The Innocent Man - John Grisham

John Grisham's first foray into non-fiction is, by and large surprisingly successful. The man best known for legal pot-boilers featuring unlikely monikered characters instead turns his attention to the real-life case of Ronnie Williamson, a man who spent 11 years on Death Row for a crime he did not commit. Grisham's approach to the tale is a curious one and it's fair to say that this is a book of two halves - one good, one not quite so good. Initially, Grisham seems to struggle to adapt to the rigours of non-fiction writing. Shorn of his normal way of presenting just enough information to drive the plot along, he seems to struggle under the sheer weight of the ...  Read the complete review

As a fan of John Grisham I bought this book without reading the blurb on the back, I hadn't realised it was actually a true story and not a work of fiction. ~The Story~ The book for the most part follows the lives of Ron Williamson and his family, although through association with Ron it also encompasses the life of Dennis Fritz. There are also substantial mentions for Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot. The book is basically about the inadequacies and the injustices in the US justice system. The malicious prosecution of a man and his friend because he is different, because he doesn't fit in with societies ideals, because his physical ...  Read the complete review

I was given this book as people know that I'm a John Grisham fan and I started reading it before realising that it was a true story, as the plot so easily could be a work of the law court fiction that Grisham so greatly favours. The book starts by describing the early life of Ron Williamson, who dreams of being a professional baseball player. Once he gets into the adult baseball games however, his life takes a downturn and he drops into drink and drugs, which only makes his slight mental instability worse. The worst downturn by far is when he, along with a friend, is arrested for the murder of a girl in his hometown. The local police are so ...  Read the complete review

This book is one of the best books i have read ever in my life. I had never read a John Grisham book before and got this give to me by a friend. I can tell you she brought it from Amazon -Hardback at £18.99. This book tells the tale of Ronald Williamson, from Ada, Oklahoma in the US. Ron grew up as a star baseball player, going from strength to strength until he hurts his elbow swinging a bat while in the reserves for the Yankees. Ron then falls into a deep depression after quiting his baseball career. His 2 sisters try to help him, as he goes out drinking and getting into trouble. Years go by and one day he gets accused for ...  Read the complete review

This is John Grisham's first attempt at a non fiction book. I have long been a Grisham fan and in the early days used to positively drool awaiting the next book. However, I began to lose interest after A Painted House and since The King of Torts, whilst passable, I do not think any of his books have been anything special. In fact the last 4/5 novels merge into one and I cannot remember individual story lines. You cannot say that about The Firm or A Time To Kill. It was with a little bit of uncertainty, therefore, that I recently bought his latest book, The Innocent Man. I was intrigued about him writing a non fiction book and the write up also ...  Read the complete review