I loved this book! I'm not usually a fan of true crime - I prefer the made up stories - but all of these stories were so good they were hard to believe that they were true. As always John Grisham's writing style just brings you right into the action, and I really enjoyed Jim's writing as well. Would recommend to anyone!

I am a huge fan of John Grisham's fiction works, and now I'm also a fan of his nonfiction as well.
This book was a bit hard to read, as it's difficult to imagine that our legal system could fail so many people so spectacularly. While dense with information, this book is also interwoven with phenomenal story telling. It's never boring, but gives straightforward facts.
Phenomenal read.

Nonfiction. This was hard to read and took me a bit to get through. These are true stories. 10 of them. Corruption and injustice. All of these stories were tragic and many from right here in Texas. It will stay with you after reading.

As a fan of True Crime, this was not only an interesting, but fascinating read as well. The unbelievable things that get done, said, used, overlooked and inserted to get convictions is bone chilling. Stories are told by each Author. This book is so eye opening and our system is also something that really needs to be looked into. (doubtful).
Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books and the Authors for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really interesting concept, and Grisham/McCloskey definitely did the research to make these stories come to life. the first case was the most fascinating to me, and the rest of them had different levels of interest for me as I feel all 'short story' collections do, but this is a solid read for sure if you're interested in the topic.

As someone who’s always been fascinated by true crime and has spent years working in the legal field (even dreaming of becoming a lawyer at one point), this book hit close to home. It’s a powerful collection of ten TRUE stories of wrongful convictions that will absolutely blow your mind. These aren’t just cases of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They reveal shocking miscarriages of justice caused by ignorance, and at times, outright dishonesty by police and prosecutors—real evidence ignored, fabricated motives, and theories twisted to fit their narrative.

The result? Innocent people losing decades of their lives behind bars—and, tragically, one who didn’t live to see his conviction overturned. It’s gut-wrenching, yet an essential read for anyone passionate about justice reform. If we’re going to fix our flawed system, books like this are crucial for shedding light on its deep cracks. Highly recommend!

If you’re searching for a great #NonfictionNovember read, I highly recommend this book! As expected, Grisham’s writing is superb, but I also thoroughly enjoyed the stories shared by Mr. McCloskey. Their combined efforts made this a compelling and impactful read. Fingers crossed for a sequel—hint, hint!

EnjoyBle and horrifying all the same. Definitely could tell the difference of who was writing the story but enjoyed just the same

#1 Bestselling author John Grisham (favorite author) returns with his second work of nonfiction following The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town (5 stars) with FRAMED — Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions in collaboration with Jim McCloskey, Centurion Ministries Founder (works to free the wrongly convicted).

This masterfully researched work offers a gripping and absorbing look at the injustices faced by victims of the criminal justice system in the US.

Their goal with this book is to raise awareness of wrongful convictions and help prevent more of them in some small ways. It is an effort to shine a light on some of the terrible and abusive tactics used by the authorities to convict innocent people.

About...

FRAMED consists of ten heartwrenching and harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions. Stories of people incarcerated for life or given death sentences for crimes they did not commit.

These are accounts of innocent men who, despite being found guilty, displayed immense courage and resilience. They were forced to sacrifice their lives, friends, families, and spouses, spending decades in prison while the guilty party remained free.

My thoughts...

The authors brilliantly share the tragic stories of the innocent in FRAMED. From their battles and struggles amid corruption, racial injustices, testimonies, misconduct, and the injustices of the legal and court system when not there to support them.

Sharing the battles within a world of innocent until proven guilty. Told with sympathy, compassion, and the shocking truth.

Powerful and emotionally moving, we hear from all aspects of the justice system: corrupt cops, investigators, experts, attorneys, judges, witnesses, snitches, professional misconduct, withholding of evidence, racial discrimination, misapplied forensic science, false confessions, perjured testimony, procedural issues, witness intimidation, and much more about the long road to exoneration with disappointments, courage, and appeals.

Sadly, there are many more untold stories, and those cases are not overturned before it is too late. These stories are critical and timely, and each story deserves the attention it deserves.

FRAMED is a deeply emotional read, evoking strong feelings as you immerse yourself in these true stories of individuals caught in a web of deceit, lies, and injustice, wrongly accused and convicted.

From the gripping storytelling to the harrowing accounts of suffering and corruption, FRAMED is a powerful call to action for society to address these injustices and strive for redemption.

A highly recommended, compelling read of innocent Americans wrongly convicted. Superb work!

Thanks...

I'm grateful to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing a digital early reading copy for an honest review. I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by my favorite narrator (Michael Beck), and the authors, John Grisham (my favorite) and Jim McCloskey, for a superb listening experience.

The Authors...

