Member Reviews

๐‰๐จ๐ก๐ง ๐†๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‰๐ข๐ฆ ๐Œ๐œ๐‚๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ค๐ž๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐š๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐š ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ก๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐š๐œ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐œ๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐จ๐œ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐œ๐ญ๐ž๐.

๐…๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฅ๐ฌ๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ž๐ ๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐œ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐›๐ž ๐ž๐ง๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ž๐, ๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐œ๐ก ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฑ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐žโ€”๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ. ๐†๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐Œ๐œ๐‚๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ค๐ž๐ฒโ€™๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐š๐œ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ž๐ง ๐œ๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ž๐ข๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐›๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐ž๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆโ€”๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐žโ€”๐ข๐ฌ.

๐“๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐š ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐š๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ž๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐š๐ง ๐’๐ญ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐‘ฑ๐’–๐’”๐’• ๐‘ด๐’†๐’“๐’„๐’š, ๐‘ญ๐’“๐’‚๐’Ž๐’†๐’… ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ซ๐š๐ข๐ฌ๐ž๐ฌ ๐š๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ข๐œ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐š๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿโ€”๐จ๐ซ ๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆโ€”๐ข๐ง ๐€๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š. ๐ˆ ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐œ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐œ๐ข๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐Œ๐œ๐‚๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ค๐ž๐ฒโ€™๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐š๐ฌ ๐š๐ง ๐š๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ž ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ข๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž.

๐’ฏ๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“ƒ๐“€ ๐“Ž๐‘œ๐“Š ๐“‰๐‘œ ๐’ฅ๐‘œ๐’ฝ๐“ƒ ๐’ข๐“‡๐’พ๐“ˆ๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“‚, ๐’ฅ๐’พ๐“‚ ๐‘€๐’ธ๐’ž๐“๐‘œ๐“ˆ๐“€๐‘’๐“Ž, ๐’Ÿ๐‘œ๐“Š๐’ท๐“๐‘’๐’น๐’ถ๐“Ž ๐’ซ๐“Š๐’ท๐“๐’พ๐“ˆ๐’ฝ๐’พ๐“ƒ๐‘”, & ๐’ฉ๐‘’๐“‰๐’ข๐’ถ๐“๐“๐‘’๐“Ž ๐’ป๐‘œ๐“‡ ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐‘’ ๐’œ๐‘…๐’ž! ๐’œ๐“๐“ ๐‘œ๐“…๐’พ๐“ƒ๐’พ๐‘œ๐“ƒ๐“ˆ ๐’ถ๐“‡๐‘’ ๐“‚๐“Ž ๐‘œ๐“Œ๐“ƒ.

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Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey is definitely one of my top reads of 2024. It covers 10 stories of wrongful conviction and is, as expected, infuriating and heart breaking.

Iโ€™ve heard of some cases covered in the book, but others were new to me. But I learned something from each story. I cried multiple times throughout the book - especially learning some of the men wrongfully convicted are still in prison and one was executed.

My main takeaways:
1. Wrongful conviction happens more often than weโ€™d like to admit. Which I say all the time, but the point still stands.
2. The criminal justice system is not just (I used to say itโ€™s broken, but now I agree with a friend I discussed this book with - itโ€™s not; itโ€™s working exactly as itโ€™s intended. ๐Ÿ˜ข a hard hitting epiphany).
3. Never, ever, ever waive your Miranda rights and speak without a lawyer present. Never. I think every single person in this book did, because they wanted to be helpful to police or didnโ€™t want to look guilty (they werenโ€™t).And look what happenedโ€ฆ

This one published yesterday - please go grab a copy. Thank you @doubledaybooks for the #gifted copy!

