Chain Reading

HOLY S*!

Was at the bookstore looking for another book and this one fell out of the rack. Hmm, The innocent Man, sounds just like most Grisham books. I usually don't care much for his work... Turn it over...

"This is a true story" -Some Reporter. Oh, that is different.

Now I've had the book for 6 days and OHMY it's good. It will make you furious, scared and and and....

The story is about 2 murders and has several main characters, the most obvious being Ron Williamson. A superb School athlete who fails totaly in life. His friend Dennis Fritz, who gets into trouble just because he knows Ron. They get accused for murdering a young local woman of Ada, Oklahoma. Bad cops and bad police work, the justice system at it's absolute worse. While investigating the murders they ignore the fact that they have no real evidence, they have made up their mind who's guilty and are dead set on getting them. They display an unresonable ability to "judge the book by its cover", going for those who LOOK like the kind of guy that you think would commit the crime.

It covers most things any good thriller/crime novell should and there is that extra spice that is reality. I've not even finished it and I still felt that I must recommend and review it. I shit you not, this book is a must read even if you are no fan of Grisham or the crime-gengre or even if you hate true stories.

I absolutely love it!

Eleven years after their arrest for the rape/murder of Debbie Carter, Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz were exonerated using DNA testing. Not only did the testing prove that Williamson and Fritz were not involved, but that the one "eyewitness" was the actual killer (this isn't a spoiler - Grisham gives this away from the beginning of the book). Their entire conviction hinged on the testimony of the actual killer and snitches looking for a deal to get less time in prison.

Ron Williamson spent 11 years on death row and never once change his story of innocence. He nearly went out of his mind in jail, having already had severe mental disorders prior to his arrest. During his trial not one person - not the prosecution, the judge, nor Williamson's own lawyer - raised the questions of his competency to stand trial despite a 10-year history of psychological problems ranging from manic depression to schizophrenia.

In The Innocent Man, John Grisham tells Williamson's story in a way that's understandable for laypeople. He brings up a number of questions the detectives, judge, prosecutor and jurors should have been asking before convicting Williamson and Fritz. In addition, he gives a detailed account of two other men arrested by the same detectives and tried in the same court. Both were also found guilty and are innocent, but they are still behind bars (www.wardandfontenot.com).

Grisham, with his famous name and storytelling abilities, is bringing awareness to an issue that few acknowledge - our justice system isn't always just.

I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned about our legal system. It gives some great tips on what to do when being questioned by the police (ask for a lawyer!) and information about Miranda rights and the fifth amendment. Also, it's just a great story and a quick read. The injustice of it will stay with you though. In the author's notes, Grisham says, "Not in my most creative moment could I conjure up a story as rich and layered as Ron's." Nor as unbelievable. But here it is, a true story of injustice and the problems with our justice system.