. Recommend to all who are interested in true crime stories.
A well written and interesting court room drama, but way too much detail. Recommend to all who are interested in true crime stories.
December 19, 2017
Boring....really dragged. Got to page 135 and couldn't take much more.
March 17, 2020
It was well-written and hard for me to put down.
August 29, 2020
Kept me hooked til the very end
September 18, 2023
An interesting case of a double murder. Drags in some places and is repetitive.
Read
June 14, 2025rwr review
March 15, 2017
Lawyer James Campbell and his wife Virginia shot in bed while their grandsons slept on the floor at the foot of their bed. This made headlines for years in 1970s Texas. Suspicion focused on probably bipolar Cindy, the third of their four children, and her sometime lover David West. But proof was very difficult to come by. The better book is Jack Olsen's Cold Kill: The True Story Of A Murderous Love published in 1987. This one needs drastic editing.
May 16, 2015
Writer's Bias & Ego Kill What Good Story Is Here
Clifford Irving continues to be his own worst enemy. Not quite able to live down his infamous Howard Hughes hoax, Irving has to work very hard to re-gain his audience's trust. Might I suggest commenting on what should be a reportage of facts, centering himself smack-dab at the core of his tale, writing adolescent and churlish descriptions of women he deems not proportioned correctly-- that is fat, would not be the way to accomplish that.
When Irving can move himself out of his way, we can see why readers buy his books. Some of the writing is smooth, powerful, and unsustainable.
And this tale is nothing short of Southern Gothic.
However, even at the Kindle low price of 2.99 it is simply not worth the effort.
And what is up with the use of the * as in s*x-i kid you not. That and the ice replaced with an apostrophe in the F word. When was this published? On top of everything else this was extremely distracting. And, yeah full-time.
I kept wondering what Queen Ann would have done with this material.
Skip it.
Clifford Irving continues to be his own worst enemy. Not quite able to live down his infamous Howard Hughes hoax, Irving has to work very hard to re-gain his audience's trust. Might I suggest commenting on what should be a reportage of facts, centering himself smack-dab at the core of his tale, writing adolescent and churlish descriptions of women he deems not proportioned correctly-- that is fat, would not be the way to accomplish that.
When Irving can move himself out of his way, we can see why readers buy his books. Some of the writing is smooth, powerful, and unsustainable.
And this tale is nothing short of Southern Gothic.
However, even at the Kindle low price of 2.99 it is simply not worth the effort.
And what is up with the use of the * as in s*x-i kid you not. That and the ice replaced with an apostrophe in the F word. When was this published? On top of everything else this was extremely distracting. And, yeah full-time.
I kept wondering what Queen Ann would have done with this material.
Skip it.
February 19, 2016
This was a long laborious read. I have read many true crime books and I have never seen the author insert him or herself in the book as much as Mr. Irving did. I felt the book was more about Mr. Irving than the victims or the crime.
One of the things that annoyed me was the apparent challenge that Mr. Irving has some with non perfect people. There were several descriptions of people in the book that were (in my opinion) needlessly rude. For example in his description of Cindy Campbell he described her face as pig like with her eyes and snout swollen. His description of the prosecutors co-council is equally unkind. I did not feel that these descriptions added anything to the book and in most instances distracted from the story.
The book was not all bad, there were brief examples of excellent writing that gave me hope the book would improve, but sadly it did not.
Overall the book was too long and the author inserted himself too much in to the trial and the book.
One of the things that annoyed me was the apparent challenge that Mr. Irving has some with non perfect people. There were several descriptions of people in the book that were (in my opinion) needlessly rude. For example in his description of Cindy Campbell he described her face as pig like with her eyes and snout swollen. His description of the prosecutors co-council is equally unkind. I did not feel that these descriptions added anything to the book and in most instances distracted from the story.
The book was not all bad, there were brief examples of excellent writing that gave me hope the book would improve, but sadly it did not.
