Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
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.

Rating : - For those who don't believe in the justice system...
Someone suggested I read this book because of my strong opinions about the criminal justice system. She felt that I'd like it, but I browsed through the book, and although sometimes the language is repetitive, I bought my first audio book hoping it would be more exciting to read this way. Indeed, it was. While I'm reading the reviews that say this book is "boring," the criminal justice system locking people up from big words and blood tests that I'm not convinced are 100%; the government not giving any money or even an apology to those who were wrongly convicted; and the way prisoners are treated in the prison system makes this book relevant and interesting. I didn't even need to hear the author's note to know this book was based on a true story. I hear stories such as this one time and time again, and I'm glad that Grisham pointed out within this read how rare it is to find White men who are accused incorrectly of crimes such as this, but how typical it is for minorities or the poor to constantly be accused and convicted with little or no sympathy for those who really are innocent. I read reviews saying they were bored with Ronnie's depression and alcoholism, but imagine giving up 12 years of your life for a crime you did not commit, being bipolar, and prison guards making fun of you through the night in addition to the government not letting you have the correct medication.

While I do wish there was a cleaner conclusion, the truth of the matter is that many crimes like this remain unresolved, and this is why the government is so set on pinning the first person that looks a little funky. I enjoyed this book a lot. Thanks John!