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
Superbly written and utterly heartbreaking.
5By vivianfarGrisham writing non fiction is both humanizingly warm and chillingTerrible book
1By d-antGoes on forever telling the same thing over and over horrible bookJohn 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!
