Murder Books

The Jar Woman is fast-paced and hard-hitting in dealing with complex human emotions and frailties. Adventurous Kimmy seems to have bitten off more than she can chew when she inadvertently gets involved with Arlena. Kimmy in total control of her well-defined life, Arlena needing to take responsibility for hers. The author expertly twists and turns the plot encompassing an array of characters to keep the most accomplished mystery buff guessing. Excellent writing - a must read!

THIS IS MY FIRST REVIEW. I KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT CAN BE TO CHOOSE A BOOK UNLESS SOMEONE RECOMMENDS IT TO YOU AND I DO.IT IS EASILY READ YET HOLDS YOUR INTEREST. THE CHARACTERS SEEM VERY REAL AND YOU FEEL AS IF YOU REALLY KNOW THEM. I LOOK FORWARD TO READING OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR.

The Jar Woman is fast-paced and hard-hitting in dealing with complex human emotions and frailties. The adventurous Kimmy seems to have bitten off more than she can chew when she inadvertently gets involved with Arlena. Kimmy in total control of her well-defined life, Arlena needing to take responsibility for hers. The author expertly and continuously twists the plot encompassing an array of characters to keep the most accomplished mystery buff guessing. I couldn't put it down.

The Jar Woman was a real page turner. Kimmy and Arlena, opposites in every sense, are a conduit for nasty goings-on in a small picturesque town. Horrific animal mutilations plague the community and when a murder occurs, the town's resident's are sent into a tailspin. I identified with Kimmy's fears, her panic and human failure in dealing with a murdered boy. And I enjoyed Arlena's 'down home' attitude, when she decided to unravel mysteries too complicated for her educated and wealthy peers.

The Jar Woman begins one Christmas Eve and ends the next, exposing a microcosm of human tragedy and triumph.

After having travelled to Thailand and seen Jim Thompson's house in Bangkok, I was interested in learning more about Jim's life & disappearance. This book appears to give a fair and balanced look at Jim's life (although some may disagree since the author was a personal friend). It's a good read, interesting, but not without fault. The editing for one had some lapses. There are quite a few times where I found typos or missing words. That gets annoying after a while.

Of the many theories surrounding Jim's disappearnce in the Cameroon Highlands in Malaysia, the author holds a view that makes the most sense to me. I won't reveal it. I recommend the book.

In terms of the edition itself, the book was printed on good paper stock and is of high quality.

Bought this book on a recent trip to Thailand. Have known of the many stories surrounding Jim Thompson and wanted to read the definitive book on the subject. Unfortunately, I'm no further ahead in learning the solution but the book is fascinating and a page turner.

And since the author is a true fan of Jim Thompson, is what HE wrote the truth or is there still more out there?

This book will just make the reader want to know more.

I began this book on Christmas day while visiting Singapore after having spent a few days in Thailand. My son wouldn't give up possession of this book as he was also reading it. It just was made available this Spring in the U.S. I can't wait to get a copy and finish it! It is a great mystery story and also a fascinating account of a man who was instrumental in revitalizing Thailand's silk industry.

James H.W. Thompson was a legend. Born in 1906, he served during WWII in the O.S.S which later became the C.I.A. His real claims to fame however were first as the 'Thai Silk King' and secondly as a missing person rivaling Judge Crater and Jimmy Hoffa for mystery. This book should have inspired several others on Thompson since he lived such a legendary and fascinating life. Sadly, this is really the only authoritative book out there on him. Nearly 36 years have done nothing to dispel the myths and rumors about what may have happened to him during a fateful weekend in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia (Easter weekend of 1967). For those who love a real-life mystery, tantalizing clues, possibilities, and innuendos keep the reader guessing as to his possible fate. You won't find any definitive answers here, but what you will find is an extraordinary life laid out in the most entertaining of biographical narratives.

This book is about the trial.Everything that happened at the trial,how they prepared for the trial.About everthing that was done to get Justice for Selena.I highly Recomend this book.

