The Innocent Man: A gripping crime thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of mystery and suspense

John Grisham

Apr 2010 · Random House

About this eBook

***NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES***
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A gripping true-crime story of a shocking miscarriage of justice, from international bestselling thriller author John Grisham, author of A Time to Kill, The Firm and The Whistler.

In the baseball draft of 1971, Ron Williamson was the first player chosen from Oklahoma. Signing with Oakland, he said goodbye to his small home town and left for California to pursue his dreams of glory.

Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits - drinking, drugs and women. He began to show signs of mental illness. Unable to keep a job, he moved in with his mother and slept 20 hours a day on her sofa.

In 1982, a 21 year-old cocktail waitress, Debra Sue Carter, was raped and murdered, and for five years the crime went unsolved. Finally, desperate for someone to blame, police came to suspect Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with murder.

With no physical evidence, the prosecution's case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence.

Ron Williamson was sent to Death Row.

But as Grisham methodically lays out, there was no case against him. Ron Williamson was wrongly condemned to die.

If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.
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In 2018, The Innocent Man was adapted by Netflix into a gripping six-part true crime series.
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'A master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos' - Irish Independent

'John Grisham is the master of legal fiction' - Jodi Picoult

'The best thriller writer alive!!' - Ken Follett

'John Grisham has perfected the art of cooking up convincing, fast-paced thrillers' - Telegraph

'Grisham is a superb, instinctive storyteller' - The Times

'Grisham's storytelling genius reminds us that when it comes to legal drama, the master is in a league of his own...' - Daily Record

'Masterful - when Grisham gets in the courtroom he lets rip, drawing scenes so real they are not just alive, they are pulsating' - Mirror

'A giant of the thriller genre' - TimeOut

Ratings and reviews

So shocking it's scary. It makes you wonder how many others have been framed or convicted and out to sleep for crimes they didn't do.

A very compelling read. However, sometimes too long and detailed, got a bit boring.

Heavy going! Demonstrates how even the finest fiction writer can struggle with journalistic analysis and reportage. Not sure why he took this on, other than to satisfy himself

About the author

John Grisham is the author of forty works of fiction and one of non-fiction. His works are translated into forty-two languages. He lives in Virginia.