Almost Midnight

October 13, 2003
Darrell Mease, the Ozarks-born convicted murderer who got a death row intervention from Pope John Paul II in 1998 (the execution was to take place on the day the Pope visited St. Louis), is at the center of this true crime saga. Cuneo (American Exorcism
) follows Mease from his religious upbringing in the backwoods of Missouri, through his tour in Vietnam and baptism into the crystal methamphetamines trade to his love affair with Mary Epps and brutal murder of a drug kingpin, his wife and disabled grandson. Cuneo looks closely at Mease's time in prison, where he rediscovers religion and, while professing "God is my lawyer," is miraculously delivered from lethal injection just as he predicted he would be. Cuneo's detailed descriptions of the virtues (loyalty, self-reliance, faith, family) and negatives (violence, chemical dependency, lawlessness) of the Ozarks' culture not only fleshes out Mease's personality but also vividly portrays this overlooked area of Americana. Cuneo's skillful writing allows him to convey the romantic notions of Mease's outlaw ways and travels on America's back roads, while never romanticizing the violence or the hand-to-mouth living. The book could use a little more analysis, however, on the impact Vietnam and crystal meth had on Mease's psyche and behavior. When all is said and done, one cannot help but appreciate Cuneo's in-depth, interwoven stories of Mease and the Ozarks.

December 1, 2003
In 1988, Darrell Mease was convicted of capital murder in the deaths of a fellow drug dealer and his wife and grandson. Here, Cuneo (Fordham Univ.; American Exorcism) traces Mease's story from his childhood in the Ozarks to Vietnam, where he began using drugs and returned suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, through his unsuccessful marriages and life as an "outlaw." The murders and trial are described in detail, as are Mease's sentencing and subsequent life on death row. When Mease's execution date coincided with a visit to Missouri by the Pope, the Pope successfully interceded with the governor to commute his sentence. Three aspects of this book, the only one addressing this case, are particularly interesting-the transformation of a young, religious man by the violence he experiences in Vietnam; the description of living the chaotic and fearful life of an outlaw; and the discussion of how a special plea such as the Pope's fits into the U.S. justice system. Recommended for public libraries.-Mary Jane Brustman, Univ. at Albany Libs., NY

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