Death in a Texas Desert: And Other True Crime Stories from The Dallas Observer

by Carlton Stowers

Death in a Texas Desert is a fast-paced collection of 17 compelling true crime stories from the pages of the award-winning The Dallas Observer. From the "Phantom Killer" that haunted Texarkana in teh mid-1940s to the day of terror in 1991 when a crazed man began spraying bullets into Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, author Carlton Stowers recoutns the infamy and infamous from the crime files of Texas.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2003

Reviews

[Lady Reezy]

I purchased this collection for a single story: the one about the Luby's shooting in Killeen, Texas, in 1991. I had been reading up on the shooting and came across an excerpt from the article in the Observer but I could not find a free copy. Then, magically, this book went on sale for $1.99 the very next day. What are the odds? (Capitalism knows what I want, literally, because it's reading my search history.)

Anyhow, this book is all true crime and all Texas, and there's more than a couple nationally infamous cases in here. Stowers can write, but some of these pieces are much better reads than others. It's a long collection and I came away from it depressed and antsy and I'm glad it's over. I think that's almost a compliment, given the amount of true crime narratives I regularly consume. A solid 3 stars.

[L.A. Starks]

In this collection of true crime stories from the Dallas Observer, Stowers readily shows why he has been twice awarded mystery writing's highest honor, the Edgar. Each story is reported with a journalist's research and digging for accuracy, yet told with a humble and humane perspective. I recommend it to everyone who reads true crime.

[Claudia]

Sad, horrible stories to follow, but Stowers does what he does best....

[Maya B]

all short stories were very well written and straight to the point. I plan to read more by this author soon.