The Innocent Man by John Grisham - Book Review

The Innocent Man, John Grisham's first nonfiction book, is the story of Ron Williamson's wrongful murder conviction and twelve years on death row. Although The Innocent Man has been hailed as a real life legal thriller, it is far from thrilling. While Williamson's story is sad and certainly a miscarriage of justice, Grisham does not do a good job building suspense. In fact, I found The Innocent Man boring and had a tough time finishing it. Grisham recounts details well in this book, but has not produced the sort of page turner that his fans have come to love.

When I heard John Grisham was writing nonfiction, I was excited to see the result. I imagined that he would apply his skill for writing page turning legal suspense to a true story, captivating readers with a tale too amazing to be fiction. Within the first 100 pages of The Innocent Man, I knew my expectations would not be met.

Grisham's challenge was to build suspense despite readers knowing the outcome of the story from the beginning. Truman Capote mastered this in his classic, In Cold Blood. Grisham doesn't even come close.

I feel bad saying The Innocent Man is boring since it is a true and awful story. If you are expecting typical Grisham, though, you will be bored. The writing is detailed, but dry. It is a very straightforward account with no dialogue or suspense.

Putting aside my opinion about the slow pace of the book, I will say that The Innocent Man is a powerful story. The details Grisham provides about incorrect convictions, shoddy police work and poor prosecution certainly make a case for some sort of judicial reform. Perhaps even more compelling is the story of Williamson's mental decline and society's inability to deal with his mental illness. In many ways, Williamson's story before and after his imprisonment is just as tragic as the time he spent on death row.

The Innocent Man will give you issues to think about and discuss with friends. Just don't expect to be entertained.