The Innocent Man

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham

Description from Amazon:
"In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the Big Leagues, Ron stumbled, his dreams broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then, on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron’s home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation led nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evidence, it led to Ron Williamson. The washed-up small-town hero was charged, tried, and sentenced to death—in a trial littered with lying witnesses and tainted evidence that would shatter a man’s already broken life, and let a true killer go free.
Impeccably researched, grippingly told, filled with eleventh-hour drama, John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction reads like a page-turning legal thriller. It is a book that will terrify anyone who believes in the presumption of innocence—a book no American can afford to miss."

 

My thoughts:

I was excited to read this nonfiction piece by Grisham. I was impressed by the research that went into this book. However, all of the details made it hard to get into. It was slow to start and hard to read in some places. Overall thought, the story of Ron Williamson is one that is unbelievable and truly concerning. I did further research after finishing the book. A recommend for fans of true crime, memoirs and/or justice themes.