Somehow this review got lost on Netgalley. This book is a must read for all people interested in justice in a sometimes unjust system. Grisham and McCoskey tell 10 stories that will literally have you lose your mind that these people were ever convicted of a crime. You see corrupt police officers, racism, and power being abused by people that we should trust. From the opening pages of this book you will be astounded that the man convicted was ever convicted and as you turn the pages you see more and more people convicted on the same case that had nothing to do with but were forced to give false confessions. Yes, its a real thing. Thank goodness for the Innocence Project which just helped get a man out of jail who also was falsely convicted of a crime in a place he was no where near. The local police just needed someone to convict so they picked this man because he was gay and Native American, I highly recommend reading one story a day so you can process each story and demand more from our justice system. It's truly sad to think of the time these people spent in prison and missed out o life because of corrupt politicians and police. It should never have happned and know that one day it could be you. Demand more!!! Thank you John Grisham #netgalley and #doubleday for the read.

Framed by John Grisham is a compelling exploration of real-life wrongful convictions, co-written with Jim McCloskey. Grisham, known for his legal thrillers, brings his storytelling skill to these ten true stories of individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned and fought tirelessly for exoneration. The book exposes the flaws in the justice system—misconduct, racism, corruption, and unreliable testimony—that lead to devastating outcomes. Gripping and impeccably researched, Framed offers a sobering look at the uphill battle for justice and the lives irreversibly altered by wrongful convictions.

John Grisham is so well known for his legal thrillers that he hardly needs any introduction, but he does occasionally dabble in nonfiction, taking a particular interest in cases that see our nation’s criminal justice system used to incriminate, convict, and sometimes kill innocent people. Jim McCloskey is a minister who founded Centurion Ministries, an organization devoted to freeing people who have been wrongly convicted of heinous crimes, who has also written a popular memoir. It only makes sense then that the pair would team up for this book that, through 10 true tales, highlights some serious flaws in the ways that American law enforcement functions at every level.

Thanks to the way the Police and our courts are portrayed in popular media, most of us rest easy thinking that the amount of innocent people sent to jail or, even worse, put to death for crimes they didn’t commit is miniscule. Not so, say Framed‘s authors before they lay out a series of thoroughly detailed stories proving their point.

In every one of the murder cases presented here, it becomes very clear that the Police have the wrong person, but both they and the D.A. refuse to look elsewhere, even when the real killer effectively falls into their laps. Exculpatory evidence is repeatedly withheld, often not coming out until months later, with prosecutors and sometimes even judges knowingly hiding facts that exonerate the people before them. Even more alarming is the number of documented instances in which evidence supporting their theories is simply made up out of thin air, a crime for which no one involved ever seems to be punished.

Each of the authors takes on writing duties for 5 cases, and while McCloskey’s inside knowledge of those he tackles means they are rich in detail, Grisham’s natural writing talent means his are slightly more engagingly written. That said, the material presented in all 10 is so shocking and outrageous, readers will be glued to the page either way.

Framed certainly doesn’t paint law enforcement in a very positive light, especially in Southern states like Texas which are heavily represented here, but it does offer up that not all officers and court employees are dishonest. In many cases, the truth is ultimately revealed when new, more honorable people are installed in these positions of power and finally release pertinent evidence, though sadly this doesn’t happen often enough.

Reading Framed will have your blood boiling at the horrible ways that these supposed “officers of the law” and the teams of grifters that orbit and support them directly and indirectly inflicted severe emotional and physical suffering on innocent Americans, many of whom were current or former members of our Armed Forces. In one particularly egregious example detectives constructed a ludicrous story that led to the wrongful arrest of 7 Navy sailors despite all of them being excluded by DNA evidence.

This may wind up being the most important book in either author’s career and despite how angry one gets while reading it, it shouldn’t be missed. It shatters our faith in the reliability of our court system and drives home the need for urgent reforms to ensure stories like these become as rare as we previously believed them to be. Framed should be required reading for all Americans, and perhaps especially those hired to protect and serve.