This is a great book. I was not able to put it down. If you are interested in what happened during the trial than I highly recommend this book. The book reveals in particular how easily the media was manipulated by the defense team and as a result the prosecution not only had to fight inside the courtroom but outside as well to find Justice For Selena.

Excellent book, but very long. (Held my attention, but took awhile to get through it.) This is not a Selena fan book - it's strictly about the trial of her assasin. If you are interested in court proceedings, and happen to be a Selena fan, then this is a great book for you.

and I'm not being sarcastic. There is nothing "new and earth-shattering" about Selena or her family; it is what it says it is - a book about the trial. What you learn, though, is how much more there really was and how differently the trial appeared to be going from the prosecutors' and, my guess is, the defense's perspectives than it was from the media's. Mr. Valdez even lets us know what happened after the trial in the appeals that Yolanda filed and why she wasn't eligible for the death penalty.

This well - witten well researched book tells the story of a psychopathic priest who was a pedophile, forger, thief and murderer. Although he tried to hide behind an insanity defense at trial, he was a textbook anti-social personality. The perversion of the murder of his girlfriend, with fetishistic and necrophilic elements, reminds one of Ted Bundy or Jeffery Dahmer.
Readers will find very familiar the story of how the church ordained him when they knew he was disturbed, passed him from one parish to another instead of defrocking him.
This book deserves a paperback edition to reach a wider audience. It's very good. I hope the author writes more books.

I just finished reading this book and still can't believe that a catholic priest did these terrible things and then was executed in the electric chair. I truly enjoyed the way the author wrote the story. Not only did he write about Father Schmidt and his crimes, but he also wrote vivid descriptions of New York City in the early 1900's. I hope Mark Gado's name becomes synonymous with James Patterson and keeps on writing. I can see Ed Norton or Johnny Depp playing Father Schmidt. A potentially chilling movie!

I was very interested in reading this book when I heard of it. I was born and raised a Catholic and enjoy reading books of all topics about my faith and I especially love true crimes.....my husband is a police officer! So when I saw both areas of interest twisted together in one book I was fascinated!! I really enjoyed this book and this authors writing style! He masterfully captured this priest and his crimes with such imagery.....as I read the book I could envison what was taking place and I kept thinking this book would make a great movie!
I hope to see more books by this author!

Killer Priest by Mark Gado is an electrifying story expertly told. Hans Schmidt, the only priest ever to be executed for murder in the U.S., had character flaws that surfaced during his childhood in Germany. He had no use for his brothers or friends, but became transfixed with religion and killing. When adolescent sexual fantasies become intertwined with images of death and slaughter, problems are almost certain to arise. As an introverted teenager, the intelligent and scholarly Schmidt drifted into ecclesiastical studies. However, the character flaws and sexual conflict deepened and he ran afoul of the law. He became a thief and a forger who was ostracized by the clerics that knew him.

Gado's meticulous research traces Father Schmidt's twisted childhood in Germany, through his years at the seminary in Mainz, his flight from Europe and eventually his first clergy assignment in Louisville, Kentucky. A missing nine-year-old girl case raised questions at his parish and Father Schmidt suddenly leaves Louisville and heads for New York City. There, he secretly married a beautiful young woman in a ceremony he performed himself. When her dismembered body parts turned up in the Hudson River, a city became mesmerized by the spectacle of a Catholic priest arrested for a murder...and the possibility he was a serial killer!

As a seasoned detective, Gado carefully lays out the investigation and the manner in which the detectives built the case against Schmidt. Once it got to court, Schmidt, ever the manipulator, attempted to hide behind the insanity defense - creating the disturbing risk that the killer could have been turned over to the custody of the Catholic Church.

Gado's experiences in homicide and death investigation, his first-hand understanding of the criminal mind and his ability to dramatize a story so effectively combine to make Killer Priest an excellent read.

