The Innocent Man
By John Grisham
- Release Date: 2006-10-10
- Genre: True Crime
Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LOOK FOR THE NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES • “Both an American tragedy and [Grisham’s] strongest legal thriller yet, all the more gripping because it happens to be true.”—Entertainment Weekly
John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction: a true crime masterpiece that tells the story of small town justice gone terribly awry.
In the Major League draft of 1971, the first player chosen from the state of Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A’s, he said goodbye to his hometown of Ada and left to pursue his dreams of big league glory. Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits. He began to show signs of mental illness. Unable to keep a job, he moved in with his mother and slept twenty hours a day on her sofa.
In 1982, a twenty-one-year-old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder. With no physical evidence, the prosecution’s case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row.
If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.
Don’t miss Framed, John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, co-authored with Centurion Ministries founder Jim McCloskey.
Reviews
John Grisham?
1By Johnnyradioterribly boringLove, Hate Book
3By Word_TravelerThere were great aspects to this book; however there were times it was almost a put down and not finish. The beginning is very slow and doesn’t grab the reader until completion of several chapters. I am glad I finished the novel as it exposed great deficiencies in the legal system and its procedures. If you choose to read it, stick through it all the way.Very Good
4By OldfashionedMemesI had to pick a nonfiction book for school to read and decided on this, it was a great choice! I don’t like reading or nonfiction, but this book is a page-turner that is very engaging!???
4By K9$$dog LoLAgain, where is the story. Is it another short story???The Innocent Man
5By ChynahTemptressVery Good book, Informative and Compelling from Start to finish.Fantastic book
5By Treez783When I read this book it was hard to put down! Very well written and sad.The Innocent Man
5By Donnie55rAfter reading 16 of John Grisham's fictional books, in the past six weeks, this was an awesome read! I give great credit to the author for his tremendous research. I also give credit to the families involved as well as all the others who were wrongfully convicted. I encourage anybody who believes in the believes in the death penalty to read this book.Court room drama
4By prbreezThis book is all you can come to expect from John Grisham. Great read!Disappointing Read
2By Lejs1155At first the pace of the book made up for the tedium. Eventually, as I kept waiting for the point of the ending, I was just happy happy to have it finally be finished. I would not recommend his book - it's important to The Innocence Project - but not typical of an otherwise good author.Honestly really good!
5By BenjaminSiegelIt had some "slow" parts in the beginning, but being has how this is a true story, you'll be hooked in no time to see just how things turned out for this innocent man. A must read in my opinion!AMAZING
5By Lauren612One of the best books ever love his series ..... If u like crime and detail John Grisham is the man for you :)What got me into reading his books
5By Zach HamiltonThis book started it all for me. I love his works. But the reason I'm submitting my review is it seems people are unaware that this IS A TRUE STORY. Knowing that, read it again and you'll see it differentlyNot good
1By RobquixI'm very disappointed in this book. Having read several books by John Grisham, and found them great, this is a major failure! So much crazy and unbelievable police and legal work. It is bizarre to say the least. Maybe the book is a spoof on police and lawyers? I must have missed the humor.An Innocent Man by John Grisham
1By TorieGalI find it hard to believe this was written by the same man who wrote all those wonderful books of fiction. Perhaps Mr Grisham got lazy or just writes better using his imagination, because this was amateurish, repetitive and boring.The Innocent Man review
4By B2pearsIt's easy to call for the death penalty in the case of horrendous murders. This book reminded me that only God should be the judge when it comes to deciding who lives and who dies. And if one was not aware of the time period you would think you were reading a story that took place in the 1930s. This highlights how even today justice is not always the result of our legal system. And last, even if only half of what was written about the Oklahoma prison system is true, the state should be ashamed and embarrassed.Loved it
5By Caseys81Great book, great read. Couldn't put it down.Compelling Read
5By aptmgrExcellent gripping storyAmazing!!!
5By TndnhmomWhat an amazing story!!! A real eye opener!!! Thank you for sharing this!!!The Innocent man
5By KAT GravesThis book was hard , but I couldn't put it down : I find this to be such an injustice !!
