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A Target on my Back: A Prosecutor's Terrifying Tale of Life on a Hit List
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 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.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
225 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 30, 2018
“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 dockets 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.
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 dockets 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.
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November 7, 2017The book A target on my back was written by a family friend of mine named Erleigh Wiley. She is the District Attorney of Kaufman county Texas and one of the strongest women I know. This book details the effects that the murders of Mark Hasse and Mike and Cynthia Mclelland had on her life both personal and professional and how she dealt with being on a serial killer's hit list for holding him accountable for doing his job the right way and he partially blamed her for him losing his job. I remember when these murders happened they shook both the small town of Forney that I lived in and the county as a whole, my father was one of the investigators on these cases and he would frequently keep me and my mother updated on how the case was going. It was interesting reading the book and reading Erleigh’s side of the story and how she dealt with the stresses of being the next potential victim of a serial killer who showed absolutely no mercy and had no remorse for what he’d done. This is a very good crime novel and I think anyone who wants to read it should.
October 11, 2017
Ms. Wiley is one of the speakers for our Book and Author luncheon later this month. She is also the DA of our county. I had just moved to the area in the month before Mr. Hasse was killed outside the courthouse. We were concerned that we had made a mistake about moving to Kaufman, but we live outside the city limits. It was a scary time. Ms. Wiley captures some of that fear and concern. The love story between her and Aaron is sweet. It was also fun to read about people I know; I also work for the county. It also made me very proud of our Kaufman County officials, police officers and staff.
October 7, 2017
In 2013, prosecutors in Kaufman County, Texas started getting murdered and nobody knew by who or why. The fear sent a chill through the entire DFW area and was the main news story for months. Meanwhile, Wiley was just trying to do her job as a judge in the county when she was forced to have 24/7 surveillance and bodyguards to ensure her safety. Not soon after the murder of the Kaufman District Attorney, the Governor appointed Wiley to take over as the new DA as the police desperately tried to find out who the killer was - but the twist is, Wiley knew who it was the entire time.
This book is an incredibly true story. Brava Erleigh, on a thrilling debut novel.
This book is an incredibly true story. Brava Erleigh, on a thrilling debut novel.
April 15, 2018
Lately, I have had the good fortune to review books at the perfect moment in my life. As I have finally caught up on all the old episodes of my favorite true crime podcast, this first person account of a would-be victim was next on my review list. That designation alone makes this book special, but the fact that Wiley is a judge makes the proceedings all the more technical and her recollection feel more trustworthy than other true crime tell-alls.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like most true crime books are either written by a court reporter or someone very interested in the case. Immediately, there is a distance between what really happened and what is written on the page. Neither writer would have a solid picture of what happened since it didn’t happen to them. Or on the other hand, some of these books are penned by victims whose stories are understandably colored by their trauma and the emotional rollercoaster of the media circus and courtroom drama. Details could be misremembered or forgotten.
When Wiley stated over and over how she did not feel like she was to be the next victim, I got the feeling that I was reading the account of a very level-headed individual. I understood her logic for distancing her part in the downward spiral of a mad man, and that was precisely what could have caused her even more harm. Crazy people don’t always have a motive that makes sense. They don’t always have clear origin stories such as an abusive upbringing or head trauma knocking their good sense loose. I love that she addresses that because psychologists are always trying to find that angle.
To be honest, I was getting antsy to read the nitty gritty about the crime. But it was awe inspiring to hear the journey of how Wiley came to be the first elected African American female district attorney in Dallas County. And as a mother, I felt inspired knowing how hard she worked in her office, but that her harder and most fulfilling work was taking care of her family and giving back to her community.
I would have liked to have more information about the murders upfront, since that seems to be more of the template for true crime books. It felt weird to finally gain a broader picture of what each victim was like and what happened to them in a few pages right before the Epilogue. I wanted more than that.
I have always thought the photo placement in these books is strange (usually right in the middle of a chapter that has nothing to do with the pictures), and this one follows suit. I like that the photos are in color, but the captions could have used some copy editing. One of my pet peeves is identifying people in the photo out of order. If there’s two people, just name them left to right!
The pacing was good but some editing could have made this book more suspenseful. The lack of copy editing and proofreading resulted in redundancies and typos. For future reprints, I would recommend revamping the cover design as well. A story that took place in 2013 shouldn’t have a cover that looks like it was printed in the ’90s.
Overall, I think this book is a nice addition to the true crime genre and that readers will appreciate the unique point of view.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like most true crime books are either written by a court reporter or someone very interested in the case. Immediately, there is a distance between what really happened and what is written on the page. Neither writer would have a solid picture of what happened since it didn’t happen to them. Or on the other hand, some of these books are penned by victims whose stories are understandably colored by their trauma and the emotional rollercoaster of the media circus and courtroom drama. Details could be misremembered or forgotten.
