This is famed and prolific legal thriller author John Grisham’s first non-fiction book in 18 years.
He partnered with Jim McCloskey, founder of an organization dedicated to freeing the wrongly convicted, to write a gripping, exposé of our criminal justice system’s failings and the impact on those affected.
The book is divided into ten chapters, five legal cases written up by Grisham and five by McCloskey.
Each story details the true experiences of Americans who were wrongly convicted of serious, violent crimes and who were then forced to spend much of the rest of their lives in prison before being found innocent.
Some of the cases will ring a bell as they were widely reported in the news; others are less well known. Many seemed unreal to me in a gut twisting way, except they are not.
Not all the misdoings were done deliberately, and not all were the fault of law enforcement. Sometimes it was medical examiners, subject matter experts, witnesses or employees of the courts who made the mistakes that upended so many lives. Faulty evidence, inadequate defense, biased investigations, tunnel vision, pressure to solve crimes and prejudiced legal systems are all recurring themes in the book.
While Grisham’s name has instant recognition for many readers and he is one of my favorite authors, I found McCloskey’s stories more moving, perhaps because he directly worked on the cases he writes about and therefore was personally invested in them.
While all ten stories are dramatic and might be difficult to read, “Framed” left me with a deeper appreciation for the work done by advocates for justice and admiration for the resilience of the human spirit.
“Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions” can be found at our local libraries.