So unlike the modern obsession with glamor or headline-grabbing murderers or victims, this enthralling book collects a set of stories about killings that probably never should have happened. I almost felt as if I were back in the decades in which the essays were first written, from 1969-1982, so vivid are the details of setting and character. Exemplary journalistic writing.
I have only one minor complaint, not even enough to subtract a star. That is, I wanted to know more about the ultimate outcomes of the cases. I'd like to see an updated edition with more information!

This book is the stuff of a classic and should not have been allowed to go out of print. The measure of a good to great book as far as I am concerned is that it represents not only the issues of the individual but also sends out definitive postcards from a certain time and place. Reading this collection of crime reportage that originally appeared in The New Yorker magazine in the author's "U.S. Journal" series, from 1969 to 1982, I am astounded how Trillin intuited the local and global struggles that continue to define the post 1960's social watershed in American precincts beyond more cosmopolitan cities.

Trillin says that the story inherent in a sudden death-homicide, suicide or accident-is more often about how people live or the society in which they move. He finds understanding the place essential to understanding the crime. Most of the deaths are due to murder (the Penguin paperback cover blurbs say all are, but that's not true), and most take place in neighborhoods and among people of which townsfolk would say, but that wouldn't happen here and to them. Even when the death occurs in Miami (a prominent defense attorney), a barrio in Riverside, California, or in Tucson where alarms and guard dogs had become a way of life, the death is still a surprise.

KILLINGS is first class journalism. The author's prose is fluent, immediate, and his information is beautifully ordered. You never know at the outset of a given story who will be the killer or the killed. He keeps himself entirely out of the action and is never judgmental. In an afterward he notes that one of the key players in a story later said of what appeared in the magazine, "If he had come two weeks later, he would have written a different story." Trillin agrees that this can be true-a writer enters the story at a particular plateau and much of the finished product depends on the known facts and current emotions on that plateau. All the same, while reading these stories, I had keen memories of the times and culture from which they sprang, and they still stand as short, accurate histories. Learning at a later time, for instance, who actually killed that defense attorney would not change the long term lessons of his story.

This book of essays is sad and beautiful. In general, I have always liked Trillin, but some of his humor pieces can be a little too cute. These essays, which originally appeared in the New Yorker, are very spare and moving. Each tells the story of a person killed--by accident, by murder, by abuse--and each essay is absorbing, melancholy and invested with meaning. The format makes the book an easy one to read and a good one for when you do not have a lot of time to read: each essay stands on its own. I have read this book at least twice in its entirety and some of the essays several times. The writing is skilled and precise. Trillin never lapses into sanctimony or sentimentality. I have recommended this book to many, and actually ended up loaning my copy to someone who liked it so much he wouldn't give it back! (I found a used copy on amazon for cheap and stopped bugging him to return it.) I love this book and wish it were more widely read.

Once again, I find myself titling a Calvin Trillin review, "If I could give it ten stars, I would!" Trillin is a national treasure. You've heard of Poet Laureates; well, Trillin ought to be our national Deadpan and Danged Funny Laureate. What may not be immediately evident on first reading his work is that the subtle humor that ripples throughout most of his stuff disguises an extraordinarily sharp mind and a nose for a wonderful story.

"Killings" examines the sudden deaths of a dozen or so ordinary Americans. Although Trillin touches on the manner of their deaths, what "Killings" is really about is the detail of these victims' lives. It is utterly absorbing and that rarity, a book you will enjoy even more on the second or third read than on the first. Trillin's apparent artlessness ensures that he, as author, never gets in the way of his wonderful, wonderful stories. Highly recommended!

For several months now, Mira James has been trailer-sitting for her friend Sunny in Battle Lake, Minnesota. And while her days have been occupied by working in the town library, Mira has also had to solve a few mysteries -- murder among them -- since her arrival in the spring. (See "May Day" and "June Bug.") She's gotten to know more than a few of the local characters and has even landed an extra gig as a reporter for the weekly Battle Lake Recall.