JOHN GRISHAM: A bestselling writer, attorney, politician, and activist widely known for his legal thrillers. When he’s not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.

JIM MCCLOSKEY: Founder of Centurion Ministries, the first organization in the world devoted to freeing the wrongly convicted. Since its establishment forty years ago, Centurion has freed seventy individuals, all of whom spent decades in prison serving life or death sentences for the crimes of others. McCloskey has a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. His memoir, When Truth Is All You Have: A Memoir of Faith, Justice, and Freedom for the Wrongly Convicted, was published by Doubleday in 2020.

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My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 15, 2024
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It’s hard to say I enjoyed this book. It’s a tough, very real look at the world of wrongful convictions. Ten cases are presented that will open your eyes and break your heart. While “enjoyable” isn’t the right word, this is a must-read. It’s compelling and powerful with great writing by Grisham and McCloskey. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

FRAMED: ASTONISHING TRUE STORIES OF WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS.
BY: JOHN GRISHAM, AND JIM MCCLOSKEY

This was a STUNNING and meticulously researched, well written non-fiction book that John Grisham, and Jim Mcloskey masterfully recreated ten cases of heartbreaking wrongful convictions of innocent people. You can tell throughout the writing that both of these two men, who both tell of five cases each, are very passionate about their work exonerating the falsely convicted The chosen title, "FRAMED," is aptly the most perfectly way to describe how I felt as I read each story told. Making it in my opinion, a well matched moniker for this book that's BRILLIANTLY told. "FRAMED," was the word that I couldn't help thinking over, and over, as I read the details from beginning to end, that are included in this IMPECCABLY written, and GRIPPING narrative. I felt so upset as I learned about how twenty-one innocent lives were destroyed when they were truly innocent. This is the first non-fiction book that JOHN GRISHAM has written since, "THE INNOCENT MAN." He collaborated with JIM MCCLOSKEY, who is the FOUNDER of CENTURION MINISTRIES, who has devoted forty-five years of his life, tirelessly trying to overturn wrongful convictions of innocent individuals. There are hundreds of stories just like these, that sadly happened within a flawed United States Criminal Justice System that makes this book required reading by all citizens, since this book illuminates a vast amount of eye-opening experiences that shocked me. Until reading this important book, I knew that there are miscarriages of justice vaguely, but had no idea how often it happened, and that those who I've trusted to protect the population caused some of these injustices in the first place. This terrific and insightful careful examination that zeros in on ten cases impacted me from changing my vague idea of what I thought I knew, to learning about truly horrifying examples how innocent people lost so much from those who I never could have imagined possible. They are all true. This masterful well written book was so powerful that I felt a visceral reaction that I hope others will, and I will be recommending this highly to every reader in this Country, since this book deserves to reach as wide of an audience as possible. I don't know how anyone who reads these harrowing accounts, and witnesses the ten cases that these two have chosen to highlight will finish this, and not be influenced to do what they can to do their part to raise awareness. Or at the very least take these cases of useless suffering more seriously.

IT"S NOT AN EASY BOOK TO READ EMOTIONALLY, BUT IT IS A NECESSARY ONE!

John Grisham is at the top of his game, as he expertly has informed me of misconduct of those who are entrusted with power to serve justice, and have unbelievably abused it. Once I read these gripping, miscarriages of how law enforcement from detectives, prosecutors and even judges acted unethically to put it mildly, these innocent people didn't stand a chance, and once convicted how it's next to impossible to exonerate them. There are innocent lives that have been devastated in this book that I will never forget. It happens due to law enforcement in the legal community who act unlawfully, and morally that have abused their positions of power to make some of these wrongfully convicted innocent lives suffer needlessly that I will never forget. I was astounded that some lives were never the same, and how some persevered after things were as bad as it could get as their stories unfolded. The writing was so strong, yet accessible that I felt like an eye witness. I really loved this non-fiction book by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey. There are of course, other factors that contributed to wrongful convictions like racism, prison snitches, false eye witnesses, perjury, etc. Thankfully, with science and advances in DNA technology, there has been nothing that I read that would suggest these ten cases have happened recently. More like years ago, but still racism is still rampart, and very much alive, which makes me think of the second story about the High School Custodian that landed on Death Row, falsely convicted of raping and murdering the pretty High School girl. Today, socioeconomically speaking, can affect your ability to get a competent Criminal Defense Attorney
versus a Public Defender, along with Detectives with tunnel vision, could easily get someone innocent spending years incarcerated. I keep thinking of those men in the military in the first story, and I can't stop thinking how one of them was married with children, who put it behind him, juxtaposed with the one who never recovered and can't keep a steady job.

