Deer Creek Drive: A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta

by Beverly Lowry

The stunning true story of a murder that rocked the Mississippi Delta and forever shaped one author's life and perception of home.

In 1948, in the most stubbornly Dixiefied corner of the Jim Crow south, society matron Idella Thompson was viciously murdered in her own home: stabbed at least 150 times and left facedown in one of the bathrooms. Her daughter, Ruth Dickins, was the only other person in the house. She told authorities a Black man she didn't recognize had fled the scene, but no evidence of the man's presence was uncovered. When Dickins herself was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, the community exploded. Petitions pleading for her release were drafted, signed, and circulated, and after only six years, the governor of Mississippi granted Ruth Dickins an indefinite suspension of her sentence and she was set free.

In Deer Creek Drive, Beverly Lowry--who was ten at the time of the murder and lived mere miles from the Thompsons' home--tells a story of white privilege that still has ramifications today, and reflects on the brutal crime, its aftermath, and the ways it clarified her own upbringing in Mississippi.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Memoir, Audiobook, Mystery

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2022

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this fascinating. Small Town, Leland, in the Mississippi delta, a horrific murder is committed in broad daylight. This takes place in the 1940s, in the south, where the racial divide is stringent. Although it's pretty clear that only one person could have done this, it takes a while for the law to get there. A story of white privilege and racial injustice.

The author lived close to this town and remembers the murder from her childhood. It has haunted her throughout her life and she needed to tell the story. She does so in a candid and detailed description of not only the crime but what went into the search and ultimate court case.

Addicting and well researched and written.

[Eric Mayhew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the book version of the 8 hr Netflix documentary that should have been trimmed down to 75 minutes.

[CB_Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more than just a compelling true-crime story. It is a unique and incisive look at how the power of family operates in the American South, as well as how race was (and is still) used to obscure the crimes of the rich and well-connected.

It balances the author's personal history and memory of life in 1940-1950s Mississippi with the gathering and presentation of facts about a hushed, small-town murder case that would become sensational in its time.

The balance of the narratives is sometimes uneven. I mostly enjoyed the author's segues and diversions from the story to speak about her own family's history at the time. But sometimes these diversions are distracting or break the momentum of the primary narrative just as it is winding up.

The pacing of the book's first section is terrific. There is a well-crafted balance between the history and culture of the Mississippi Delta, the exposition that introduces the Thompson family and all its extensions, and the drama of the murder itself. I also appreciated the author's reflections and insights on how this case was reported on in the 1940s, and her ability to recognize and call attention to the racially-loaded terms and thought processes of the day.

But the second section lacked much of the momentum that pushed forth like a current in the first section. (I read this book as an ePub with poor formatting, and this may have influenced my waning ability to read and stick out the story.) The pacing began to slow significantly.

As the daily details of the trial were presented, I couldn't help begin to wonder: How did the author gather this particular information? How do I know this isn't a dramatic retelling or speculation on what happened in the courtroom?

I wondered about this because, again, as the content of the trial was interrupted by pieces of the author's personal life or other pieces of history at the moment, there was so much interweaving of narrative strands that the two narratives--of Ruth Dickins and Beverly Lowry--began to blend too closely. It became difficult to discern just how much the author was "remembering" and how many of the events had occurred as they are presented.

While some of the drama within the courtroom was entertaining and enlightening, much of it was not as exciting as I had hoped, and this section quickly began to drag.

The book's particular narrative perspective holds many valuable insights that really couldn't be captured by any other means; that Beverly Lowry lived so close by and was aware of this case in real time is a fascinating coincidence. I wish that the book contained more archival photographs to help set the scene. (Maybe this is or will be present in the book's physical copy.)

I think that all readers could benefit from learning more about the culture and history of mid-twentieth-century Mississippi. This is a true-crime story unlike any I've read. I'll continue thinking about this book as my own personal life brings me closer and closer to Mississippi.