But now it's July, it's ungodly hot, and it's time for Wenonga Days. This year the townsfolk are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the installation of the Chief Wenonga statue that stands twenty-three feet tall and guards the shoreline of Battle Lake. Having a dismal past where intimate relationships are concerned, Mira has secretly projected her affections instead onto the Chief, whom she sees as the ultimate in Tall, Dark, Handsome, and Safe. He's the most stable man in her life.

And so it follows that Mira takes it personally when the fiberglass statue is stolen just before the holiday. Who could have done such an unthinkable thing, and how did they do it? Though Mira's attention is mildly diverted by real-life encounters with Johnny Leeson, the sexiest gardener she's ever met, she makes it her goal to find out just what's going on in Battle Lake. Does any guilt lie with that visiting professor who's campaigning for the rights of native peoples? What about Brando Erikkson, whose company originally made the Chief? And how is squirrelly business owner Les Pastner involved in the conspiracy? Was it part of his scalp that was found at the base of the statue?

Mira James is a quirky, likeable, and realistic protagonist / heroine. Her turns of phrase and sense of humor (especially when directed at herself) are laugh-out-loudable. Who knew that life in rural Minnesota could be so intriguing and so funny? Habitual mystery readers must leap into this series with both feet.

Although I am from Minnesota, you don't have to be to enjoy this series. I just finished Knee High by the Fourth of July and am anxious to start August Moon. It's going to be a long wait for me for September Morn (I think that's the title for the fifth book) but I will try to be patient. Keep 'em coming, Ms Lourey!

Seriously, I simply love Jess Lourey's Minnesota based series. She combines great wit with plots and sub-plots that never fail to challenge the reader. What a delight!

If you are in the market for a good laugh, at and with a local flare, Jess Lourey's "Knee High by the Fourth of July," the third installment of her 12-book Murder by Month series and follow up to "May Day" and "June Bug," may be the perfect end of summer book.

"The good news is that I'm proud of Knee High," she said. "It's fun, long on humor, romance, and red herrings."

Lourey's quirky humor plays throughout the book in her prose and dialogue, but more in her diversions on the normalcy and oddity of Battle Lake and Otter Tail County.

Lourey acknowledges her appreciation for the people and the area.

"I've been remiss in my earlier novels in not thanking the people of Battle Lake, who are good sports about the fun-poking and murder-creating I do in their beautiful town," she said.

Like the Mask of Bewildered Anger, which Lourey's protagonist sleuth Mira James describes as, "the official expression of rural Minnesotans confronted by liberal progressives."

Much like the faces of her many town characters who, in the midst of planning the celebration of Wenonga days, find the Chief himself has gone missing, a blow to Mira James, who suffers quite an obsession with the Chief.

Mira's second biggest crush, the organic gardening god and dead ringer for Brad Pitt--Johnny Leeson--has also disappeared. Her luck with men is running out, and a killer might be moving in. With something of her own to hide, Mira hopes she can avoid the police long enough to track down the object of her mega-crush--but is Mira trailing a statue-thief, a kidnapper, or a murderer?

The many characters running under Mira James' magnifying glass of suspicion range from the kooky to loony, so much so, a reader living in the area could easily mistake one of the characters for themselves.

While Lourey's book could be misconstrued, upon first glance, to appeal to women only, her humor transcends both genders and makes for a delightful romp through our own neighborhoods. But come looking for laughs. One thing about Lourey's humor, she demands the reader already have the sense to spot it or at the very least, have a clue.

I completely LOVED reading this trilogy. Getting to the last few pages of the third book I had to stop myself from reading ahead. My friends and I read this series together and had our own theories of who the killer might be and when it was finally revealed we were shocked. Reading these books is a complete thrill ride. Now knowing the outcome I am so going to read it again. I say everyone should add this trilogy to their collection.

