Series: St. Martin's True Crime Library | Publication Date: April 26, 2001
On September 17, 1998, police found Las Vegas gambling magnate Ted Binion lying dead on the floor of his palatial home, an empty bos of Xanax beside him. The police had been called by Binion's live-in lover, Sandra Murphy, 23, a California girl who had been working in a Vegas strip club when Binion had first met her. At first it seemed it was a fatal drug overdose that killed the handsome multi-millionaire. But was it?
A few days later, Binion's "friend" Rick Tabish was arrested for trying to break into a vault where the eccentric millionaire had stored seven million dollars' worth of silver bars and coins. Family members hired ex-homicide detective-turned-private investigator Tom Dillar to start digging into the case. Dillard turned over the evidence he collected to Las Vegas police. What they found led to Binion's death being ruled a homicide and Murphy and Tabish's arrest for murder.
The state said they were greedy lovers who'd conspired to kill Binion before they could strike Murphy out of his will, while the defense claimed that his vengeful family was trying to railroad Murphy to keep her from inheriting her fair share of the estate. The two sides collided in court, amid lurid charges and countercharges of physical abuse, drug use and illicit passion, in what became the Southwest's Murder Trial of the Century!
BLOOD LUST "Writer Gary King knows the dark side of the Northwest as well as anybody... an unflinching account of one of the most vicious reigns of terror by one of the sickest psychopaths in the annals of crime." -Official Detective
"Effective account of the worst serial killer in Oregon's history." -Publishers Weekly
BLIND RAGE "Gut-wrenching and gripping...Solid, absorbing true crime." -Clark Howard, author of City Blood.
DRIVEN TO KILL "The first complete book about Westley Dodd's short but destructive career...a thorough, thoughtful, and unforgettable account of a profoundly disturbing case of pedophilia and murder." -Inside Detective magazine
"Horrific . . . this story will leave you gasping." --Jack Olsen best-selling author of SALT OF THE EARTH and HASTENED TO THE GRAVE
From the Back Cover
OVERDOSE OR MURDER? On September 17, 1998, police found Las Vegas gambling magnate Ted Binion lying dead on the floor of his palatial home, an empty bottle of Xanax beside him. They'd been called by Binion's live-in lover, Sandra Murphy, 23, a California girl who had been working in a Vegas strip club when Binion had first met her. At first it seemed it was a fatal drug overdose that had killed the handsome multi-millionaire. But was it?
A LUST FOR LOOT A few days later, Binion's "friend" Rick Tabish was arrested for trying to break into a vault where the eccentric millionaire had stored $7 million dollars' worth of silver bars & coins. Family members hired ex-homicide detective turned private investigator Tom Dillard to start digging into the case. Dillard turned over the evidence he collected to Las Vegas police. What they found led to Binion's death being ruled a homicide and Murphy and Tabish's arrest for murder.
LETHAL LOVERS? The state said they were greedy lovers who'd conspired to kill Binion before he could strike Murphy out of a will, while the defense claimed that his vengeful family was trying to railroad her to keep her from inheriting her fair share of the estate. The two sides collided in court, amid lurid charges & counter-charges of physical abuse, drug use and illicit passion, in what became the Southwest's Murder Trial of the Century!
Gary C. King, a freelance author and lecturer, is regarded by readers and critics alike as one of the world's foremost crime writers, a reputation he has earned over the last 31 years with the publication of more than 400 articles in true crime magazines in the United States, Canada, and England. King took over Ann Rule's job as Pacific Northwest stringer for True Detective, Official Detective, Inside Detective, Front Page Detective, and Master Detective magazines, writing hundreds of articles under various names until those magazines ceased publication in the mid-1990s. More recently he has found alternate venues for his stories, including TruTV's Crime Library. He has published several "classic" true crime stories for Investigation Discovery, which can be found on their website. He is also the author of several true crime books including: Blood Lust: Portrait of a Serial Sex Killer, Driven to Kill, Web of Deceit, Blind Rage, Savage Vengeance (with Don Lasseter), An Early Grave, The Texas 7, Murder in Hollywood, Angels of Death, Stolen in the Night, Love, Lies, and Murder, and An Almost Perfect Murder, which is about the murder of Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine by succinylcholine poisoning administered by her husband, critical-care nurse Chaz Higgs. King also wrote Butcher, about Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, which was published by Pinnacle Books in April 2009. King recently finished work on Rage, about millionaire Reno, Nevada businessman Darren Mack, who murdered his wife, Charla, in 2006 and then shot and seriously injured their divorce judge, Chuck Weller, with a high-powered rifle from a parking garage facing the judge's chambers. Rage is scheduled for publication by Pinnacle Books in July 2010. King also wrote The Murder of Meredith Kercher, which was published by John Blake Publishing, Ltd., in January 2010.
