"The Innocent Man"

Back to the books today. I just finished reading "The Innocent Man: Murder And Injustice In A Small Town" by John Grisham.

This is a truly outstanding book. Meticulously researched, and written in Grisham's gripping style. If there are any complaints about this book at all, they stem from the fact that it is so well written that, at times you can almost forget that it's a true story... almost.

Normally when you read a book by Grisham, it's hard to figure out just exactly how he feels about a particular subject, and there is some of that here, so good is he at writing in a detached style. However, there are times in this book where his feelings about this case are clear, but you'll find yourself in total agreement with him when you're reading this book.

Now, I was raised, and still firmly believe that the Police are a force for good. That we should cooperate with them, and that as long as you do not commit a crime, you will be fine. I still believe that this is primarily true, but as this book makes very clear, there are exceptions. This is the reason why there are all those rules in place that the Police must abide by. Many times over the years I have thought that those rules were silly, and indeed, I'm sure that there are some that unduly impede the Police from doing there jobs, and protect no one except for guilty criminals, however, most of them are in place to protect the innocent from Officers and Detectives, and Prosecutors who are more concerned with "solving" the case, and getting convictions, than they are in actually finding the truth.

Part of the pressure is put on by the public, fueled by all the TV Cop shows that leave people with the impression that Detectives only work on one case at a time (sometimes it looks like entire law enforcement agencies only work one case at a time) and that all crimes should be solved in one hour, with a little time off for commercials. [I read something along those lines once before, but I can't remember where, so I can't give due credit.] Sometimes things like this lead to Cops and Prosecutors who see little choice but to close cases, at any cost, and innocent people get lost in the shuffle. To be fair, most people who are convicted are guilty, and most Law Enforcement officials are good people who are out to protect the people, and to get dangerous criminals off the street.

I do highly recommend this book. It was a very good read, and an important story that needs to be heard. It's a cautionary tale, and one that needs to be paid attention to. Even one innocent person being convicted and sent to jail, or sentenced to death, is too many.