Who's The Real Killer!?
The Party Room "Last Call" is the third book in the party room series. This book is about a girl named Kirsten, who than recently had a friend die at the party room. There has been many murders at the party room, but she still drops in for a visit every now and than, when she's not in school. This is a good book because it always has you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next and when you think it all is over, the killer strikes again. If you don't like long books, that take quite a bit of patience, than I would suggest not reading this book. If you are a person who likes very mysterious books, The Party Room is the book for you. This is a book you should add to you library or collection.

My sista borrowed the first book and then i read it.
it was really good when u read u really want to read the other 2 books.I have finished the second book and am waiting till christmas to get the third.
The book is really interesting i like how they make u think that it is Paul Stone that killed sam and then they turn it around completely and it is not the person u thought it was. Then a whole new character comes into the book.
I can't wait to sink my teeth into the nxt one. thanks so much this is the best book i have eva read in my whole life n i aint kiddin either.
I strongly advise u 2 read dis book
cya all!!!

OMG I LUVVVV THIS SERIS>> AWSOME BOOKS. My friend recomneded it to me and i read them all and loved them. In the 3rd installment Kristin is trying to recover and move on, since the prep school killer is dead. But was he rly the killer? or was it someone eles? Kristin leaves home to NYU universtity, but still slips back to her favortite place, the party room, with Julie. Kristin feels that she is getting better, until the killer strikes again, and again. She is slowly getting closer to finding out who the killer is, which is putting her in more danger than she could imagine. Can she mangage to find the killer and make sure he is in jail, before he gets her??
read it and ull find out!!

U WONT BE DISAPOINTED>> U WILL BE ESTATIC!! AWSOME BOOOOKK>> READ IT!!! LOVED ITTT

This book was one of the better ones l have read about the Depression era criminals of America. The bibilography is very impressive, obviously the author has done a lot of research of books and newspapers as well as conducting interviews with the Miller family and other persons. The book walks the reader through the life of Miller from his childhood to his time as a soldier to sheriff to criminal. The author sticks to the facts and if no evidence is available, he says so.

Miller's life is a paradox, from war hero to an honest, decent sheriff to a cold blooded killer and bank robber. Why did Miller follow this path? How could he turn from being an honest sheriff striving to seek justice for victims of crime to a ruthless criminal shooting down people in cold blood? Brad Smith explores this area well and examines and explains the area of military psychology. The author suggests that Miller fits the profile of a soldier who is thrilled by the state of war. These types are not natural killers but will not hesitate to kill if they think that certain moral codes have been impinged or a friend is need of help. The job of lawman was too confining for Miller, he could have a much richer lifestyle as a bank robber and killer and get more thrills out his life too!

Brad Smith makes the distinction that the criminals of the rural midwest differed from the urban east in personality and lifestyle as did the societies in general and of course he is right. Millers relationships with other criminals such as Nash, Buchalter, Pretty Boy Floyd, Richetti, Karpis etc also make up much of the book and is fascinating to read. The author brings this era and its criminals back to life in this book and gives the reader an excellent perception of the type of lives these people lived.

Depression era outlaws seem to have needed to meet certain requirements to register permanently in the American consciousness: a catchy name like Dillinger; a catchy nickname like "Pretty Boy" or "Baby Face" or "Machine Gun"; or to be gunned down by the law, especially the federal minions of publicity-seeking J. Edgar Hoover. Perhaps the most important of these Public Enemies was a man who didn't meet any of these criteria: just-plain Verne Miller--sounds like a guy who lives down the street. He had no colorful monicker and the law never caught up with him. Miller was killed ignominiously and hideously and dumped in a Detroit ditch by his underworld "friends." Why was Miller so important? He was responsible for the bloodbath that launched the nation's first "War on Crime" which transformed a little known investigative branch of the U.S. Justice Department into today's powerful FBI: the "Kansas City Massacre." Brad Smith has done an incredible job in researching a fascinating and largely forgotten figure of America's lawless past. Only the Prohibition era could have produced this murderous but interesting and contradictory man, who went from war hero to policeman to sheriff to bootlegger, bank robber and cold-blooded killer, and, quite fittingly, his lawman-to-outlaw career spanned and paralelled that era, from 1920 to 1933. Miller was the criminal who declared war on America and the epitome of a lawless decade and his life story, told here in marvelous and exciting detail, in itself defines that period.