When Wiley stated over and over how she did not feel like she was to be the next victim, I got the feeling that I was reading the account of a very level-headed individual. I understood her logic for distancing her part in the downward spiral of a mad man, and that was precisely what could have caused her even more harm. Crazy people don’t always have a motive that makes sense. They don’t always have clear origin stories such as an abusive upbringing or head trauma knocking their good sense loose. I love that she addresses that because psychologists are always trying to find that angle.
To be honest, I was getting antsy to read the nitty gritty about the crime. But it was awe inspiring to hear the journey of how Wiley came to be the first elected African American female district attorney in Dallas County. And as a mother, I felt inspired knowing how hard she worked in her office, but that her harder and most fulfilling work was taking care of her family and giving back to her community.
I would have liked to have more information about the murders upfront, since that seems to be more of the template for true crime books. It felt weird to finally gain a broader picture of what each victim was like and what happened to them in a few pages right before the Epilogue. I wanted more than that.
I have always thought the photo placement in these books is strange (usually right in the middle of a chapter that has nothing to do with the pictures), and this one follows suit. I like that the photos are in color, but the captions could have used some copy editing. One of my pet peeves is identifying people in the photo out of order. If there’s two people, just name them left to right!
The pacing was good but some editing could have made this book more suspenseful. The lack of copy editing and proofreading resulted in redundancies and typos. For future reprints, I would recommend revamping the cover design as well. A story that took place in 2013 shouldn’t have a cover that looks like it was printed in the ’90s.
Overall, I think this book is a nice addition to the true crime genre and that readers will appreciate the unique point of view.
March 21, 2018
I believe this book has several purposes - to educate us on an event that happened in 2013 in a nearby community (nearby to me anyway), to enlighten us on what it would be like to be pursued by a crazed killer, and to encourage us to follow our dreams and desires and to be the best that we can be in this world.
Before reading this book, I did not know about the murders that happened in Kaufman County. I am always dumbfounded by those that commit crimes and their reasoning, which rarely makes sense to a normal person. But to read more about Eric Williams and his wife Kim, and knowing that they had a list of people they wanted to kill just blew my mind. I can imagine when Erleigh learned of the list and that her name was on the list, that it was a shock to know how close she might have come to death. She admitted to being naive and thinking she was safe until she learned that bit of information.
I found this book to be enlightening because I never know how I would react if I were in Erleigh's shoes. I think I might have acted the same, not believing that I was on someone's hit list. But the strength and perseverance that she shared are beyond what I could ever imagine.
I also learned about an organization called Jack and Jill of America and the Beautillion that they put on each year for African American graduating seniors. I admire the values that this organization is teaching these young men and believe that more organizations and parents could learn from their example.
One thing I found surprising is that even after Erleigh is appointed to the DA position, she is still called Judge. I am sure this is a term of respect, but it just seemed odd to read it since she was not a judge at this point in her life.
We give this 3 1/2 paws.
Before reading this book, I did not know about the murders that happened in Kaufman County. I am always dumbfounded by those that commit crimes and their reasoning, which rarely makes sense to a normal person. But to read more about Eric Williams and his wife Kim, and knowing that they had a list of people they wanted to kill just blew my mind. I can imagine when Erleigh learned of the list and that her name was on the list, that it was a shock to know how close she might have come to death. She admitted to being naive and thinking she was safe until she learned that bit of information.
I found this book to be enlightening because I never know how I would react if I were in Erleigh's shoes. I think I might have acted the same, not believing that I was on someone's hit list. But the strength and perseverance that she shared are beyond what I could ever imagine.
I also learned about an organization called Jack and Jill of America and the Beautillion that they put on each year for African American graduating seniors. I admire the values that this organization is teaching these young men and believe that more organizations and parents could learn from their example.
One thing I found surprising is that even after Erleigh is appointed to the DA position, she is still called Judge. I am sure this is a term of respect, but it just seemed odd to read it since she was not a judge at this point in her life.
We give this 3 1/2 paws.
August 17, 2018
I think I would have preferred a book that folded in Erleigh Wiley's experiences, but was more generally about the murders committed against Mark Hesse, Mike McLelland and Cynthia McLelland, the resulting investigation, and the trial of the murderer.
While a fascinating look at what a protective detail looks like from the protected's side and her moving descriptions of the terrifying realization of how close she came to tragedy, the author's perspective was understandably narrow. As she was part of the county's justice system, she had to sometimes remove herself from certain information at the time. However, this leads to a sometimes disjointed narrative that raised a lot of questions about the circumstances that were either unanswered or answered outside of the story in a lump at the end of the book. If she had been solely trying to tell the story as it appeared to her at the time, that would have at least made sense, but there are other times when the book is clearly a backwards looking reflection on what happened. Some editing could have definitely made this tighter.
While a fascinating look at what a protective detail looks like from the protected's side and her moving descriptions of the terrifying realization of how close she came to tragedy, the author's perspective was understandably narrow. As she was part of the county's justice system, she had to sometimes remove herself from certain information at the time. However, this leads to a sometimes disjointed narrative that raised a lot of questions about the circumstances that were either unanswered or answered outside of the story in a lump at the end of the book. If she had been solely trying to tell the story as it appeared to her at the time, that would have at least made sense, but there are other times when the book is clearly a backwards looking reflection on what happened. Some editing could have definitely made this tighter.
