Extraordinary truths more shocking than fiction

Many will know that John Grisham writes thrillers. He has been described as the ‘greatest writer of thrillers on the planet’. For only the second time, Grisham has written non-fiction. The first was The Innocent Man in 2006. His co-author is Jim McCloskey, who founded Centurion in 1983. Centurion takes on and supports innocent people who have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to life sentences or death in the US. Grisham and McCloskey have written a superb and gripping account of 10 true stories about Americans who, despite their innocence, were wrongly convicted.

As seasoned readers of Grisham will expect, the book is immaculately researched. The suspense is there throughout. It is never easy to put down a Grisham once started!

As extraordinary as they are true, the 10 chapters each reveal astonishing miscarriages of justice. Joe Bryan suffered the unbearable loss of his wife to a murderer, only to be tried and convicted of the crime himself, despite being 120 miles away when the murder was committed. Clarence Brandley (pictured) was on death row for nine years. He came within six days of execution before new evidence exonerated him.

The 10 stories, set out in meticulous detail, are more shocking than fiction. They demonstrate the injustices in the US criminal justice system. These men were incarcerated, losing their contact with friends, family and the outside world. The real guilty parties remained at large.

The hard battles to secure justice and their freedom are recounted. Grisham and McCloskey grip you with suspense. What is so remarkable about this book is the close examination of what convicted people face during their journeys to justice and how flaws in the system can change innocent lives forever. You will pinch yourself to remember that the unfolding events in each story actually happened. What if this man had not been exonerated and how many other innocent people have lost their lives at the hands of the state for crimes they did not commit?

As a solicitor who has practised in the criminal courts, it appals me that such miscarriages of justice happen. It seems inappropriate to say I ‘enjoyed’ such a book. However, if legal cases are of interest, this collection of stories of unbelievably mishandled prosecutions must not be missed.

Richard Hanney is a consultant solicitor