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Iโ€™ve always credited John Grishamโ€™s novels with sparking my love of reading. As a younger reader, I devoured most of his political thrillers and have been captivated by his work ever since. Grisham has a knack for crafting entertaining page-turners that also weave in more profound themes, prompting readers to reflect on important issues. One theme that consistently runs through much of his work is injustice, particularly the flaws within the criminal justice system. While most of Grishamโ€™s books are fictional, his 2006 novel The Innocent Man tackled real-life true crime and brought this issue to light. Now, Grisham has teamed up with Jim McCloskey, founder of Centurion Ministriesโ€”an organization dedicated to freeing wrongfully imprisoned individualsโ€”to share ten true stories of wrongful convictions in their book Framed. I was fortunate enough to receive a copy from the publisher. Itโ€™s a powerful exploration of the human cost of injustice.

"Among innocence advocates and lawyers, it is often said that it is much easier to convict an innocent person than to get one out of prison."

The authors take turns sharing these stories, with each contributing five that alternate throughout the book. They focus on the real-life accounts of men who were wrongfully convictedโ€”innocent but found guiltyโ€”and forced to sacrifice their friends, families, wives, and decades of their lives in prison while the actual perpetrators walked free. In each case, the authors immerse readers in the moments that led to these wrongful convictions, shedding light on the racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and corrupt court systems that make these errors so difficult to reverse. As I read the first couple of stories, I was struck by the overwhelming injustice. But as I continued, patterns emerged between the cases, leaving me bracing for the inevitable heartbreak that unfolded with each new story.

The U.S. criminal justice system is built on the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," a notion that should instill confidence in the system. However, as the stories in Framed reveal, the presumption of innocence isnโ€™t always upheld. Investigatorsโ€™ theories, personal egos, and the intense pressure to close cases can often result in wrongful convictions that, when examined closely, seem blatantly incorrect, given the lack of solid evidence. Reading these stories, I found myself outraged on behalf of these peopleโ€”victims of the very system designed to protect them.

Even more troubling was the refusal of those in power, particularly in my home state of Texas, to reconsider the evidence, clinging instead to blind faith in the original convictions. This unwillingness to question the finality of a verdict, even when faced with overwhelming evidence of innocence, became painfully clear as a fatal flaw in the system. John Grisham and Jim McCloskeyโ€™s Framed is an essential work that highlights the severity of wrongful convictions and serves as a call to action. Hopefully, it will inspire readers to push for the reform this broken system desperately needs.

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The stories you hear about police corruption is scary. In this book these stories are brought into a more vivid light and the details make you question everything. Why would certain police officers conduct there investigations in these manners and how do they get away with it for so long? Reading about the effects this had on peoples lives who were falsely imprisoned for so long is excruciatingly sad.

Thank you to Netgalley, the authors and publisher for the ARC.

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Thank you to NetGalley for this e- copy of Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey in exchange for a honest review. This book is a real opener to how innocent people were framed for murders they didnโ€™t commit just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or because they were the wrong color . Because of the ineptitude of law enforcement agencies around the country innocent people went to jail for crimes they did not commit. This book is a series of short stories highlighting a number of different cases. Easy to read and well researched. Perfect for true crime fans . This book left me angry at the injustices these innocent people faced because of shoddy police work.

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If you are in to true crime stories, this is the book for you. It is quite disturbing to read these stories and see how people can be falsely accused of crimes they didnโ€™t commit. I love John Grisham and would definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review. It was a very eye opening book.

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Well-known legal fiction author John Grisham has teamed up with John McCloskey, the founder of Centurion Ministries, an organization devoted to freeing the wrongly convicted, especially those sentenced to death or life in prison (Centurion has helped free seventy people to date - an amazing feat yet a very small number if there are many more such stories to be told). They tell ten stories in the book (five written by each of the authors). Right up front, I want to confess that I only read six of the stories. To say that these cases are depressing is a bit of an understatement. That being said, I found them somewhat repetitive - the circumstances surrounding most of the cases were too similar.