Overall the book was too long and the author inserted himself too much in to the trial and the book.
February 28, 2015
Nice narration but a little biased perspective
The author has narrated the chain of events and built the crescendo very nicely. In fact the suspense at one point keeps you on the edge. But the disturbing part I felt in the book was the author's own confession of how he himself was influencing certain events in the background of the ongoing court proceedings and how he himself was more sympathetic towards the accused parties and was even jeopardizing the state's prosecution. In my opinion as an author of such narratives you have stay neutral and not try to interfere or present your own opinions. Other than that very nicely written.
The author has narrated the chain of events and built the crescendo very nicely. In fact the suspense at one point keeps you on the edge. But the disturbing part I felt in the book was the author's own confession of how he himself was influencing certain events in the background of the ongoing court proceedings and how he himself was more sympathetic towards the accused parties and was even jeopardizing the state's prosecution. In my opinion as an author of such narratives you have stay neutral and not try to interfere or present your own opinions. Other than that very nicely written.
September 30, 2010
I think this is the book. It's about a girl who is good friends with her 15 year old sister. One day when her sister doesnt come back from her study date, she looks in the garage and sees her sister on the ground with a sticky mask. As she peels it off, blood poors out. Follow the young girl and her father trying to figure out her sisters murderer. I am now done!
September 15, 2015
Too long
The story line was good but the book was way too long. Part 2 could have been omitted and the story line would have been just as good. If you are going to read the book, I would consider skipping he second part, in my opinion it doesn't add anything to the real story that is being told.
The story line was good but the book was way too long. Part 2 could have been omitted and the story line would have been just as good. If you are going to read the book, I would consider skipping he second part, in my opinion it doesn't add anything to the real story that is being told.
May 13, 2016
Well Written!
This is the first book I have read by Clifford Irving and I thought it was very well written. He draws you into the story, I felt like I was there in the court room! I won't give anything away in the outcome of the case, but I think daddy's girl had a lot of people fooled.
This is the first book I have read by Clifford Irving and I thought it was very well written. He draws you into the story, I felt like I was there in the court room! I won't give anything away in the outcome of the case, but I think daddy's girl had a lot of people fooled.
May 30, 2014
True murder
This is one of the most complex murder stories and trials I have ever read.The detail of the trials is amazing and I wasn't sure of the truth until the end.And I'm still not sure I know it.
This is one of the most complex murder stories and trials I have ever read.The detail of the trials is amazing and I wasn't sure of the truth until the end.And I'm still not sure I know it.
July 30, 2014
Just ok
The story was good, but it was drawn out and to long. I had to skip over a lot of it because it was to boring. I was excited to read it because I hadn't heard of the people involved. It took me a lot long to read because it had way to many details.
The story was good, but it was drawn out and to long. I had to skip over a lot of it because it was to boring. I was excited to read it because I hadn't heard of the people involved. It took me a lot long to read because it had way to many details.
November 20, 2014
A good book.
This is a good read. It is an interesting book on the subject of murder and the trial that follows. Mr. Irving takes you inside of the players in the trial and how some people can change their testimony to suit their own causes.
This is a good read. It is an interesting book on the subject of murder and the trial that follows. Mr. Irving takes you inside of the players in the trial and how some people can change their testimony to suit their own causes.
May 23, 2015
Good story, but way too much repeating. Sooner or later you will be skipping over the words because you've read them three times already
Good story, but way too many repeats. You find yourself skipping over some of it because you've read the same words twice already.
Good story, but way too many repeats. You find yourself skipping over some of it because you've read the same words twice already.
March 4, 2016
Good Enough.
This was a book about the murders of a Texas couple. It imparted the information about the trials of their daughter and her boyfriend in a serviceable manner. It was not as good as his other books and dragged on a long time, but was readable.
This was a book about the murders of a Texas couple. It imparted the information about the trials of their daughter and her boyfriend in a serviceable manner. It was not as good as his other books and dragged on a long time, but was readable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews