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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Wrongful convictions was one thing that propelled me to law school and I really wanted - and expected - to like this book. I like John Grisham but am disappointed in his venture into nonfiction. This book took me over a year to read because it was so slow (much like the real case development) and honestly very dry. That’s not necessarily a comment on the true story itself, but on its presentation. It kind of bounced at times (or maybe it just felt that way because of my breaks…) and is redeemed by the last sixty or so pages. This book will make you feel so many things, though, I’m glad I finished it.
This was interesting b/c it was a true story. And I couldn't believe the lengths the cops went to to arrest the wrong men. But I didn't like the writing.
I have always been a supporter of the death penalty, however, after reading this book I am reconsidering my stance. It opened my eyes to the world of wrongful ocnvictions. Also, I thought that all exonerees were entitled to a sum to make up for the prison sentence, etc. Apparently that is not the case.
I couldn't wait for it to be over. I read it for my book club; a criminology prof picked it. I found his style plodding. You can tell he is a lawyer.
Wish I had known from the outset that this was nonfiction...would not have been so critical of the seemingly poor story construction had I known before the closing Author's Note. Interesting departure for Grisham who usually uses researched problems in law and/or the judicial system and creates fictionalized accounts to instead recount the actual shortcomings of the Oklahoma police and courts.
Usually the police are the good guys. But sometimes even the good guys go wrong. This is the story of one such case, and the lives that were destroyed as a result. Moral of the story: we can never lose our vigilance when it comes to our civil rights.
You do not know until the very end how this one is going to turn out. I loved it.
Outstanding read! I have been a fan of John Grisham since The Firm (which I have read no less than 18 times). I fell out of the loop and didn't realize he'd written a non-fiction book, and it did not disappoint! It's shocking how many people are wrongfully convicted because of poor investigating, junk science, and bias - makes one wonder how many people were wrongfully executed, too. This book delves into the layers and layers of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz's stories and makes you shake your head at the sheer ineptitude of the system that caused these things to happen.