May 18, 2018
Erleigh Wiley's book, A Target on my Black, is an interesting first-person story about a series of incidents that took place in Kaufman County, Texas in early 2013. Three people were brutally killed--2 prosecutors and one of the men's wife. Thinking that Wiley might be the next person on the killer's hit list, agents were assigned to protect her and her family 24/7. Wiley had to deal with unimaginable fear so she could do her job until the killer was brought to justice. This is an entertaining book!
November 5, 2022
This might have been really interesting but it has two laud and screaming issues.
First, this is not an unbiased account. This is a book by a prosecutor who thinks very very highly of herself, such that the account is not really about the events that lead to her being on a hit list, but about her and how much of hero she thinks she is. Second, it is REALLY badly written. Unforgivable for a published book by a lawyer.
First, this is not an unbiased account. This is a book by a prosecutor who thinks very very highly of herself, such that the account is not really about the events that lead to her being on a hit list, but about her and how much of hero she thinks she is. Second, it is REALLY badly written. Unforgivable for a published book by a lawyer.
April 13, 2018
This was a very interesting book about a true story! I enjoyed learning all the details of how this prosecutor went through this ordeal to get the killer convicted. It was a true account of the events and what happened in the mind of this twisted sociopath. It described people who were in the government and how they solved the murders!
April 22, 2018
True Crime
Having read the book by Kathryn Casey that detailed the crimes, I already knew than e facts of the case. However, it is interesting to hear how it affected another person. The author shares her story of being a potential victim of this murderer. The book is good and adds to our knowledge
Having read the book by Kathryn Casey that detailed the crimes, I already knew than e facts of the case. However, it is interesting to hear how it affected another person. The author shares her story of being a potential victim of this murderer. The book is good and adds to our knowledge
February 22, 2021
Interesting personal account of Judge (later District Attorney) in Kaufman County, Texas that lived through the horrible crime spree of a former fellow attorney. She tells her personal thoughts after first a ADA and then the DA and his wife are killed. Also interesting is her life and work as the first African American Judge and DA. It might not be a polished book, but it is heart felt and real.
March 19, 2018
A decent book telling a great story.
I remember a time when no black person (especially a woman) could get elected in Kaufman county. Judge Wiley broke barriers and had courage when it mattered most.
Inspiring woman!
I remember a time when no black person (especially a woman) could get elected in Kaufman county. Judge Wiley broke barriers and had courage when it mattered most.
Inspiring woman!
May 4, 2018
Fascinating read about Erleigh Wiley and her account of what was happening at the time of the murders as well as her journey from judge to criminal district attorney. It would get a higher star rating but the amount of grammatical errors was distracting.
September 13, 2018
This book really opened my eyes. One does not have to live in a big city for horrible crimes to occur. I was disappointed in the final outcome. That is partly what is wrong with our country now.
January 21, 2023
Loved this book, I loved reading the story from an inside view of what happened and about one who was involved.
February 28, 2024
I was hoping for a more suspenseful, shocking story. It was true so I can’t downplay its content, just not really book worthy to me.
March 26, 2018
3.5 of 5 stars
A Target on My Back: A Prosecutor's Terrifying Tale of Life on a Hit List is the true account of the murders of two district attorneys (D.A.) and the wife of one of those attorneys that occurred in Kaufman County, Texas. The story specifically focuses on how those murders affected the personal and professional life of the author, Erleigh N. Wiley, who was ... Read more at bit.ly/PageBedtime.
A Target on My Back: A Prosecutor's Terrifying Tale of Life on a Hit List is the true account of the murders of two district attorneys (D.A.) and the wife of one of those attorneys that occurred in Kaufman County, Texas. The story specifically focuses on how those murders affected the personal and professional life of the author, Erleigh N. Wiley, who was ... Read more at bit.ly/PageBedtime.
December 17, 2017
I interviewed Judge Wiley on my radio show on KHVN. She was personally engaging as her book"A Target on my Back". The personal reflections of raising a family, administering justice, and maintaining her personal safety are the themes of this book.
The book is overall a refreshing , breezy account of terror visited upon a small Texas town. This terror is overcome by the tenacity of the people to endure , and prevail against the unknown.
Thanks Judge Erleigh Wiley a great read !
The book is overall a refreshing , breezy account of terror visited upon a small Texas town. This terror is overcome by the tenacity of the people to endure , and prevail against the unknown.
Thanks Judge Erleigh Wiley a great read !
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April 22, 2018Duh
This is the driest book EVER. The writing is soooo redundant, that's it's torturous to read. She treats the readers as if they haven't gotten past fifth grade. I recommend this as a cure for insomnia.
This is the driest book EVER. The writing is soooo redundant, that's it's torturous to read. She treats the readers as if they haven't gotten past fifth grade. I recommend this as a cure for insomnia.
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March 25, 2019Average rating 3.5 for the Lone Star Book Blog Tours team.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews