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Book Review of The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
Judyh avatar reviewed on + 229 more book reviews


This is John Grisham's only true crime book. I found it very compelling. It's the story of two innocent men convicted of murder in a small town in Oklahoma. The details of the miscarriages of justice by the police, the judges, the prosecutor and the defense attorney are too bizarre to imagine, and yet they are absolutely true. One of the men was very much mentally ill when not medicated, and his treatment (and denial of treatment) by the prison system while he was on death row was pitiful. I don't have a lot of sympathy typically for convicted criminals, but I disapprove of emotionally torturing a mentally ill man and denying him medication that keeps him essentially sane. I don't want to give anything away. Grisham gives details of other miscarriages of justice in Oklahoma, particularly in Ada, and also highlights the Innocence Project. Pretty interesting and depressing read.