I don't want to give too much away, but both John Grisham, and Jim McCloskey are still devoting their time working on exonerating the wrongly convicted. John Grisham, I think works with both the Innocence Project, and with Jim McCloskey at the Centurion Ministries. I want to leave you with this small quote from the synopsis: "A fundamental principle of our legal system is the presumption of innocence, but once someone is found guilty there is very little room to prove guilt.''

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, John Grisham & Jim McCloskey and Doubleday Books--Doubleday for generously providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Framed #JohnGrisham #JimMcCloskey #DoubledayBooks #NetGalley
FRAMED: ASTONISHING TRUE STORIES OF WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS.
BY: JOHN GRISHAM, AND JIM MCCLOSKEY

This was a STUNNING and meticulously researched, well written non-fiction book that John Grisham, and Jim Mcloskey masterfully recreated ten cases of heartbreaking wrongful convictions of innocent people. You can tell throughout the writing that both of these two men, who both tell of five cases each, are very passionate about their work exonerating the falsely convicted The chosen title, "FRAMED," is aptly the most perfectly way to describe how I felt as I read each story told. Making it in my opinion, a well matched moniker for this book that's BRILLIANTLY told. "FRAMED," was the word that I couldn't help thinking over, and over, as I read the details from beginning to end, that are included in this IMPECCABLY written, and GRIPPING narrative. I felt so upset as I learned about how twenty-one innocent lives were destroyed when they were truly innocent. This is the first non-fiction book that JOHN GRISHAM has written since, "THE INNOCENT MAN." He collaborated with JIM MCCLOSKEY, who is the FOUNDER of CENTURION MINISTRIES, who has devoted forty-five years of his life, tirelessly trying to overturn wrongful convictions of innocent individuals. There are hundreds of stories just like these, that sadly happened within a flawed United States Criminal Justice System that makes this book required reading by all citizens, since this book illuminates a vast amount of eye-opening experiences that shocked me. Until reading this important book, I knew that there are miscarriages of justice vaguely, but had no idea how often it happened, and that those who I've trusted to protect the population caused some of these injustices in the first place. This terrific and insightful careful examination that zeros in on ten cases impacted me from changing my vague idea of what I thought I knew, to learning about truly horrifying examples how innocent people lost so much from those who I never could have imagined possible. They are all true. This masterful well written book was so powerful that I felt a visceral reaction that I hope others will, and I will be recommending this highly to every reader in this Country, since this book deserves to reach as wide of an audience as possible. I don't know how anyone who reads these harrowing accounts, and witnesses the ten cases that these two have chosen to highlight will finish this, and not be influenced to do what they can to do their part to raise awareness. Or at the very least take these cases of useless suffering more seriously.

IT"S NOT AN EASY BOOK TO READ EMOTIONALLY, BUT IT IS A NECESSARY ONE!

John Grisham is at the top of his game, as he expertly has informed me of misconduct of those who are entrusted with power to serve justice, and have unbelievably abused it. Once I read these gripping, miscarriages of how law enforcement from detectives, prosecutors and even judges acted unethically to put it mildly, these innocent people didn't stand a chance, and once convicted how it's next to impossible to exonerate them. There are innocent lives that have been devastated in this book that I will never forget. It happens due to law enforcement in the legal community who act unlawfully, and morally that have abused their positions of power to make some of these wrongfully convicted innocent lives suffer needlessly that I will never forget. I was astounded that some lives were never the same, and how some persevered after things were as bad as it could get as their stories unfolded. The writing was so strong, yet accessible that I felt like an eye witness. I really loved this non-fiction book by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey. There are of course, other factors that contributed to wrongful convictions like racism, prison snitches, false eye witnesses, perjury, etc. Thankfully, with science and advances in DNA technology, there has been nothing that I read that would suggest these ten cases have happened recently. More like years ago, but still racism is still rampart, and very much alive, which makes me think of the second story about the High School Custodian that landed on Death Row, falsely convicted of raping and murdering the pretty High School girl. Today, socioeconomically speaking, can affect your ability to get a competent Criminal Defense Attorney
versus a Public Defender, along with Detectives with tunnel vision, could easily get someone innocent spending years incarcerated. I keep thinking of those men in the military in the first story, and I can't stop thinking how one of them was married with children, who put it behind him, juxtaposed with the one who never recovered and can't keep a steady job.

I don't want to give too much away, but both John Grisham, and Jim McCloskey are still devoting their time working on exonerating the wrongly convicted. John Grisham, I think works with both the Innocence Project, and with Jim McCloskey at the Centurion Ministries. I want to leave you with this small quote from the synopsis: "A fundamental principle of our legal system is the presumption of innocence, but once someone is found guilty there is very little room to prove guilt.''