Starting with the initial investigation into each of the cases - the police investigators seem to latch on to a potential suspect, and then create the โ€œevidenceโ€ to convict the suspect - it did not matter if there were other plausible scenarios or suspects - it becomes more important to close the case by ignoring evidence, scaring others to make their story fit (through threats or promises to jailhouse snitches to avoid jail) and just plain intimidation of the suspects until they give up. And then it takes years to find the evidence that eventually leads to their freedom. Obviously, each story is a little different and each story made me feel that the justice system in this country does need some kind of reform. I am sure that only a small percentage of law enforcement engages in these activities but there must be some way to prevent it. My thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

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This is such a sad but important book that details real-life instances of innocent people who were convicted of crimes by overzealous prosecutors who cared more about their conviction statistics or political aspirations than the truth. The stories of suspects being coerced into confessions after hours of abuse by law enforcement are shocking. The years of life lost in prison cannot be replaced by whatever money the victim might receive in a lawsuit. This is a book that is hard to read, but also one that must be read. Highly recommend.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

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Non-fiction book putting the spotlight on the judicial system and penal systems and their irregularities. Of course, the authors have chosen stories of the wrongly convicted and as horrible as they are, they are the exception. Frequently, the blame is on the police and a system that forces fast closure is partly to blame.

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John Grisham and Jim McCloskey brought some of their top 10 wrongful incarnations. This was a very good crime read but so heartbreaking to see what they went through. The intimidation from officers and investigators that they went through that they actually had them believing to some point that they were guilty. Such injustice to these individuals it is so hard to understand how they got by with proving they were guilty with not much evidence. How evidence was thrown away or disregarded. I am thankful that Jim McCloskey is trying so hard to set the innocent free.

I received this ARC from Netgalley, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey is a powerful, eye-opening collection of real-life stories that had me hooked from the start. Grisham, known for his gripping legal thrillers, brings the same page-turning intensity to these heartbreaking true accounts. What struck me most was the emotional weight of these storiesโ€”innocent people losing decades of their lives, enduring unimaginable suffering while the true criminals went free.
The book does a brilliant job of uncovering the root causes in a justice system- flawed testimonies, systemic racism, and corruption within the court system. It's impeccably researched, and some of the revelations gave me literal goosebumps as I saw the injustices unfolding.
These stories are not only a must-read for anyone interested in justice but also a reminder of how easily the legal system can fail. Itโ€™s a deeply moving, thought-provoking book that I couldnโ€™t put down.
Very grateful to the publisher for this copy, opinions are my own

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John Grisham, renowned for his bestselling fiction novels, collaborates with John McCloskey, the founder of an organization dedicated to exonerating innocent individuals wrongfully convicted. Together, they present โ€œFramed,โ€ a collection of ten compelling true stories that illuminate the profound flaws within our judicial system.

Each narrative unfolds with a sense of disbelief and outrage, exposing the corrupt actions of law enforcement, flawed evidence, and even fabricated evidence. The inadequate representation by the legal teams further underscores the injustice faced by these victims and their families.

From the very first story, I was left in a state of shock and dismay by the sheer extent of the wrongful convictions. The revelation that some of these actions were legally permissible only added to my disbelief. While we are all aware of the corruption within our legal system, reading these stories immerses us in the struggles of the victims and their families, as well as the tireless advocates fighting for their freedom and justice.

โ€œFramedโ€ is a thought-provoking read that demands our attention. It serves as a must-read for anyone interested in criminal justice and the pursuit of innocence for those wrongfully convicted. This book earns a resounding 5/5 rating.

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Framed by John Grisham; Jim McCloskey are astonishing stories of ten innocent people wrongfully convicted.
Honestly these are horrific but riveting stories that are truly thought-provoking.
These are really some horrible stories faced by some innocent Americans whoโ€™ve been wrongfully convicted of crimes.
I was hooked once I started. This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions.
This duo did an outstanding job.

