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A Target On My Back: A Prosecutor’s Terrifying Tale of Life on a Hit List by Erleigh N. Wiley
Title & Author: A Target On My Back: A Prosecutor’s Terrifying Tale of Life on a Hit List by Erleigh N. Wiley
Genre: True Crime/Memoir
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Series Details: Standalone
Page Count: 176 Pages
Description: “Murders don’t happen in Kaufman County, Texas, a sleepy community where people raise their kids quietly and drive into Dallas for work and entertainment. In 2013, murder came to town when two professional prosecutors were slain in cold blood, simply for doing their jobs: one in broad daylight in plain view of the courthouse, and one in his home, along with his wife. Eric Williams is responsible for all the bloodshed — and he has a list of who to kill next.
A Target on My Back is the first-person true story of Erleigh Wiley, an accomplished lawyer who accepted the job as the new district attorney — after the death of her predecessors— which turned her into the next target on the killer’s hit list. This is her story of how she and her family endured the storm of the press, the array of Homeland Security agents assigned to protect them 24/7, and the weight of knowing she was someone’s prey. Though fearing for her life, she served as the prosecution’s final witness against the murderer, sealing his fate on death row. This chilling account of how she survived the hit list is a terrifying cat and mouse tale.”
Review:
“I was the beginning of Eric Williams’ end.”
Erleigh Wiley was used to seeing her name in print. Whether it was on the ballot that eventually championed her as the first African American countywide officeholder in Kaufman County, or on the daily docket for the cases she presided over as the Judge of County Court at Law.
One place she never expected to see her name, however, was on a hit list. A hit list that already had two names scratched off. Told in four parts with an epilogue, this true-crime narrative tells the terrifying tale of an entitled former colleague’s quest for vengeance and a determined trifecta of government bodies desperate to stop him.
“That night, it started to sink in, that the previously unthinkable was my new reality; somebody wanted me dead and would go to great lengths to make sure that it happened.”
Written as a first-hand account, this chilling memoir read almost like a screenplay from an episode of your favorite crime procedural. Instead of simply providing dialogue, Wiley included countless descriptions that allowed you to feel part of the scene; a battle buddy to the tragedy that unfolded back in 2013. And while the mise-en-scène added a level of realism, it often provided a repetitive disservice to the novel as a whole. I’m confident if the editors took a second gander and removed repeated phrases – and, at times, identical sentences – this would be a much more enjoyable and faster read. Which is truly saying something given that I finished this in one afternoon.
Grammatical errors aside, A Target On My Back really sent a chill down my spine because its villain wasn’t some mythical bad guy. He’s not a Sith Lord, angered android, or power-hungry wizard. He’s a former Justice of the Peace who acted out cold and calculated crimes against his former colleagues with no rhyme, reason, or regret. And it’s much harder to rationalize the evil and move past the fear when the source is just your average Joe. Well, your deranged and clearly unhinged average Joe.
Wiley was tried and tested during turbulent times, but always overcame her fears because it was the right thing to do. She repeatedly stepped into the figurative line of fire because she felt that “freedom means that we are meant to solve our disagreements through discourse and not violence.” I’d like to say with confidence that I would absolutely do the same, but it’s hard to face your fears when there’s A Target On Your Back.
Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing & Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About The Author:
Erleigh Norville Wiley was born and raised in Kaufman County. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University, Rawls College of Business; where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree with a degree in Finance. She attended law school at Texas Law at The University of Texas in Austin receiving her Doctorate of Jurisprudence.
In 1990, Judge Wiley joined the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. Her goal was to prosecute the criminals and protect innocent children and victims who have no voice. She was promoted to supervising attorney-training other new attorneys and managing fourteen different courts.
Wiley takes an active role in her community by volunteering. Some of her board work includes Chairman of the Kaufman County Juvenile Board, Trustee of Texas Health Resources- Kaufman, Kaufman County Children’s Advocacy Center and Kaufman County Children’s Shelter Board member.
Wiley has been lauded by various organizations for her work in the legal community as a Judge and as the Criminal District Attorney in Kaufman County. Some of the most notable were in 2013, from the State Bar of Texas, Outstanding Leadership-Profiles of Courage Award and Texas District & County Attorney’s Association, Lone Star Prosecutor Award; as well as the Dallas Black Police Officer’s Association with the Paved the Way Award in 2015.
Giveaway:
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What an excellent review! Thank you for telling us not just the great parts, but the places where the book could improve — I never like to be surprised by editing issues.
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Thanks, Kristine!! Appreciate the feedback! =D
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