I ended up buying this audiobook as well as reading some of my physical ARC because I found the audiobook worked better for the overall story but I liked having the physical copy to review details. All that to say, I got very into this book. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. Any innocent person who is incarcerated or, even worse, executed, is a blight on the entire criminal justice system and highlights our need for real reform. I was horrified by the actions of the prosecutors and police featured here, although I do not think they represent all of the State. But I do admire the work of the individuals and agencies who are working to rectify not only the wrongs endured by each person whose story was told in this book, but also anyone else who is also wrongfully incarcerated.

This book was hard for me to get through. Not because of the writing, which was very compelling and meticulously researched, but the subject matter of all wrongful convictions, and how corrupt officers and blatantly ignoring evidence put the wrong people away.
I'm not sure what was worse, reading about the cases themselves or how the wrong people were put in jail sometimes for decades before their convictions were overturned. In most cases without even an apology for the injustices they received.

In all honesty, I didn't fully finish all the stories, They all started to blend, and after reading a lot of the stories in one sitting it was making me a bit depressed. I do think these were well-written, and important stories that need to be told, I just couldn't read any more right now. I may pick this back up later and try and read them in small doses.

Thank you to Doubleday for sending me a physical copy.

Captivating!!!

Thank you NetGallary for an early review copy of Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey!

This book filled with true stories of innocent men and women falsely accused of crimes they didn’t commit and it moved me!

I believe each and every one of these stories! The amount of corruption between law enforcement and judges goes unchecked. A means of prosecution for this type of blatant fraud and corruption must be enforced! Lives are renewed and they go home and sleep soundly in their beds each night. They must be held accountable!!!

To say these stories fascinated me is an understatement. Framed is well written and thought provoking.

I would love to get involved and help! 70 people freed of wrongful convictions by Centurion is 70 too many!

This book was Terrific and everyone should read it!

Well done gentlemen!

No spoilers with my review! I gave this book 5 stars!

This is an incredibly important book. It almost reads like fiction, although sadly it is true. It is a collection of 10 people who were innocent yet convicted of serious crimes that they did not commit. I was familiar with one of the chapters as I had seen it in the production of “The Exonerated” many years ago. How these convictions were obtained is truly shocking. It is unbelievable that this could and most likely still happens. I would urge everyone to read this book if they were truly interested in the legal system and how innocent people can be caught up in a situation such as this.

This book was infuriating: Ten true stories of people who were wrongfully convicted. The luckiest were in jail for a decade or so; the most unlucky was executed. It is chilling to realize these people could be anyone - this could happen to my kids, to your kids, to anyone.
I've learned some things that I hope I never need to use. First, the police can lie to suspects they are interrogating. Second, people under stress and duress confess to crimes they didnt commit all the time. And third, no one should ever believe the testimony of a jailhouse informant. They have everything to gain by pleasing the prosecutors and almost nothing to lose by lying. I still believe most police officers, investigators, and district attornys are honest and just trying to find the truth, but, man, are the bad eggs bad.
I read Grisham's "The Innocent Man" years ago and it has always stuck with me. I was engrossed by this new non-fiction work as well. Half of the accounts are written by Jim McCloskey and they aren't quite as well-written as Grisham's accounts, but are still worth reading. All the stories were new to me except the last one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for gifting me a digital ARC of this nonfiction book by the collaboration of John Grisham and Jim McCloskey. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

John Grisham teamed up with the founder of Centurion Ministries, Jim McCloskey, to take an in-depth look at ten stories of innocent people wrongly convicted. Each chose five stories and wrote them independently from the other. Grisham's stories were pulled from the headlines and investigation, whereas McCloskey's were from his company's personal experience trying to get these wrongful convictions overturned.

Each of these stories are horrible - what could be worse than an innocent person going to jail for decades or put to death for something they had no part in? When you read these stories, you will be hard pressed not to think - there, but for the grace of God, go I. Because so many of these people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. What's so very disturbing is the callous attitude of all those that we entrust to do the right thing - the witnesses, the police, the prosecutors, the judges. While you certainly can't read these stories and whitewash everyone with the same brush, it's so sad that politics and saving face take priority over someone's life. This is a must read and should be mandatory reading for police academies and law students.

Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday, John Grisham, & Jim McCloskey for providing this advance reader copy (ARC) of this book. I'm providing my honest review.

A miss for me. It's well researched, well written, and tone-deaf in 2024. I was aware of the Innocence Project but not Centurion Ministries, they both do good works and are needed in a society with an imperfect justice system. Still the best in the world but where there are people involved there is crime and mistakes, even in those we entrust our lives to. The stories provided are interesting and sad. They show good people done wrong and bad people unpunished. The years of Antifa & Black Lives Matter riots are behind us, thank goodness. Defund the police didn't work and crime soared. "Reforming" the justice system has let criminals run free or enter a revolving door scenario. If this book had been published in 2020 it might have made more of a social justice splash. In 2024 it's not as effective.

#NetGalley #Doubleday #Framed #socialjustice #prisonreform #judicalsystemreform #JohnGrisham #JimMcCloskey #CenturionMinitries

Framed is an eye opening account of multiple people wrongly convicted. It feels like a call to action, an invitation to take a stand and demand a truly fair justice system.

It's moving and emotional! A must read.

I fell in love with John Grisham's writing years ago when I read The Street Lawyer. Then when he wrote The Innocent Man he pulled me in a didn't let me go. He has a way of writing that makes you feel like you are part of the story. It feels so real and it's good and scary at the same time. LOL...This was another book that blew my mind. It's so hard to read these books because it amazes you that innocent people can go to jail for a crime they didn't commit. I couldn't imagine being wrongfully accused. These 10 cases will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride but it's worth the ups and downs. John and Jim know how to tell each of these 10 cases story in the perfect way. You will not be able to put this book down. I would definitely recommend this book. I also recommend anything John Grisham has written.


Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books | Doubleday for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

What does it feel like to look at injustice? What does it say that so much goes unremarked and unnoticed by a society when so many live behind bars and who have been stripped of everything that they value and love to the point that they feel separated from any compassion and humanity? In this book John Gresham and Jim McClosely hold that uncomfortable mirror up to the reader and the world we live and pose these, and many more uncomfortable and disquieting questions, to the reader. I found myself shocked by so many of the stories here and not just by the crimes these individuals were so wrongfully accused of, but the the many different stages of the legal system that failed to do justice by them.

If stories of true crime capture your interest, these are stories that must be read because they show that justice is something we must all strive to find, hold and protect. We must always seek out not just the price of guilt by the Truth behind actions and deeds. We need to always questions and seek understanding and never presume guilt until proven innocent, but remain impartial and look towards how evidence is sought out and collected and fight to preserve the power of a just and legal system foe all.

This was an interesting read. I love all things true crime related. I like to think that I'm pretty accurate at looking at the facts available and figuring out whether or not someone is guilty. So it's interesting to read about these cases, most 20 plus years old, only to discover how corrupt and inaccurate people and science can be. I can only imagine how many other cases have yet to be discovered. It's heartbreaking and devastating. I really enjoyed getting a look at these cases and appreciate how well written this book is.

𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐢𝐦 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟎 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝟐𝟏 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝.

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞—𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦—𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞—𝐢𝐬.

𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒚, 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟—𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦—𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚. 𝐈 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐜𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒥𝑜𝒽𝓃 𝒢𝓇𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓂, 𝒥𝒾𝓂 𝑀𝒸𝒞𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓀𝑒𝓎, 𝒟𝑜𝓊𝒷𝓁𝑒𝒹𝒶𝓎 𝒫𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

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.

I’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 we’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 it’s broken, but now I agree with a friend I discussed this book with - it’s not; it’s working exactly as it’s intended. 😢 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 didn’t want to look guilty (they weren’t).And look what happened…

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

I’ve always credited John Grisham’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 Grisham’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 Ministries—an organization dedicated to freeing wrongfully imprisoned individuals—to share ten true stories of wrongful convictions in their book Framed. I was fortunate enough to receive a copy from the publisher. It’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 convicted—innocent but found guilty—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 isn’t always upheld. Investigators’ 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 people—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 McCloskey’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.

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.

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 didn’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.

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 didn’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.