Anatomy of Innocence

January 16, 2017
Caldwell and Klinger collect 15 “Kafkaesque” stories from exonerated convicts, as told to popular writers of mystery and crime fiction. Sara Paretsky narrates the chilling ordeal of a man threatened and tortured by Chicago PD into a false confession and incarcerated for 11 years. Laurie R. King provides the account of an Army veteran who was convicted of raping a child after being misidentified by witnesses and police operating under the influence of racial bias. In a previously unpublished essay, Arthur Miller argues against capital punishment, using the example of a teenager wrongfully convicted of murdering his mother. The exonerees report PTSD, humiliation, suicidal ideation, and “soul-crushing monotony” while in prison. For one individual who served 25 years, it didn’t end there, as he was forced to register as a sex offender, wear an ankle monitor, and avoid children before his exoneration. Each chapter is introduced with a brief synopsis of what went wrong and ends with an editors’ note containing facts and figures related to issues like prison overcrowding, DNA testing, the evolution of forensic science, and the scourge of inadequate legal counsel. With these stories, the authors and editors provide a list of symptoms for an illness that is plaguing the justice system, bringing desperately needed awareness to the issues involved in wrongful convictions.

Starred review from December 1, 2016
A unique collection of 15 wrongful conviction sagas bound to shake faith in the American criminal justice system.In the past three decades, books about wrongful convictions have become so numerous that they form their own genre. The advent of DNA testing for law enforcement purposes validated the previously discredited statement that American prisons are filled with innocent inmates while the actual perpetrators remain unpunished. Few of the books, however, match this skillful anthology, assembled by Life After Innocence founder Caldwell (The Dog Park, 2014, etc.) and Edgar Award-winning mystery editor Klinger (editor: In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe: Classic Tales of Horror, 1816-1914, 2015, etc.), in which exonerated individuals tell their stories to high-profile authors, most of them known for their fast-paced crime novels. While the names of the exonerees may be unfamiliar to general readers, the names of the authors are better known: Sara Paretsky, Lee Child, Laurie King, and more. Scott Turow and Barry Scheck provide the introduction. Each of the 15 chapters is worthy. Perhaps the chapter combining the highest level of storytelling with the most gut-wrenching detail is Brad Parks' account of Illinois exoneree Michael Evans, wrongfully convicted of the sexual assault and murder of a 9-year-old girl; he served 26 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect involved in these wrongful convictions. Parks' account focuses on the jurors who reached the wrong decision, including the chairwoman of the jury, who felt all along that Evans was innocent. Other chapters emphasize dirty cops, craven prosecutors, flawed forensic evidence, mistaken eyewitness testimony, lying jailhouse snitches, noncompassionate judges, and more. One across-the-board theme is the hell of serving prison time while innocent, with seemingly no way out. A searing, unforgettable anthology, with valuable insights provided at the end of each chapter by the editors.

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June 1, 2017

A collection of first-person accounts from individuals who were wrongfully arrested and convicted. Told to mystery and true crime writers such as Lee Child, Sara Paretsky, and Jan Burke, these stories highlight the defects in the police, investigative, and legal system that lead to the prosecution and incarceration of innocent people. Themes such as false confessions, mishandled evidence, and, in highly publicized cases, the desire to quickly finger a suspect rather than find the actual criminal run through the work. Each chapter describes a case (for instance, in 1973, Peter Reilly was arrested for allegedly killing his mother), explains how the individual was exonerated, provides background on the author, and features an editors' note with statistics on false convictions. The brutal reality of police torture and prison life is addressed matter-of-factly. Information on the Innocence Project and member groups by state is appended. Black-and-white photographs of the people profiled are included, along with an update on their lives since exoneration. VERDICT A valuable resource for students interested in the legal system and social justice.-Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
This collection tells the true stories of 15 exonerated men and women who had been imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. Though each personal history is fascinating based on its facts alone, the exonerees are paired with mystery and crime writers (including Sara Paretsky, Lee Child, and S. J. Rozan) to tell their stories. The book's structure follows the sequences of the criminal justice system, from the initial knock on the door to the interrogation through trials, appeals, and freedom. Exonerees detail torture, abandonment, and ignored alibis, while editors Caldwell and Klinger add context from research conducted by the Innocence Project. The structure and multiple authors create an uneven collection of chapters: those focused on appeals and prison time allow for greater exposition of the trial history and personal context, while early stories leave readers with more questions. However, the collection shines in its focus on people whose stories should be urgently told. Featuring a previously unpublished essay by Arthur Miller, this book will captivate readers interested in justice and the U.S. legal system.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

October 1, 2016

That wrongful convictions mar our judicial system with unnerving regularity is, alas, hardly news--but we've never seen this news delivered quite as it is here. A dozen innocent men and women exonerated after being convicted of serious crimes have their stories told by major mystery or thriller writers (e.g., Lee Child and Sara Paretsky), with whom they are matched. Editor Caldwell is the founder/director of the highly regarded advocacy program Life After Innocence at Loyola University Chicago and the author of 14 novels (e.g., Claim of Innocence), while Klinger is a leading expert on Sherlock Holmes.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017

The Innocence Project has become very influential in freeing wrongfully convicted persons using DNA testing and other legal tools. This book describes the organization's work as exemplified in 15 case studies of actual exonerations written by best-selling authors. Editors Caldwell (director, Life After Innocence, Loyola Univ. Chicago; Long Way Home) and Klinger (editor, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes) commissioned original work from authors including Sara Paretsky and Arthur Miller. The narratives are brief but gripping, addressing common themes regarding unsubstantiated arrest, official misconduct, prison horrors, and postrelease shocks. Chapters conclude with notes providing informative context and statistics drawn from the National Registry of Exonerations and other government and research sources. A spirit of advocacy pervades the work, which ends with a listing of national and international organizations affiliated with the Innocence Project. This volume complements Damien Echols's Life After Death, a more personal story of wrongful conviction. VERDICT This anthology of short true crime stories provides a unique perspective on the flaws of the U.S. criminal justice system and its forgotten victims. It will appeal to serious true crime readers and others interested in a richer understanding of the subject. [See Prepub Alert, 8/26/16.]--Antoinette Brinkman, formerly with Southwest Indiana Mental Health Ctr. Lib., Evansville

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.