[Trin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Lowry's -- cheesily named, but respectfully written -- Who Killed These Girls?. But good god, was this slow. The theory of the crime laid out at the beginning of the book -- a white woman (most likely) murders her mother in the 1940s South, blames a Black man, is by some miracle convicted and an innocent life not ruined, but then through badgering and social pressure is released and pardoned less than a decade later -- is hardly altered over the next 300 pages, which mostly follow, in minute detail, the endless legal battles. Lowry, who grew up in a neighboring town to where this occurred, ties her own family story into this one, and -- in theory -- her own growing awareness of racial inequity. Noble in theory, but boy does it meander and drag. I wish it had been 100 pages shorter.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author shares how she was affected by a murder from her childhood when a woman was brutally murdered not far from where she lived. Lowry was 10 when it occurred. It showed how family connections played a role back then, but is more about the unspoken white privilege that affected many. Shades of Susan Smith in 1994, blaming a black man for her crime. But this victim’s daughter was released by the Governor after people protested by way of petitions. Good story but a bit tedious at times. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have benefited tremendously from a hefty bit of editing and cutting.

[Finney Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok.. I’ve heard of this murder before I read the book. It is actually about my grandfather’s first cousin..Ruth Dickens. This is a true crime story.
I heard the author speak at the Mississippi Book Festival recently and she did a great job.
I listened to the book on audible.. and the author is the reader..

This book is about the authors personal family story in Greenville MS and this murder in Leland MS and how things in the 40s and 50s were handled.
It is still crazy to think about all the segregation mess and how the laws were back then. I’m so thankful laws were changed and things can only get better…

This story is set in 1948 and it’s about how Idella Thompson of a prominent Delta family was brutally murdered in her home. Her daughter Ruth was only one there at the time. She said a black man had been in the home and did it.
No one was ever found ..so Ruth went to Parchman. One Governor finally pardoned her. Her husband John pleaded many times with different Governors and Ruth ended up only served 6 years.
Very interesting book.. yes it does drag on but I enjoyed it.

[Megan Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best true crime books I’ve read in ages. Does a great job laying out the history of both the area and the Thompson / Dickens family’s role there, as well as the social and cultural world around this murder. What I really liked (beyond Lowry’s reading voice on the audiobook narration) is the way she weaves her own personal history in, showing how she became interested in the case and how it impacted daily life in the region, but also what life was like for people who did not come from the immense privilege of Ruth Dickens. Super important history of Parchman prison and its role in Mississippi as well.

[Jason Eifling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to #NetGalley for an advance copy.
Deer Creek Drive is a mixture of southern culture, a horrific crime, race relations, and a memoir of a bygone era. A small town mother is brutally murdered and most of the evidence suggests her own daughter is guilty of the heinous act. I wouldn’t consider this a spoiler warning because Deer Creek Drive weaves the true crime with societal norms at the time including the author’s memories of growing up in the Delta not far from where the crime took place.
My eagerness to read this book is based solely on the fact that I grew up in the same town as the author and I had never heard of this crime until finding out about Deer Creek Drive. I probably enjoyed reading the author’s recollections of growing up because I knew most of the locations she referred to regarding moving from house to house. I worry some readers will not appreciate this aspect of the book as well as others.
The book centers around the murder of Idella Thompson and the trial that accompanied it, and the aftermath surrounding this event. The author does a good job describing these events but I did feel sometimes it was too much detail and readers could get tired of daily courtroom wardrobe and spectator viewing choices. But the book is more than just a true crime read. Describing race relations in the Mississippi Delta is a difficult task but Beverly Lowry does a good job detailing the time period mixed in with her personal memories of the Delta.

[Sharlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating read. But so complex. On the surface it's about a murder which took place in 1948 on the title named road. A society matron is stabbed some 150 times in her home and her daughter, Ruth Dickins was the only person in the home. Her garden shears were the weapon which has been wiped clean with her handkerchief. She claims she fought off a black man giving her bruises and lacerations. But this is also a story of Mississippi in the Jim Crow South. Emmet Till's killers were found innocent!! The author also tells her personal story of growing up the daughter of a con man and the many homes they lived in. Don't miss this if you enjoy books you can't put down.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is primarily a book about a murder that shocked the Mississippi delta community of Leland, Mississippi, it’s also an opportunity for the author to come to terms with her own personal history, experiences and privilege. Sprinkled between the stories of the murder victim, the convicted killer and the aftermath, are the author’s own memories, which provide an interesting insight into life in Mississippi in the late 1940s. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Christine Eskilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meandering at times but interesting juxtaposition of murder, race and growing up in Deep South. Couldn’t help but think of Charles Stuart in Boston some 40 years later trying to play the same blame game. The more things change the more they stay …

