I am a native Oklahoman going to school at East Central University in Ada, and had heard how this booked was based on that area. I loved reading all of Grisham's other novels, so I decided to give this one a try, as well. Grisham, as always, wrote this beautifully. There are a few parts where I got somewhat bogged down with all the legal jargon, but that happens frequently when I'm reading Grisham's books, so I didn't think anything of it. I liked how everything Grisham wrote in this novel was true -- I later googled all of it and found the exact stories on the internet. The only down-side to this novel is it really makes you think negative things about our legal system, and puts Oklahoma in somewhat of a bad light. But otherwise, it's a good book.
This is a very dark and scary book, chronicling the false conviction of an innocent man (well, actually two) sent to death row. I almost set it aside several times, but felt compelled to read it to the end. The Innocent Man should be required reading for every American so that we can stop imprisoning and murdering innocent people. It is good to read a book like this from the perspective of the lawyer Grisham, but in a writing style that makes the legal aspects accessible to all of us. That said, The Innocent Man is not written as well as his novels. But he is the first to admit that, for him, writing novels comes easier to him than nonfiction. He was probably so intent on the research that his writing flagged a bit. Grisham focused on the former baseball player and mentally disabled man who was convicted of murder -- probably because he is a big baseball fan -- but to me it was almost scarier that a schoolteacher, a saner and somewhat more squared-away person was so easily convicted.Read full review
John Grisham enters the world of true crime with this book. It is a horrible story about how our judicial system can go very wrong. A young Oklahoma woman is murdered, and the wrong man is arrested, tried, and convicted of the crime. He is sentenced to death, and spends many years in prison before the truth finally emerges that he didn't do it. The judicial system does finally work as it is through the appeal process that the truth is revealed, but it robs this man of his freedom all those years. An equally tragic sub plot is the absence of adequate care and oversight for the mentally ill in our country. I think the idea to come away from this book with is that our system is very flawed, but it is the best in the world. That doesn't mean there isn't room for reform and improvement, however.Read full review
First, I would like to say that I am a HUGE fan of John Grisham, I absolutely LOVE his style and I can get lost in his books for hours on end. This book was different, the story seemed to be told more from a "reporter's" perspective rather than and "investigators" stand point. I thought the author's (John Grisham) voice seemed a bit un-interested, detached, bored, rushed, even depressed. I thought it was sorta gloomy,I envisioned rain in every scene and it's funny, I really can't remember now, if it rained at all in the story. There are a lot of characters to follow, none which have extraordinary lives. It was almost like watching an old movie- if you know what I mean? Overall, I thought the book was a little "flat".
Good book I enjoyed the plot. Of course I love John Grisham novels.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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