Devil's Knot by
[PRINT] *SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING REESE WITHERSPOON AND COLIN FIRTH * The West Memphis Three. Accused, convicted…and set free. Do you know their story? In 2011, one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American legal history was set right when Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were released after eighteen years in prison. Award-winning journalist Mara Leveritt’s The Devil’s Knot remains the most comprehensive, insightful reporting ever done on the investigation, trials, and convictions of three teenage boys who became known as the West Memphis Three. For weeks in 1993, after the murders of three eight-year-old boys, police in West Memphis, Arkansas seemed stymied. Then suddenly, detectives charged three teenagers—alleged members of a satanic cult—with the killings. Despite the witch-hunt atmosphere of the trials, and a case which included stunning investigative blunders, a confession riddled with errors, and an absence of physical evidence linking any of the accused to the crime, the teenagers were convicted. Jurors sentenced Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley to life in prison and Damien Echols, the accused ringleader, to death. The guilty verdicts were popular in their home state—even upheld on appeal—and all three remained in prison until their unprecedented release in August 2011. With close-up views of its key participants, this award-winning account unravels the many tangled knots of this endlessly shocking case, one which will shape the American legal landscape for years to come.
Law and Disorder by
From law enforcement legend John Douglas, the FBI's pioneer of criminal profiling and the model for Agent Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, comes a provocative and personal look at our criminal justice system and mankind's most abominable crime: murder. Delving more deeply into the subject than ever before, Douglas shares his unique perspective on some of his most notorious cases--and reveals how a high-profile crime can challenge even the most seasoned investigator.Over the course of his nearly forty-year career, John Douglas has pursued, studied, and interviewed criminals including Charles Manson, James Earl Ray, Dennis Rader, and David Berkowitz--a veritable Who's Who of violent predators. But he has also devoted extensive energies to helping the wrongfully accused and convicted, including several inmates of death row. Now, with longtime co-author and collaborator Mark Olshaker, Douglas addresses every law enforcement professional's worst nightmare: cases in which justice was delayed, or even denied. Eloquently and passionately, he speaks up not only for victims of crime--but for victims of the system itself.In fascinating and meticulous detail he recreates his ground-breaking findings in the investigation of the West Memphis Three and the bungled trial of Amanda Knox; how he reached his controversial conclusions in the JonBenet Ramsey murder; and his involvement in other historic, headline-making cases. Douglas reveals what happens when preconceived ideas, bias, superstition, and even media coverage obstruct a dispassionate pursuit of the evidence--and shows what we must do to avoid modern-day re-enactments of the Salem Witch Trials.Brimming with gripping narratives and shedding light on some of our most mystifying questions about guilt and innocence, Law & Disorder is an unrestrained account of the exhilaration and frustration that attend the quest for justice, from the most prominent criminal investigator of our time.Experts Praise John Douglas and Mark Olshaker'John Douglas is one of the most exciting figures in law enforcement I've had the privilege of knowing.' Patricia Cornwell'Douglas knows what all the great crime writers know--that the criminologist must be at least as interesting as the crime. On that score, Douglas fits the profile.' USA Today'Douglas leaves us shaken, gripped by a quiet grief for the innocent victims and anguished by the human condition.' Dean Koontz'John Douglas is a brilliant man. He knows more about serial killers than anybody in the world.' Jonathan Demme'Douglas and Olshaker write with restraint, with a dollop of humility, and with stylistic grace.' The Denver Post'Douglas and Olshaker keep the pages burning.' Kirkus Reviews