[Susie James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a signed copy of Beverly Lowry's "Deer Creek Drive: A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta" last week at Turn Row in Greenwood, Miss. and had to get it. Read it. Saw lots of memories Beverly shared involving a certain time in the Delta and in Washington County, in particular. The murder and ensuing case was the lynchpin, but her tale, far reaching and personal. I met Beverly as I recall when I was working for the Delta Democrat-Times newspaper (was remembering not just the famed newspaper folks I'd heard so much about and which inspired the creation of the DD-T Reunion which was part of "The Time Has Come" literary festival in 1982 of which Beverly, who at the time lived in San Marcos, Texas, was part. The event was sparked during a lunch meeting at a restaurant near the levee with the late Betty Werlein Carter, Sallie Neblett Gresham, and I at table! The newspaper was no longer owned by the Carters and John Gibson (etc.) but newspapering was struggling on, down to the pockmarked parking lot. Some of the events of the festival took place at E. E. Bass's auditorium. The Time Has Come derived from the state's first arts page and the late Ben Wasson and before that from Lewis Carroll. I found the book with its nugget of wild Delta reps and matricide and power plays of the Good Old Boys network stimulating.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read and I probably should have DNF it. It just seemed to have excessive detail that lengthened the book — could’ve covered everything in half the pages.

[Moryma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the description of the case and it’s aftermath, skipped past the I’m sure heartfelt but unneeded and indulgent personal memoir also sandwiched in.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Lily Cusack · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Shanereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy watching Dateline, you will enjoy Deer Creek Drive.

Deer Creek Drive is a true crime novel set in the Mississippi Delta. Idella Thompson was stabbed to death in her home in 1948. In a town where everyone is related the crime scene is completely mishandled.

Ruth, Idella's daughter, is the only person in the house, and she blames a very vague description of a black man who supposedly attacked her as well. The details don't add up, however, and Ruth's narrative of events plays right into the ideals of the segregated ideals of the time.

My only complaint about this book is that information is repeated over and over and over again. The book could have been much shorter.

Booksellers this would be a great hand sell with books like The Devil in the White City and I'll Be Gone in the Dark.

This finished copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Huge thanks to Vintage and Anchor books for my review copy!

[Kkraemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1948, Idella Thompson, a small, elderly white lady, was stabbed approximately 150 times and found, dead and bloodied, in her bathroom. Police were called. Blood was cleaned. An all-points search began for the "Negro man" who Ruth, the daughter, identified as her attacker. Ruth was taken to the doctor for injuries sustained when the Negro tried to escape.

This is a true "whodunnit," and tells the story of the crime, the investigation, the hearings, the trial, and the aftermath of this horrible crime. More importantly (in some ways), though, it tells the story of one part of our country, its way of life and assumptions, and how a society such as that of the Mississippi Delta "worked:" what its history, rules, beliefs, power, and economics were. How women grew. How men protected them.

This book is like a time capsule that contains evidence of a long-ago culture. The writer, from neighboring Greenville, Mississippi, includes such details as what the people wore, what they said, and how things worked. She even notes that, when the bloodhounds were called from nearby Parchment prison, the officer who was sent to pick up the handler and the dogs had car trouble that delayed the arrival and the beginning of the search for "the Negro." She also notes that, when the thorough search was finished (they found no evidence of such a perpetrator), the handler hitchhiked, with the dogs, back to Parchment, where he was a prisoner.

A different world.

The book is made even more rich by the writer including her own story of growing up in the Delta, where her adolescent world was so compelling and intense that the murder and trial were simply evidence of an odd hiccup in the universe, a "prominent" family that, inexplicably, were publicly castigated.

This book describes the "America" that some believe was "great", the "America" they so long to resurrect from the countless enemies of today's world.

