Bad Blood

by G.W. Reynolds III

Mayport Florida, shrimp fishing town next to Jacksonville, Florida. Five people murdered in a trailer on a main street, near John King's haunted house, brought shock to family members.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Midge]

Short book, good fast read. Although I grew up near Mayport, I had not heard of the murders. The author grew up in Mayport and witnessed or heard about some of the violence, including the murder of 5 people by one man. That man was always a bully. Even after getting life, he continued to kill other inmates.

[Tamera]

I am in a book club for Florida authors, and this nonfiction book was paired with another Florida author book that was a fiction police procedural. This book takes place in Mayport, FL, a small fishing community at the mouth of the St Johns River at Jacksonville, Fl. G W Reynolds grew up in Mayport, and his violent experiences growing up in Mayport pepper all of his books. This book talks about the murder of people in a trail home during one week in late May, 2003 . William Wells killed five people and stashed their bodies inside his double-wide mobile home in Mayport. Killed were his wife, Irene Wells, 30; his father-in-law, Bill McMains, 60; his brother-in-law, John S. McMains, 32; and acquaintances Richard L. Reese, 39, and James L. Young, 20. Interspersed in the narration of the 5 murders are tales of bullying and violence the author witnessed or experienced to support the author's contention that Mayport has a history of "bad blood" and violence. It was interesting to read a book where I was familiar with the area, landmarks, and the murder case the book refers to. This was a quick read (under 100 pages) and sparingly told, but I wish the book had been better edited. There are numerous grammar and spelling errors which at times distracted my attention.

[Julie]

Cannot.