Thomas Thompson

Thomas Thompson (3 October 1933 – 29 October 1982) was an American journalist and author.

Career Thompson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Clarence Arnold Thompson (1897–1983) and Ruth Oswalt (1904–1983). He graduated from the University of Texas in 1955. He then worked as a reporter and editor at the Houston Press.

Thompson joined Life in 1961 and became an editor and staff writer.

Blood and Money (1976) was based on a true story of scandal and the murders of Houston socialite Joan Robinson Hill and her husband John Hill, and the alleged involvement of Mrs. Hill's father, Ash Robinson, a wealthy Texas oil magnate. The book sold four million copies in fourteen languages. There were three lawsuits against Thompson after the book's publication. Ann Kurth, John Hill's second wife, sued Thompson for his description of her as a "sex bomb". Kurth's suit and that of a Longview, Texas, police officer, were both dismissed. Ash Robinson, the father of Joan Robinson Hill, also sued Thompson for his portrayal in the book; Robinson was unsuccessful in his suit against Thompson. Robinson had been allowed to read the book prior to its publication, and initially said he approved of what Thompson had written about him. His only criticism was that he believed the book was too long. Thompson's publishers withheld his royalties until all suits connected with the book were settled.

Thompson also wrote Serpentine (1979), the story of convicted murderer Charles Sobhraj. Thompson wrote one novel, Celebrity (1982), which was on the national best-seller list for six months. That novel became the basis for a five-hour miniseries in 1984.

Thompson received the National Headliner Award for investigative reporting. He was also the 1977 Edgar Award winner for Blood and Money.

Thompson's family believed that the liver disease that caused his death was contracted in the Far East while investigating the Charles Sobhraj saga. When he became ill, Thompson was teaching writing at the University of Southern California. Among his survivors were two sons, Kirk and Scott.