I wondered when I opened this book how well I would enjoy a true story about an underworld figure. I was not disappointed; this book held my attention from beginning to end.

"Lawman to Outlaw" is the story of Verne Miller, a known underworld figure, perhaps one whose life was filled with more mystery than any other. Mr. Miller was responsible for the slaughter that took place at the parking lot of Kansas City's Union Station, June 17,1933. Did you know that the FBI was actually formed because of this event and the outcry of the American people against crime. Interesting piece of information, I would say.

The author takes you through the life of Verne Miller; his childhood, his military days, his days as a well respected Sheriff and draws you into the mystery behind this man and his faithful companion Vi Mathis. What made a law abiding respected man turn into a cold blooded killer? Mr. Smith addresses this question and more.
I cannot even imagine the intense research that went into this work. Detailed information is revealed, events are replayed as the author walks you through the life of this notorious gangster and finally his death at the hands of his so called friends. Quite a story, quite a read!

Well done Mr. Smith, hats off to you! A recommended read for all those that are interested in our colorful past and those that painted it red!

Brad Smith works this biography in the same way that Verne Miller reputedly wielded a machine-gun: powerfully, controlled, and with surgical precision. Smith succeeds in exploring the motives and flaws within Miller, from his early exploits as a war hero and sheriff, to underworld hoodlum. The accounts are straightforward and laid bare, without yielding to hearsay or romanticism, and Smith even explores alternate scenarios in some of the more critical events in Miller's life.

Miller winds up - eventually - a desperado hunted by both law officials and the criminal world. His life is filled with paradoxes that only Smith has succeeded in conveying in written form. And Miller's enduring legacy with the Kansas City Massacre is also recognized as the driving force that sparked the formation of today's FBI. Had Miller been captured by J. Edgar Hoover's G-Men, his role in history may have rivaled those of Al Capone, John Dillinger, and "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Smith's work may bring Miller's significance to light, seventy years after his gruesome and unusual death.

As a storyteller, Smith never loses command of his subject matter, and weaves a tale of desperation, loyalty, love, and brutality unlike any other I've read yet. A definite must for those who enjoy reading about the Golden Age of Crime.

As a judge, a lawyer and an historian I had heard about the Leo Frank case but did not know the details. Leonard Dinnerstein does an excellent job of relating the story of Leo Frank in a fair and unbiased manner. He also puts the entire affair in a historical context. This would be an excellent read for any student of racism in America and of the New South. It is easy to read and has an excellent bibliography.

I got interested in this case after reading a large write up in the local paper, the Atlanta Journal constitution, which is quoted many times in the book. I like historical books and was really amazed at the semitic overtones in the south during the civil war. As stated by reveiwer C. Ellen, it was written well and put into context with other goings on in that period. Being from Atlanta myself, I could very easily relate to the narative and it held my facination throughout. It told what I beleive to be the complete story and facts as well as being updated for NEW release in 1987 by adding an additional preface. Anyone who is interested in civil war reads, the laws of the time , or who lives in or around Atlanta , will be interested in this book. Over 50 pages of it are dedicated to the bibliography and all facts are well documented. It is a story that is all to reminiscent of famous cases that have arrisen in the past few years. It's a sad commentary on just how far the attitudes of this nation have come in the past 100 years or so. If interested in further information after reading this book, then I suggest trying to contact the Atlanta Journal Constitution for their brilliant account of the incident in the June 11, 2000 addition of their paper. It also gives a partial list of the lynching mob, held in secretcy until this time. A great book to own for any historical book collection.