[Dick Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book is a combination of a family murder involving an upper class southern family in the 1940's, with the story off social class, race relationships, and the author's own memoir woven together. Highly entertaining and well worth reading.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Della was found dead in her bathroom she was stabbed over 100 times. The only other person in the house with her daughter Ruth and she said it was an unknown black man who broke into their GenTeal home, stabbed her mother and fled into the night. The cops didn’t believe her and off to jail she went. In the 40s in Mississippi white people didn’t want to believe that one of their own could kill so viciously. In deer Creek Drive, the author tells the tale she was a young child when the murder took place and grew up as it changed and it’s all in this book. I won’t say I found this book enjoyable what I will say is it was entertaining, intriguing in a real page Turner. The author is honest and blunt and I find that refreshing. I was given this book by Nick Galli and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

[Toni Gary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I like true crime stories, but this seemed to be more about the author and what she thought. In the first few pages she admits she moved to MS. when she was 6 and lived there only 14 years. She names one of her sources as “a family relative”. She generalizes about “all”Deltans and “everyone”knows, etc repeatedly. Too much speculation and information about the author. Memory is strange, subjective and often inaccurate, especially after a lengthy period.

[D Franklin Pack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction book is a work of history that takes us back to the Mississippi Delta during the 1940s and 50s when life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were available to all, but only within the limits defined by social status, money, and skin color. Living the good life for some required keeping the cultural and racial divides the way they were, while, for others, the hope of a mediocre life, at best, required accepting the way things were.

Within this social environment, here is a story of how the lives of a prominent white family were shattered when they had to cope with one of their own being charged with the gruesome murder of her mother - although she said it was a black man who did it - and the reactions of those who lived in and around the small town of Leland, Mississippi where the crime occurred. Threaded within this main theme are a look at the justice system from the investigation to the trial, conviction, and punishment; the culture of that era from football to Elvis; and the racial aspects from social inequalities to segregation. All this is told from the first-hand experiences and memories of the author, Beverly Lowry, who grew up in Greenville, just nine miles from Leland, and was only ten years old when the murder occurred.

I rate this book five out of five stars due to how the book is cleverly organized so the reader can follow along with the author’s childhood in the background of the events centering around Deer Creek Drive. Also, those of us who have tried to research and write about a murder that took place over seventy years ago can appreciate the amount of work required to author this book.

Special thanks to the Linebaugh branch of the Rutherford County Public Library in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, for having a copy of this book.

[Claire P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, it’s a good book that offers a lot of clear-eyed discussion of the racial inequities, issues and codes that governed the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s in this area. I am just exasperated over the trend in real crime books where we have to tie the author, inextricably, to the area or the crime.
Ms. Lowery is a good author, and it would have been enough to learn that she had grown up in the area, and was therefore interested in examining the crime through adult eyes. Instead, we learn about her family, and how their history overlaps with the Thompson/Dickins/Stovall families. It doesn’t, really. While interesting, it slows down the examination of the story we are concerned with.
Other than that, we have a truly shocking murder touched at every turn by white privilege. It’s a fascinating tale of the South, racism, class and religion- as well as a very botched investigation.

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looked forward to reading this book as my mother grew up directly across from the Thompson house on South Deer Creek Drive and was living at home as a recent college graduate when the murder occurred. She saw Ruth on the morning of the murder and has mentioned the murder to me many times. The book was difficult to read. Too much confusing detail, too much speculation by the author, the distracting personal side story that had no relation to the book, a lot of social commentary, and a quirky writing style took away from what could have been a taut, readable true crime story. A good editor would have substantially improved this book. I had a difficult time making myself finish this book.

[Deb W · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's an interesting storyline poorly written. For some reason the author kept inserting her family story into the story, though the only connection was that they lived in the next town. It was an irritating intrusion.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written — and not just about the crime itself, but the author’s experience growing up in “the Delta” in the 40s and 50s.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a slog. Had to force myself to finish it. A bit too long. The author includes information about her own family but I’m not sure to what end. The book just felt like a long ramble.

[Mme Forte · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

The author grew up in the Mississippi Delta, and she remembers the newspaper stories and the whispers about the murder in the title.