Publication Date: October 15, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, John Grisham & Jim McCloskey and Doubleday Books--Doubleday for generously providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Framed #JohnGrisham #JimMcCloskey #DoubledayBooks #NetGalley

I think I would have enjoyed one longer story versus several shorter stories. There were not enough details for me to care as much as I wanted to...

Wow. This book was powerful. It was a hard book to read and it took me a while to get through it, but only because I was so sad and angry through most of the chapters. John Grisham and Jim McCloskey do an amazing job with giving these men and women a voice and in some cases they were given justice when they didn't receive it in life. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I am forever changed.

I'm very glad this book exists because these stories deserve to be told and heard, but the writing was a little simplistic for my tastes.

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey is a non-fiction book about egregious miscarriages of justice and State-sponsored perjuries. Mr. Gishham is a best-selling author, this is his first non-fiction book. Mr. McCloskey is a former naval officer, corporate consultant, and the founder of Centurion Ministries which fights to overturn wrongs and free the innocent.

This book is frightening, it shows how easily corrupt police officers, attorneys, and judges can tilt the scales of justice their way. Once that’s done, the full power of the state can come down on an innocent person, usually for political reasons.

In Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, each author writes five stories of injustice. Mr. Grisham’s are page-turning narratives of cases that local and national media have previously covered. Mr. McCloskey’s stories center around the ones that Centurion Ministries fought, while they lack Mr. Grisham’s style, they more than make up with insider’s perspectives and nuance.

I didn’t find the book as astonishing as the title suggests, but more enraging, alarming, and terrifying. Many of the stories take place in Texas and systematic racial bias is one factor that seems to repeat itself. these events didn’t happen during reconstruction, but during my lifetime – it isn’t easy to believe. These convictions however apply to everybody, half the convictions in the book are average white people.

All of the stories show the lengths authorities will go to avoid admitting that they made a mistake, avoid embarrassment, or not pay settlements, and that includes executing innocent people. Relying on The shady “experts”, jailhouse snitches, ignoring evidence and common sense are dramatized over and over again.

These are great stories, and after some of the latest books I read by Grisham (The Exchange for example) which, frankly, disappointed me, it’s good to see him back in top form. This book makes a good case against the death penalty, especially with DNA evidence and abuses which are being uncovered.

This novel is addicting, entrancing, and horrifying. Each chapter is a new foray into a profoundly unsettling recount of racism, a corrupt justice system, and lives broken by an undeserved guilty sentence. This will keep you up at night.

I had to take this chapter by chapter and sit with each story for a while before committing to the next. However, it kept my attention! I would recommend this book to anyone who binges true crime documentaries (like me), eats up true crime podcasts (like me), and cares deeply about justice (like me). John Grisham and Jim McCloskey should be proud.

Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday, for the eArc!

This novel describes the history of 10 true convictions of men sent to prison for life or death row based on lies, intimidation, threats, rewards to prisoners for lying and suppressed evidence at trials by the legal system.
This is an eye opening novel and reveals the flaws of some people we are suppose to trust. The subject matter is upsetting.

In this non-fiction work, Grisham and McCloskey account 10 different cases where an individual was wrongfully convicted and often on death row. The stupidity, corruption and coercion that is detailed is just insane. I’m sure this is just a small sample of cases like this and kudos to the authors for bringing it to the readers.

BOOK: Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
AUTHOR: John Grisham & Jim McCloskey
PUB DATE: October 15, 2024, by Doubleday
PAGES: 368
RATING: 5 STARS
GENRE: True Crime

A H U G E Thank You to @netgalley, @Doubleday, and the authors for gifting me an advanced digital in exchange for my honest review!

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Like many, I’m a true crime junkie, and I’ve become very passionate about cases involving innocent parties being found guilty. These 10 stories take you through what happens to men who were wrongfully convicted. It’s infuriating to see innocent lives spent behind bars – some for most of their lives. - missing out on time with loved ones and having their freedom taken away. This book is something everyone should read to understand how difficult and long the process can be to prove innocence once wrongfully convicted. It definitely makes you think that this could happen to anyone. It could even happen to you if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. It shows just how valuable and integral organizations are such as Centurion Ministries and The Innocence Project. This is excellent to listen to on audio. Be sure to pick it up the next time you’re taking a long road trip or just doing chores around the house. YOU WON’T WANT TO SKIP THIS ONE.

I read through three of the recounts of innocent victims convicted of crimes they did not commit. I was unable to read any more as the ineptness and racism in each crime turned my stomach as they should to anyone who reads this book. I can say that if true crime and proving the innocence is something you would read, this book would be number one on the list.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

That was very emotionally grueling. I can not imagine how the actual people and their families felt during their ordeal. The idea of a human deliberately doing something like what happened in these stories out of ego, arrogance and hubris is disgusting. No matter where you fall on the idea of execution, this is one book that will make you think.