Driven to Kill, the story of serial child killer Westley Allan Dodd's killing spree, was published in April 1993 by Pinnacle Books and was nominated for an Anthony Award in the Best True Crime Book category at Bouchercon 25.
Blood Lust: Portrait of a Serial Sex Killer, details the bizarre case of Dayton Leroy Rogers, Oregon's worst serial killer to date. Blood Lust was published in December 1992 under NAL/Dutton's Onyx imprint as an original paperback. A German language edition of Blood Lust was published later, in 1995. Both Blood Lust and Driven to Kill were chosen as featured selections of Doubleday's True Crime Book Club.
King has also written articles on several celebrated cases that include: "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz; the Hillside Stranglers; Jim Jones and the Guyana Massacre; D.B. Cooper; Gary Gilmore; John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman; and Seattle's bizarre Chinatown Massacre in the 1980s. He has also contributed to several true crime compilations books with various publishers.
The subjects of King's other books include: Blind Rage, about suspected serial murderer Darren Dee O'Neall, published by Dutton-Signet under their Onyx imprint in August 1995, and was reprinted in 2001 by the Mystery Writers of America/iUniverse. Savage Vengeance, co-written with Don Lasseter, was published in 1996. An Early Grave, published by St. Martin's Press (SMP), is about the mysterious death of Las Vegas casino scion Ted Binion; The Texas 7: A True Story of Murder and a Daring Escape, (SMP) about the infamous Texas prison break in which a dedicated cop with a family was brutally murdered; Murder in Hollywood, (SMP) about the murder of Bonny Lee Bakley, actor Robert Blake's wife; Angels of Death, (SMP) a story detailing the murder of Terry King in Florida, purportedly committed by King's 12- and 13-year-old sons, Derek and Alex King; and Stolen in the Night, (SMP) about the horrific Joseph Edward Duncan III case out of Idaho. Love, Lies, and Murder is about the riveting Perry March case, the shady Nashville lawyer who was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Janet, and for plotting the murders of Janet's parents, from Pinnacle Books.
King's television appearances have included Entertainment Tonight, Larry King Live, Inside Edition, Court TV, MSNBC's Headliners and Legends, E!, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Extra TV, and several other programs. He also frequently provides radio interviews. Upcoming interviews include an episode of Biography about serial killer Robert "Willie" Pickton, the subject of Butcher, and an episode of Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice called "Strange Bedfellows," about the murder of Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine and the subject of King's An Almost Perfect Murder.
King is an active member of the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, American Crime Writers League, American Society of Journalists and Authors, The Crime Writers' Association (U.K.), National Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, International Thriller Writers, Investigative Reporters and Editors (I.R.E.), and the International Association of Crime Writers.
King is represented by Peter Miller of PMA Literary and Film Management.
This review is from: An Early Grave (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
Why do I give a damn about these people who have absolutely nothing to do with me? My sis lives in Vegas, and years ago when I was visiting, we were standing downtown when she pointed out that it was no longer "Binion's Horseshoe". She said it was due to the shady death of a family member.
Well, this story has it all, sex, boobjobs, topless dancers, heroin, drive by shootings, and the most screwy attempted murder cover up ever. These people were the kind that typically do not make good criminals, genetically smiled upon individuals, whose brains should stay in their crotch.
I have read "Quicksilver, and two other books on the subject, and this is the best. Following the viewpoint of the head investigator, (who is a composite of law enforcement), watching the show as it unfolds,this book is easier to follow than the others yet does not sacrifice chronolology.
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This review is from: An Early Grave (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
Gary's book is outstanding! It is an accurate depiction of the investigation into the murder of Ted Binion. "An Early Grave" will hold your attention from start to finish. I was the lead detective in the case and had a hard time putting down the book. Gary King is a brilliant writer!
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This review is from: An Early Grave (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have read all the synopis, i watched the whole trial, and the specials on TV about the murder it is great! GARY C. King is my very favorite true crime author! I got married in vegas and have been in Binion Horseshoe Casino many times! this book has it all flaky characters, greed, fame, ambition, adultry, infidelity, drugs, mafia! I ordered 10 books i want all my family and friends to read this one! Happy reading!
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