She Kills

“An undisputed master of long-form true crime reporting, Skip Hollandsworth brings nuance, sensitivity, cultural context and a big, beating heart to every story he writes, but probably foremost in his pieces on women. There are no simple femme fatales in this stunning collection, only complicated women, all of whom—some justified, some not—have their reasons. Not only is this an exhilarating, illuminating read, it is vital social history.” — Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of The Turnout”The real true-crime aficionados have always read Skip Hollandsworth, because we care more about terrific story-telling than trying to solve cold cases. This collection has all the Hollandsworth hallmarks—fascinating women whose mysteries only deepen the more we learn about them. Profoundly empathetic, compulsively readable.” — Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of Murder Takes a Vacation”Texas readers have had a long love affair with Skip Hollandsworth—for good reason. He tells us stories about who we really are, and he does it with an unsparing eye. Even the killers get a fair hearing in his court. Count me as a student in his class on literary journalism.” — Lawrence Wright, author of The Human Scale”Skip Hollandsworth does not so much report a story as sidle up to it. He writes with such unhurried decorum and gentlemanly curiosity that sometimes you forget—even as your eyes are glued to the page—that you’re reading about some of the grisliest forms of human behavior.” — Stephen Harrigan, author of Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas”I love Skip Hollandsworth. I love his extraordinary stories, I love his rabid curiosity, and I love that as a writer, he personifies toeing the line between horror, humor, and absurdity. And yet, he is just always trying to find the humanity and the truth of the thing. Who knew it would take an Eagle Scout from Wichita Falls to love complicated women in all their despair as much as this actress does? I am inspired by every single character he has introduced us to. “ — Laura Dern”The words of master True Crime storyteller Skip Hollandsworth will get under your skin—and worm their way into your heart. These stories are unpredictable, unforgettable, and revelatory.” — Lise Olsen, author of The Scientist and the Serial Killer”Skip Hollandsworth isn’t just a master of the True Crime genre; he is also a master of journalism, period. He is such a deft and inspired writer that it’s easy to forget that he is also a five-star reporter. The soup will get cold, the grass won’t get mowed, the bills won’t get paid because his readers can’t stop reading!” — Mimi Swartz, longtime Texas Monthly contributor and author of Ticker: The Quest to Create an Artificial Heart”Masterful storyteller Skip Hollandsworth guides us across Texas—from moneyed suburbs to sleepy towns where some women murder out of desperation and others do it simply because they want to. In his patented Hollandsworth style, the writing is crisp, the imagery visceral, and the compassion authentic.” — Kate Winkler Dawson, The Sinners All Bow and American Sherlock

Skip Hollandsworth is an award-winning journalist, a screenwriter, and an executive editor of Texas Monthly. He has won a National Magazine Award for feature writing, and his 2016 book, The Midnight Assassin, was a New York Times bestseller. He also cowrote the acclaimed screenplay Bernie with director Richard Linklater. The film was based on Hollandsworth’s 1998 Texas Monthly article “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas.” Linklater recently adapted Hollandsworth’s Texas Monthly article “Hit Man” for a 2024 feature with Glen Powell. Hollandsworth lives in Texas, where he and his wife have raised two children.