The Innocent Man
by John Grisham, 2006
Review is copyright © 2008 by Wil C. Fry. All Rights Reserved.
Published: 2008.11.01
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★★★★★ (of 5)
As some of you know, I read books all the time. I read science fiction, history, biographies, mysteries, political thrillers, and other fiction and non-fiction. Constantly.
But I rarely recommend a book.
Here’s one. I just finished “The Innocent Man” — the first non-fiction book written by novelist John Grisham.
After a couple of his novels, I grew tired of seemingly monotonous plot lines and stories that seemed just like the last one. But I read “The Innocent Man” because it dealt with real-life events in the town of Ada, just south of Seminole, where I live.
It was fantastic, and gripping. I read the entire book in four days (with my hectic schedule, it usually takes me a couple of weeks to finish a book).
The most interesting thing, for me, is that I actually knew, or had worked with, several of the people in the book. As you may know, I worked the courts and police beat for my newspaper, before switching (thankfully) to the Sports Department. So I’ve been in court with several of the attorneys mentioned, and a couple of the alleged and convicted criminals. I have interviewed some of these people for other cases.
I was amazed at how accurate Grisham’s portrayal was of the personalities, towns, and court rooms involved in the story.
Because I’m still involved in the newspaper business and because I work hard to keep myself unbiased professionally, I won’t give my opinions on the events covered in the story. But if you’re interested in real-life crime stories, this book is for you. No matter what your opinion on the death penalty, the justice system, etc., I think you’ll find this one interesting.
Note: I’ve published a much shorter version of this review on Goodreads.