The Innocent Man | 
 enlarge | Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Dell
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 458
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0440243831
Dewey Decimal Number: 345.76602523
EAN: 9780440243830
ASIN: 0440243831
Publication Date: November 20, 2007
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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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 71 more reviews...
 Abuse of the Judicial System July 25, 2008
John Grisham doesn't usually write non-fiction. But he felt that this story was compelling enough to do some serious research and writing. The result is a very solid, horrifying read.
I have always been against the death penalty on efficiency grounds, but this book really tipped the balance. I knew that mistakes were made in death penalty cases, but little did I realize that the mistakes would be the result of small-town avarice and a bloodthirsty desire to see someone - anyone - pay for despicable crimes. I shudder to think of all the folks behind bars because they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The story itself follows Ron Washington, a promising baseball star who fizzles in the minor leagues. The rest of his life goes downhill from there, and his aimless lifestyle makes him a top suspect for clueless police. Ron's (and his alleged accomplice's) journey through the justice system is an eye-opening experience. If Grisham had put this story line in his fiction books, it would have been too ridiculous to believe. But since court proceedings are pretty well documented, it looks to be true.
The story is well written and has some very colorful characters. My only fault with the book is that it did drag in parts, but overall it was a very engaging read. Highly recommended for all who enjoy a shocking true life drama.
A valuable exposé July 22, 2008
By now, there is no excuse for starting to read this book believing that it is written to Grisham's usual formula. This is not a brilliantly written legal thriller. It is an excellent piece of investigative journalism, and it is very clear that John Grisham has invested a huge amount of effort into his investigations.
He tells the true story of several wrongful convictions, concentrating mainly on the central character, Ron Williamson, who spends a considerable proportion of his life on death row and in other detention centres.
Grisham exposes the flaws in the American justice system, which is under constant pressure from the conviction-hungry public who will not allow the truth to stand in the way of their passionate pursuit of somebody to blame for any heinous crime, who, whether innocent or guilty, will receive the heavy punishment that such a terrible criminal would deserve. This leads to deliberate, and institutional, incompetence amongst the investigators and the lawyers.
For me, the book is far too long. I think that Grisham could have condensed the results of his rigorous investigations into about half the pages that he has filled. It is clear, from early on, what the outcomes would be. However, it is a valuable exposé, and I hope that US citizens will use it as the basis for successful campaigns against injustice in The Land of the Free.
 Grishams best book July 5, 2008
I've read this book twice now, and I'm still enamored with it. I found the characters interesting, and sad. The story was well told, and was an eye opener. What really gets me is that this book was a true story, and I feel horrible for the miscarriage of justice that two men, and their families, had to go through.
An excellent read.
 dull July 4, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The most excruciatingly dull grisham book and the first I just can't finish. I tried over and over to get engaged in the story and the amount of boring detail just killed my interest. Don't buy this book and if you get it for free don't read it. Too many more interesting options.
 Not the usual Grisham July 1, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved The Painted House and A Time To Kill but those were fiction. About halfway through The Innocent Man, I started speed-reading and finished in about 20 minutes. Maybe real people are boring?
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