In November 1948, Ruth Dickins brutally murdered (I don't care what anybody says) her mother, Idella Thompson in Leland, Mississippi. The first person on the scene, who happened to be Mrs. Thompson's doctor, noted some oddities about the circumstances. Ruth's dress was soaked with blood, but the bathroom floor where Mrs. Thompson's body rested was almost free of the stuff. The murder weapon, a pair of pruning shears, lay nearby -- wiped clean of blood or other debris. And Ruth's story didn't hold water: According to her, a Black man had jumped out from behind a door when she arrived at her mother's house, fought with her and caused injuries, and then took off through the back yard in the direction of the Black area of town.

No such man was ever found, and some of those who searched for him knew he never would be. "It was somebody in the family," one said.

Eventually Ruth was indicted, tried, and convicted. She went to a prison not far from Leland to serve her sentence. But she didn't stay for much of the life term she'd drawn -- after about six years, her husband's dogged efforts to get her out worked. The lame-duck governor suspended the remainder of her sentence and Ruth went home.

I expected more of a race angle from this book. And I expected more of people's memories of the murder (or, after 75 years, more of people's memories of what their parents had said about it, I guess). But there wasn't much of either. The author spent pages lining up her own life along that of the Thompson/Dickins clan, which I did expect. But she didn't get a whole lot out of other people, which (again after so much time had passed) I didn't expect. I suppose "we don't talk about unpleasant things" goes not just deep, but long.

And Ruth's failure to serve more of her life term, while infuriating, is nothing compared to how obtuse and willfully blind the people of her hometown (mostly) were. They just COULD NOT CONCEIVE of a nice white Christian woman being a killer, especially of her own mother (though most did agree that Idella Thompson could most charitably be described as a piece of work, and less charitably so as a hot-tempered sharp-tongued old crow). People don't want to face the facts; I did appreciate the author's laying them all out at the end of the book in attempting to answer the question "If not Ruth, then who?" (Spoiler: Nobody. Ruth did it.) But regardless, letter-writing and petitions and lobbying did their work and got ol' Ruthie out of the jug. Of course she spent the rest of her life not murdering people. She'd got rid of the person she was maddest at.

Anyway, no shockers here; being rich and white and Christian and socially prominent did you a lot of favors in mid-century Mississippi. The only thing I still wonder is if it still does.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today's nonfiction post is on Deer Creek Drive: A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta by Beverly Lowry. It is 354 pages long and is published by Alfred A. Knopf. The is a street with a map of Mississippi and garden shears. The intended reader is someone who is interested in historical murders and southern history. There is some foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the dust jacket- The stunning true story of a murder that rocked the Mississippi Delta and forever shaped one author's life and perception of home.
In 1948, in the most stubbornly Dixiefied corner of the Jim Crow south, society matron Idella Thompson was viciously murdered in her own home: stabbed at least 150 times and left facedown in one of the bathrooms. Her daughter, Ruth Dickins, was the only other person in the house. She told authorities a Black man she didn't recognize had fled the scene, but no evidence of the man's presence was uncovered. When Dickins herself was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, the community exploded. Petitions pleading for her release were drafted, signed, and circulated, and after only six years, the governor of Mississippi granted Ruth Dickins an indefinite suspension of her sentence and she was set free.
In Deer Creek Drive, Beverly Lowry--who was ten at the time of the murder and lived mere miles from the Thompsons' home--tells a story of white privilege that still has ramifications today, and reflects on the brutal crime, its aftermath, and the ways it clarified her own upbringing in Mississippi.

Review- This is an interesting historical true crime and memoir of the author. She lived in the area when the murder happened and she remembers reading about it as a young teenager. The book starts after the murder then backs up to give content. The content is not just about the murder, the victim, or her family, but about the world of Delta Mississippi and how it worked. Lowry follows the case from beginning to end and adds in what was going on in her world as the same time. She discusses how being a white woman affected the case, from how long it took for her to be arrested, and how she was treated after. The writing was good, the research was good, and the examination of the southern Delta Mississippi at that particular time was very fascinating.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.