The circumstances and attitudes that coincided in the trial of Leo Frank, had very little to do with the accused or the victim. They were both surrogates for a larger battle; Leo Frank was proxy for Northern industrialists and "Little Mary Phagan" stood in for the victimized South who had been taken advantage of by Northern opportunists.

The fact is that the case of Leo Frank acted as a steam valve, in many respects, to the buildup of Southern frustration and anger that had grown since the Civil War, then through Reconstruction and its aftermath. Southern Pride took a near-mortal blow when Lee surrendered to Sherman at Appomattox, humiliating the survivors of hundreds of thousands of dead. Reconstruction brought in Northern carpetbaggers who participated in the governments of the states that they had just defeated. Southern anger accumulated, especially as attempts to overturn it were thwarted until the contested election of 1876, in which Rutherford B. Hayes won on the condition of agreeing to end Reconstruction.

Reconstruction allowed Southern states to exact a measure of revenge on black populations, although resentment toward the North remained unavenged. In an honor-bound society such as the South, it is very difficult to imagine that wrong to one's family would go without settling the score. Such is the larger metaphor of the South as a whole to the North. Southern society and culture prided itself on being a distinct and cultured entity from the slavish industrialists of the North.

Thus, when a stereotypical Northern carpetbagger, a Jew no less, found himself in connection with the violent death of a Southern belle, vengeance became a powerful a prevailing force. Upon Leo Frank was heaped all of the indignation from Southern loss to the North - the industrialization, forcing young girls to work in factories; the ownership of capital; the imposition of Reconstruction; Lincoln marching into Richmond - all Southern rage at the North was embodied in the trial of Leo Frank. (Ironically, a Northern newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, fed the flames through his acquisition of the Atlanta Georgian, which led the pack in sensationalizing the trial.)

All of this is to say that the forces which demanded that Leo Frank be the sacrificial lamb for the North's crimes against the South were too powerful for rational legal procedures. If the governor had reversed the conviction or the commuted the sentence, he would have been denying the mob the satisfaction of revenge. The lynching of Frank did give rise to the Klu Klux Klan, however the immediate reaction of Georgia (and the South) was a demand for justice, even though it was at the end of a rope.

It is telling that Frank did not receive a pardon of his conviction until 1986, and even that was amid controversy in the South. Those eighty years had to pass before rational analysis of a crime could be carried out and a form of justice could be executed, which lends perspective to the heft of the event in the history of the South. Tom Watson's remark was an astute reflection of the prevailing sentiment of the day and offers a glimpse into larger, unresolved tensions of the day.

Dinnerstein does a beautiful job in eloquently presenting the facts of the famous Leo Frank case. All angles of the case are examined in a thorough, impartial manner. A must read for anyone familiar with the Frank case, and well worth looking into for anyone who loves a good murder mystery.

Wow! He's almost as smart as his son

Uelmen writes as few can, a legal professor and scholar who himself was part of defense team of this trial.

He provides healthy, worthy set of lessons to be taken from this experience. This is more vital than disputing the outcome, for it must be all about a legal system with the best chance for a true and fair outcome for all parties, including society.

Agree with the author that biggest lesson is that trials as this are flashpoints for what is really on culture's mind at the time, here race, decreasing attention spans and bias without basis, spousal abuse, etc.

Further, we learned that tv and courtroom don't mix well. That massive DNA data without certifiable collection/preservation. Uelmen also contends that this trial was an aberration of the real, normal trial system.

Well done, and fascinating, insightful read.

Professor Uelmen is doubly blessed. First, he has one of the finest legal minds in the country and, second, he writes in such a clear, cogent style that one need not be a lawyer to understand him. Despite knowing the outcome from the start, this book is a real page-turner. One cannot help but think that if the prosecution had a lawyer nearly as capable as Uelmen they might have won instead of the defense. But the best part of all is the insider's view: no other book on the trial comes close to explaining how the defense won a case that seemed at the outset to be unwinnable. Whether or not you agreed with the defense, this book demonstrates their superior lawyering.

