Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
Two people are accused of sexual abuse with children that are very young. I know there was a case in the 90’s that this happened. The children in this case were interviewed and gave very different answers . One boy said he knew where the house was so he was taken on a walk to find it and it wasn’t the right house. I thought this book was too descriptive and it became hard to read.

I received a complimentary electronic Advanced Reader Copy of this excellent trial synopsis from Netgalley, the author David Miraldi, and an invitation from the publisher The Book Whisperer. I have read The Edge of Doubt of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Even if true crime is not your preferred genre, I recommend this book to friends and family. We all know someone caught up in this sort of situation.

I have to tell you this story will open your eyes and occasionally make you feel like you, yourself, are falling off the edge of doubt. Those of you too young to remember the rash of 1990s cases nationwide involving the sexual abuse of children by child-care workers or divorcing spouses seeking sole custody may not be aware of how prevalent the cases were for a time - years. With David Miraldi we will follow the criminal charges, trials, and incarcerations of Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen in the small Ohio town of Lorain. Rumor, innuendo, and rage flowed out from the city center, and justice was defined as 'Who will pay? Who will pay for these atrocities against our children? Someone has to pay NOW." But Justice was lost. Lost in the shuffle. And we know who will suffer the repercussions. Nancy and Joseph. But are they guilty? Does it matter?

I received a free copy of, The Edge of Doubt, by David Miraldi, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Wow this is some read, I remember seeing this story on the tv very recently. It a horrible story about Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen and the abuse case against them. They were convicted and then eventually released of abusing kid sin their care at a Head Start program in Ohio. This story is so full of injustice, so many victims in this case, the poor kids being put through police interrogation etc. I cant believe the ineptness of the police, judicial system in this case. This is a good but hard read.

I thank #netgalley and #theBookWhisperer for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of The Edge of Doubt. This book chronicles the investigation, subsequent arrest and trial of 2 individuals accused of sexually abusing children in the Lorain, Ohio Head Start daycare center. The individuals are found guilty by a jury trial but doubts linger throughout the community. Over the span of 30 years questions are asked, investigations examined and reexamined, editorials written- all in an effort to make right a grave injustice.
This book is well written and well researched. Court procedures are explained as well as the intricacies of the justice system so the reader always has a complete understanding of what is happening (and what could have happened “if only…”).
Interviewing techniques have radically changed over the years when dealing with children. This book highlights how easily young children, 3-4 years old, can be led to believe stories that are not true and how hysteria can cloud sound judgement resulting in a grave miscarriage of justice. If you enjoy true life crime & court stories I think you will enjoy this book, as well as learn some things (positive & negative) about our court system. #TheEdgeofDoubt #truelife #abuse #crime #miscarriageofJustice #netgalley

Gripping and intense! This true crime narrative is compelling and devastating in its retelling of the case against Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen. I was pulled in from the first page and turned page after page almost in disbelief at times, at what was happening in this case. It has stayed with me and I find myself wondering how such a travesty of justice could be real. Of course, I’m well aware these types of cases happen every day. An engrossing read well worth your time. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Edge of Doubt by David Miraldi is a superb read and well worth the time spent! Great plot and characters.

Describing a long, often tedious legal battle isoften dry and boring. Yet over 25 years of legal wrangling speeds by like a Perry Mason made for TV movie. Mr. Miraldi keeps the plot moving while expressing frustration and human tragedy in great detail. In a world that reads only headlines its great to read indepth reporting.

“The Edge of Doubt” is a true crime non-fiction book by David Miraldi. Mr. Miraldi did his research when writing this book - from interviewing people to reading trial transcripts, combing through newspaper reports, and everything in between. I was not familiar with the Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen trial before reading this book, but noticing the date, I recall a number of pre-school sexual assault cases being in the news. One of the things I enjoy about true crime is how authors, like Ann Rule and Vincent Bugliosi, provide background material about the case and the people involved. While Mr. Miraldi did that to some degree, I never felt like I knew much about either Nancy Smith or Joseph Allen. I do wish there had been a list of who was who as I think that would’ve helped a bit keeping track of subsequent lawyers and judges. I cannot say that I enjoyed this book - any true crime book where there’s a miscarriage of justice is difficult to read, though it is also obvious how much people need organizations to help get those who shouldn’t be convicted of crimes out of jail and their names cleared. At times this book was a bit dry (a downfall of true crime books from time to time), but I think if one is interested in court case proceedings, this might be of interest.

I did not finish this book.
I got to the start of the trial and I was bored.

This book is too verbose and needs to be edited down.

There is a great, POWERFUL, story here but the author just butchers it with too much details and unnecessary things.

I will not be reviewing on goodreads.