Thank You NetGalley and Doubleday for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

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This is why I love author John Grisham. He is such a talented, extraordinary writer, fiction or nonfiction, that I was barely into the first chapter of Framed and was already incensed, outraged and sick at heart. This book is so compelling, but I hardly know where to begin to review it because it is astonishing and beyond belief that these miscarriages of justice happened over and over and over. Framed reads like bad fiction, where the chain of events, unreliable witnesses, corrupt officials, illogical happenings feel like something you couldnโ€™t even make up. Itโ€™s chilling when you realize these things really did happen, but even more chilling when you also realize that while the fact that the seventy people serving life or death sentences for the crimes of others Centurion has freed to date is amazing and commendable, it is likely nothing more than a drop in the bucket. How many more people are suffering in prison for crimes they did not commit.

Each of the ten cases presented is unique, but they all also have far too much in common. Their convictions were not accidents but a result of deliberate actions taken by people who work in law enforcement and the medical and judicial systems and for some unfathomable reason decide they are judge and jury and want to be the executioner as well. They lie in suspect interviews, threaten, withhold evidence from the defense because they deem it irrelevant, use scare tactics with children, make deals with jailhouse snitches, conduct procedures and testify when they are not qualified or licensed, fail to follow leads even when the actual guilty party is known; it just goes on and on.

Are these supposed-to-be-trustworthy officials all evil? Itโ€™s hard to not believe that, when so many of them work tirelessly to get someone sentenced to death when they know there is no reliable evidence, when few of them suffer consequences for their behavior and in fact get promoted to judges or other high positions. They operate not from a presumption of innocence but of guilt โ€“ or is it pride or laziness or power or what that makes them refuse to look elsewhere once they have settled on a suspect, no matter how unlikely their guilt seems. An example: for one judge, as a way to demonstrate his appreciation for his District Court Clerkโ€™s twenty years of devoted service to courthouse administration, he picked her birthday as the date for the subject to die. What??

Framed is a hard book to read, but it should be required reading. It is horrible, heartbreaking, impossible to put yourself in their shoes. Itโ€™s eye-opening: when we read or see on television that new evidence has been found, enough to justify a new trial we feel relief, like, wow, itโ€™s finally over for that person. But this is seldom the case. The โ€œsystemโ€ fights back to keep them incarcerated; itโ€™s decades before most of them are released, if ever.

Framed is masterful and will stay with you a long, long time. When there is finally a release, itโ€™s uplifting and you are glad because so many are working on their behalf, but itโ€™s really more relief than joy, because these poor people have had their lives ruined, taken away, and for many, many years. No, life is not fair, but this is well beyond unfair. Is there any way to avoid this? Itโ€™s like a dark domino chain: this points to this, that points to that, then to who, on and on, all based on a false premise, and how on earth can you make someone not be corrupt anymore?

Thanks to NetGalley and authors John Grisham and Jim McCloskey for providing an advance copy of Framed. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

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This book lays heavy on my heart, I had to put it down and then pick it up multiple times. My heart and soul ache for these victims and the victim's families. John and Jim give insight to people who have been wrongfully accused.

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PROVING THE INNOCENCE

Imagine you are arrested for a heinous crime that you did not commit. However, because of crooked law enforcement officers who were lazy, neglectful, racist, or any combination of those things or in league with crooked District Attorneys or other such agencies, you were questioned relentlessly for hours on end without any legal representation present. Then you find yourself convicted and sentenced to many years in a horrible prison system, even though there was not one piece of DNA tying you to the crime you allegedly committed. Your family does not have the money to hire anyone to file an appeal, but someone may come along and take your case because they believe you. It does not matter because, despite all appeals, you are locked up and waiting for execution. After all, a life sentence was insufficient for those who railroaded your case. After ten, twenty, or more years of your life passing by, someone steps in, takes up your case again, and finally proves your innocence! You can never reclaim the years you have missed, the damage that has been done to you mentally, physically, or otherwise, or the price that your family and other loved ones have paid.

