Unearthed from museum archives, prison records, newspapers, state archives, and university collections throughout the Southwest comes this true, frontier tale of a man from Hill County, Texas. 
Strong-willed, handsome, and an accomplished musician, Tom P Varnell is the son of Francis La Docia and Isaac Varnell, a determined, hardworking ranch family. Isaac's murder in 1876 leaves Docia, Tom and his sisters to make their own way, and a young Tom P to forge his own code of honor. One evening in 1883, Tom and a friend attend a party hosted by the daughters of Jonah Land. Tom's wiles woo Ella away from the party, and he soon finds himself with a gun in his hand and Mr. Land shot. Charged with rape and murder, Tom, labeled a notorious desperado, flees as a wanted man. 
The ensuing events take Tom across Texas to the New Mexico Territory and back. Love, betrayal, revenge, trials, escapes, and family loyalties fill the pages and read like an old-time, wild west tale. Tom P's Fiddle is an entertaining blend of historical authenticity and Knight's descriptive narrative. Through the context of real events occurring over a century ago, she sheds light on a media-influenced society bent on imposing moral standards and the impact that can have on a jury verdict and the ultimate outcome of a man's life. The surprising finale caps the convergence of factors that illustrate life's unexpected twists and turns.

Tom P's Fiddle - A True Texas Tale

Biographies & Memoirs

Sherri Knight

Historical

Bascom Hill Publishing Group

This book tells amusing and fascinating stories from a Texas district court in the mid 1800's. From vigilantes to gun-toting gangs, to murders and adultry, this non-fiction book will provide many hours of entertainment for the history buff.

Vigilantes to Verdicts: Stories from a Texas District Court

Jacobus Books

From 1869 to 1918 more than 1,200 women lived as prostitutes in Waco, Texas—once known as "Six-Shooter Junction." When the city legalized its red light district, floozies flocked to Waco, where saloons and bordellos flourished. The Oldest Profession in Texas: Waco's Legal Red Light District examines the city's complex stance on prostitution, debunks myths, and unveils—for the first time—the true identities of several early madams. Authors James Pylant and Sherri Knight tell shocking true stories about several of these colorful characters, including: 
<ul>
<li> Matilda W. Davis, the first fully licensed madam </li>
<li> Cora McMahan, who shot her mouth off until someone shot off her mouth. </li>
<li> John and Mary Doud, a pimp and madam who trained their fourteen-year-old niece to run a brothel </li>
<li> Mollie Adams, Waco's most successful madam </li>
<li> Josie Tumlin, a boisterous harlot who had stints in both prison and an insane asylum </li>
<li> Jessie Williams, the infamous "Chicken Ranch" madam </li>
</ul> The Oldest Profession in Texas also tells the story of preacher J. T. Upchurch's crusade to reform prostitutes and abolish their profession.

The Oldest Profession in Texas: Waco's Legal Red Light District

James Pylant

Three desperate convicts under the cover of darkness slipped out of the confines of the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City, Thursday night, August 22, 1974. Dalton Williams, Jerry Ben Ulmer, and Richard Mangum headed south, stealing and abandoning automobiles along the way. Two pretty petite social workers-Janice Lefever and Betty Jane Tucker- made a fateful stop along a New Mexico highway. Kidnapped and raped, the terrified women found their lives in the hands of three murderous minds. Bent on vengeance, the escapees alter their originally planned route to Mexico in order to settle a few personal scores. Less than two days later, on his remote West Texas ranch, T. L. Baker never had a chance before being sniper-killed in the early morning hours of Saturday. The death list trio headed east-deeper into the heart of the Lone Star State. Setting off one of the most intensive manhunts in North Central Texas history, over two hundred lawmen, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Texas Rangers, highway patrol, sheriffs' departments and surrounding police forces, converged on rural Erath County while the escapees subjected its citizens to terror and cold-blooded murder.Using dozens of personal interviews and first-hand accounts, true crime author/researcher Sherri Knight recreates the days of upheaval that captivated the nation through daily sensational newspaper headlines and television updates.

Death List - Trail of Terror

True Crime

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sherri Knight. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Sherri Knight

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sherri Knight. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Tom P's Fiddle - A True Texas Tale

Vigilantes to Verdicts: Stories from a Texas District Court

The Oldest Profession in Texas: Waco's Legal Red Light District

Death List - Trail of Terror