Gerald F. Uelmen is a professor and former dean of the School of Law at Santa Clara University. He was part of O. J. Simpson's defense team from the beginning, and can speak with authority about this trial. The sixteen chapters contain the lessons that readers may learn. There is no index. You should be familiar with this case or have read some other books before reading this overview of a Trial of the Century. After the jury verdict there was an abundance of proposed solutions which were thoughtless and wrong (p.1). A knowledge of history would correct these errors for those "unhappy with the verdict" (p.3). These proposals have led California to intellectual, fiscal, and moral bankruptcy in the criminal system, which is weighted heavily in favor of the prosecution (p.4). Many innocents have been convicted because of mistaken identification, police perjury, or simple incompetence by a defense lawyer (p.5). The foolish call for reforms have occurred in the past (p.7). The first lesson from this trial was how the Corporate Media fooled the people and fueled this controversy (p.8). [Joe Bosco said the trial he witnessed was different from the trial broadcast by the media.]

The media blitz led by DA Garcetti affected public opinion. But this allowed the defense to bypass the grand jury and go to a preliminary hearings (p.23). The double-dealing of the prosecution's grand jury is described on page 25. Fuhrman and Vannatter "contradicted each other on many key points" (p.35). Page 39 tells of the effect of the exclusionary rule, and why judges won't do anything. Do judges lack "moral courage" (p.45)? The "narcissistic personality disorder" (p.47) is defined as "a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, and fantasies of unlimited power and brilliance". [Does this remind you of some of your managers?] Uelmen shows his wisdom on page 65, unlike the critics. The need for press interviews by defense lawyers is explained (pp.69-70).

Their concern about evidence tampering and forging is explained (p.72). California law allows a lawyer to protect his client from prejudicial publicity (p.75). The foolish actions of "knee-jerk" politicians is described on page 77. The "National Enquirer" is more honest than "TIME" (p.78). A juror's race is part of their life experience, which affects judgments (p.81). Uelmen explains the death penalty (pp.82-83), and why selecting jurors is very important (pp.88-89). Video recording of trials could be a good teaching tool, but television allows reporters to comment as if they knew what happened (p.94)! The bias of commentators is explained on page 95. They had no idea! Television helped to find witnesses (p.99). But TV is for entertainment, not justice (p.101).

The murders of Nicole and Ron had nothing to do with domestic violence, based on the evidence; it was smear tactics (p.103)! The problems with the blood evidence and its collections are on page 122. The prosecution delayed the defense's testing of the samples (pp.123-4). The flip-flop testimony about OJ's blood sample is on page 126. The Fuhrman tapes were "the most devastating evidence" to completely destroy the credibility of this police officer (p.129). Fuhrman had been extolled as a model officer. When the Prosecutors learned of these tapes, they tried to get a mistrial (p.145)! I think the original intent of the Fifth Amendment was to prevent torture by forcing a person to testify against himself (p.155). "Third degree" methods were still used in the early 20th century. The Prosecutors would do anything to convict (p.165). A defendant can be convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence only if no other conclusion is possible (p.167). Were the threats to Cochran meant to force him to accept guards (p.171)? The jury quickly said "not guilty", there was "something wrong" with the prosecution's case (p.180). Watching a trial on TV gives the illusion of actually being there (p.182). Uelmen explains the difference between a criminal trial and a civil trial (p.195). [The example of Lizzie Borden shows flawed research (p.196).] A trial isn't a search for truth, but to have a vision of truth prevail 9p.199). Civil liberties in America are documented in the criminal courtrooms, where the Government infringes on the individual's rights for the weak and powerless (p.205). Chapter 16 summarizes the lessons from this trial.