This scenario made John Grisham known worldwide for his legal thrillers and a lifelong passion for real justice. This passion made him want to team up with Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, the first organization dedicated to exonerating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted. Together, they have chosen ten cases out of the myriad they have found: the Americans who were innocent and wrongfully convicted while the guilty parties remained free. These true stories will astound readers with the horrific way that so many individuals' lives were treated with such callousness. It makes one wonder if the criminal judicial system needs an overhaul from top to bottom! It is a compelling piece of journalism, and the story will stay with the reader long after the last sentence is read.

Doubleday and NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. However, my opinions are entirely my own and uninfluenced.

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Framed
Authors: John Grisham, Jim McCloskey
Source: NetGalley
Date Published: Oct.15, 2024

When I first saw this book, I thought this was going to be like Patterson, who now โ€œco-authorsโ€ books with newbies. But I was wrong. This book uncovers a shocking, shocking story about the injustice in our legal system and a rush to judgment at all costs. Mr. McCloskey founded Centurion Ministries, devoted to helping wrongly convicted prisoners. The two authors, both lawyers, share 11 stories about people wrongfully convicted of a crime, innocent yet sitting on death row. One prisoner could not be saved in time. I know I said I would spend the month of October trying to read horror stories, but there is nothing more horrific than what happened to these people. The lengths that this organization takes to save convicted yet innocent prisoners who are sitting for years in jail based upon lies and deceit by prosecutors and detectives is the most terrible story I have read in a while. I applaud Mr. Grisham for getting this book out to readers since his name is synonymous with trustworthiness. But I especially thank Jim McCloskey for taking up this cause and working to save the innocent. I challenge you to read this book, which could be one of the most important books you will read this year. @johngrisham #JimMccloskey #injustice @centurionwitnessministries @doubledaybooks @Netgalley #legalsystem #laws #prisoners #truecrime #wrongfullyConvicted #deathrow #police #nonFiction #corruptDetectives
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the authors for the opportunity to read this novel.
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This incredibly moving non-fiction book covers 10 different cases of wrongfully convicted men. It is very difficult to read at times because the subject matter is so frustrating. Police incompetence and corruption and many people who refused to do the right thing at every turn makes each of these stories absolutely soul-crushing. But Grisham and McCloskey are very talented storytellers, and the stories read like real page-turners. There is a lot of graphic detail about some of the crimes, so this isn't for the faint of heart, but it seems like when these men have lost decades of their life, we owe it to them to at least be present for their stories.

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Most of the books I read are fiction and I occasionally mix in a biography or memoir. Every once in a while, a nonfiction book looks too compelling to pass by. Inย Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions, John Grisham has partnered with Jim McCloskey, the founder of Centurion Ministries, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exonerating the wrongly convicted. The two authors alternate presenting ten unforgettable cases that will make your blood boil.

The cases presented are both horrifying and riveting. They demonstrate examples of severe injustice within the American judicial system. Deceit and corruption are found everywhere, involving government officials, prosecutors willing to go to any lengths to secure a conviction, unqualified experts, questionable selection of jurors, coerced confessions, and more. Particularly troubling and prevalent is the presence of lying witnesses. These "snitches" are relied upon to say anything, despite their lack of credibility, to lessen their own jail time. It is astonishing how these individuals continue to emerge as key witnesses. Framed does not claim that these practices are widespread and acknowledges that improved DNA analysis and recent reforms have taken place. Nonetheless, the services of Centurion Ministries remain needed.

This is a fascinating book and a hard one to read. The saying "truth is stranger than fiction" certainly applies here.ย 

4.5 stars.

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John Grisham brings to his nonfiction the same intense skills that make his nonfiction so popular. I've read and reread his books so often, this was a must read for me. As a lawyer, his skills lend a sense of authenticity to everything he writes. The research for this book is evident in each of the ten stories. It's beyond belief that in this age of technology, so many people are convicted and remain in prison though innocent. An excelent read by one of my favorite authors.

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