Through the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells [Mass Market Paperback]

Diane Fanning (Author)

Book Description

Series: St. Martin's True Crime Library | Publication Date: May 29, 2007

Ten-Year-Old Krystal Surles Watched In Horror
As Her Best Friend Was Murdered At The Hands Of An Intruder.

Then with cold-blooded precision he brought a twelve-inch boning knife to Krystal's throat. With a single, violent slash, he severed her windpipe and left her for dead. Miraculously, she survived and would lead authorities to the arrest of 35-year-old Tommy Lynn Sells, a former truck driver, carnival worker, and cross-country drifter...

He Aspired To Become "The Worst Serial Killer Of All Time."

With no apparent motive and no common pattern to his inconceivable bloodshed, the elusive Sells had carved his way across the country for two decades slaughtering women, men, transients, entire families, teenagers, and even infants with ghoulish abandon.

Through The Window is more than an investigation into a crime spree that stunned a nation. It's an utterly terrifying plunge into the unfathomable dark mind of a serial killer, and the heart-wrenching story of the brave child who finally brought him to justice.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Ten-Year-Old Krystal Surles Watched In Horror
As Her Best Friend Was Murdered At The Hands Of An Intruder.

Then with cold-blooded precision he brought a twelve-inch boning knife to Krystal's throat. With a single, violent slash, he severed her windpipe and left her for dead. Miraculously, she survived and would lead authorities to the arrest of 35-year-old Tommy Lynn Sells, a former truck driver, carnival worker, and cross-country drifter...

He Aspired To Become "The Worst Serial Killer Of All Time."

With no apparent motive and no common pattern to his inconceivable bloodshed, the elusive Sells had carved his way across the country for two decades slaughtering women, men, transients, entire families, teenagers, and even infants with ghoulish abandon.

Through The Window is more than an investigation into a crime spree that stunned a nation. It's an utterly terrifying plunge into the unfathomable dark mind of a serial killer, and the heart-wrenching story of the brave child who finally brought him to justice.

About the Author

Diane Fanning is the author of the Edgar Award finalist Written in Blood: A True Story of Murder and a Deadly 16-Year-Old Secret That Tore a Family Apart. Her other works of true crime include the best-selling Mommy’s Little Girl, A Poisoned Passion, The Pastor’s Wife, and Gone Forever. She has been featured on 48 Hours, 20/20, Court TV and the Discovery Channel, and has been interviewed on dozens of radio stations coast to coast. Before becoming a nonfiction writer, Fanning worked in advertising, and she earned more than 70 Addy Awards. She lives in New Braunfels, Texas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's True Crime (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312985258
• ISBN-13: 978-0312985257
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Specific Groups > Criminals

More About the Author

I am the author of ten true crime books published by St. Martin's Press including the Edgar Award nominated WRITTEN IN BLOOD and the best-selling MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL. Additionally, I have written five mystery novels including four in the Lucinda Pierce series from Severn House.

I have been featured on 48 Hours, 20/20, Forensic Files, the Deadly Women series, Court TV, Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell, the Discovery Channel and local TV channels and have been interviewed on dozens of radio stations coast to coast.

I am an experienced non-fiction, fiction and commercial writer. I earned more than seventy Addy Awards in the twenty years I wrote for radio, television and print. I worked as an Executive Director at non-profit organizations for more than a dozen years. In that capacity, I served three terms by appointment of the Governor of Texas on the State Advisory Committee and received the 2002 NACG Freedom Fighter Award.

I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, lived more than two decades in Virginia and now live in New Braunfels, Texas with my husband and a cat with an attitude.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Threw It Out the Window, November 29, 2004

By 

JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Through the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells (Mass Market Paperback)

Diane Fanning's "Into the Water" was the worst true crime book I have ever read. "Through the Window", while being equally amateur, is an improvement. Her use of similes and childish metaphors ruins her journalistic integrity. Take this gem from page 66 describing a forced rape and attempted murder, "Her gullibility gleam on its (the knife) blade." Or another Fanning classic on page 33 regarding the killer's wooing of a victim, "Like a leaf in a whirlpool, she was drawn into this world of uncontrollable violence." Fanning does not seem to know if she is writing a romance novel or true crime.

Aside from the cliches, the storytelling is passable. While the story is not chronological, it is effective. Tommy Lynn Sells killed women, children, and even an infant moments from birth by slahing their throats. In some cases he beat or shot his victims. What makes him somewhat unique is that he lacked a consistant M.O., yet his killing spree went on for years over many different states boundaries. The story of the thirteen year old girl with a slashed wind pipe, who survives Sells's attack, is frightening. If not for her, Sells's crimes may still be accumulating. What is most disturbing about the story is how the law apprehended this man so many times, yet could not keep him off of the streets.

Any points Fanning earns for content, she loses with the afterword. It is largely a letter written by the killer Tommy Lynn Sells to praise the work of Diane Fanning (which he has never seen) and call out all those who he feels have wronged him. It made me wonder who's side the author is on.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, April 9, 2003

By 

Valerie Hutchison (New Braunfels, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells (Mass Market Paperback)

An excellent book - but rather frightening! It is hard to believe that anyone could commit such horrendous crimes and not get caught for such a long time. And it is easy to read with a smooth, seamless delivery that glides from page to page. Even the courtroom scene was riveting with the notes that passed between the killer and his attorney adding a dimension to the coverage that you seldom see. The Afterword wrapped it all up so well with quotes from the Texas Rangers, a letter from Tommy Lynn Sells and the personal impressions of the author. A fascinating read.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorey story, but well researched, November 6, 2004

By 

Susie Rigsby "([e-mail])" (Eldorado, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Through the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished Diane Fanning's true story of Cross-Country Killer, Tommy Lynn Sells. I ordered the book from Amazon.com and started reading it the same day it arrived. Since it's a small book, I had it finished in a day. But then I couldn't put it down either. Fanning did an excellent job of describing in detail the events that took place, as well as the trial. I can't help but wonder what drives a writer to want to speak directly with a convicted killer. Surely she knew that getting inside this man's twisted and tormented mind wasn't likely to happen. And yet, Sells apparently respected Mrs. Fanning enough to tell her as much as he did. I was living in southern Illinois not more than forty miles from Ina when Sells killed the Keith Dardeen family. I spoke directly to an IDCI agent about the horrendous crime. He stated that without a doubt it had to be the worst he'd ever seen in his entire career in law enforcement. It's sad that so many men have been sentenced to life in prision for crimes they may have committed, only later to be released because DNA proved this to be the case. But when a person like Sells is placed on death row for a crime he admitted to doing, I see no reason to prolong his stay there. He may well have been a victim of abuse as a child, and his childhood anything but healthy. But are we to believe that this sad state of affairs is to blame for his pre-meditated and vicious crimes of killing innocent children. I think not. If true crime readers enjoy a gorey crime story, then Fanning's Through The Window will be for them. I do highly recommend this book for being well written and providing the facts as they appeared to happen.