Thank you PRHAudio for a complimentary audiobook and Doubleday for a digital ARC through Netgalley.

“Everybody that told the truth done time. Everybody that lied went home.”

I am so glad that more and more people are telling the stories of the wrongfully incarcerated. My earnest hope is that those who are still imprisoned will be exonerated and this will lead to change in the legal system that will end wrongful convictions. I’m thankful that John Grisham has used his platform to get these stories out, most likely with more far reading audiences than Jim McCloskey could do alone.

As with all of these type of stories, they are hard to read/listen to because the evidence seems so clear that the accused is innocent. In addition there was one story I ended up having to skip through because of the graphic nature. That said, I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Just Mercy
The Sing Sing Files
Learning How the legal system needs to change

SYNOPSIS
- Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey is a powerful and eye-opening collection of ten true stories of innocent people being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned.
- Each story into the details of these devastating cases, shedding light on the systemic failures, including racism, incompetence, greed, and corruption, that led to these miscarriages of justice.

MY THOUGHTS
- Grisham and McCloskey alternate storytelling duties, with McCloskey bringing the perspective of his work as the founder of Centurion Ministries, an organization dedicated to exonerating the innocent. Their combined effort effectively exposes the harsh realities of wrongful convictions, showing not only the failures of the justice system but also the human cost—years lost, families destroyed, and lives irreparably damaged.
- While the subject matter is undeniably compelling, the execution and storytelling occasionally fall short. Some narratives lack the depth and emotional engagement expected from such harrowing accounts. Additionally, the similar structure and themes of the stories can make the reading experience feel repetitive and emotionally draining if tackled too quickly. I would recommend reading one story per day to absorb the full weight of each case without becoming overwhelmed or fatigued.
- One of the book’s most infuriating aspects is the ongoing presence of some of the individuals—prosecutors, judges, appellate courts, governors, and police officers—responsible for these injustices, many of whom remain in positions of power. Equally enraging is the fact that some of the wrongfully convicted individuals remain behind bars despite clear evidence of their innocence.
- Though there are a few “happy” endings with exonerations, these stories are bittersweet. The years stolen cannot be returned, and many released individuals face monumental challenges reintegrating into a world that has moved on without them. The book vividly illustrates the emotional and social toll of wrongful convictions, leaving readers frustrated and heartbroken.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Despite the occasional flaws in storytelling, Framed is an essential read for anyone interested in the flaws of the justice system and the ongoing fight for justice. It is a sobering reminder of the importance of accountability, reform, and relentless advocacy for the wrongfully accused.

Thanks to Doubleday Books & Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book is out now.

I loved this book! I'm not usually a fan of true crime - I prefer the made up stories - but all of these stories were so good they were hard to believe that they were true. As always John Grisham's writing style just brings you right into the action, and I really enjoyed Jim's writing as well. Would recommend to anyone!

I am a huge fan of John Grisham's fiction works, and now I'm also a fan of his nonfiction as well.
This book was a bit hard to read, as it's difficult to imagine that our legal system could fail so many people so spectacularly. While dense with information, this book is also interwoven with phenomenal story telling. It's never boring, but gives straightforward facts.
Phenomenal read.

Nonfiction. This was hard to read and took me a bit to get through. These are true stories. 10 of them. Corruption and injustice. All of these stories were tragic and many from right here in Texas. It will stay with you after reading.

As a fan of True Crime, this was not only an interesting, but fascinating read as well. The unbelievable things that get done, said, used, overlooked and inserted to get convictions is bone chilling. Stories are told by each Author. This book is so eye opening and our system is also something that really needs to be looked into. (doubtful).
Thank you to NetGalley, Doubleday Books and the Authors for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really interesting concept, and Grisham/McCloskey definitely did the research to make these stories come to life. the first case was the most fascinating to me, and the rest of them had different levels of interest for me as I feel all 'short story' collections do, but this is a solid read for sure if you're interested in the topic.

As someone who’s always been fascinated by true crime and has spent years working in the legal field (even dreaming of becoming a lawyer at one point), this book hit close to home. It’s a powerful collection of ten TRUE stories of wrongful convictions that will absolutely blow your mind. These aren’t just cases of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They reveal shocking miscarriages of justice caused by ignorance, and at times, outright dishonesty by police and prosecutors—real evidence ignored, fabricated motives, and theories twisted to fit their narrative.

The result? Innocent people losing decades of their lives behind bars—and, tragically, one who didn’t live to see his conviction overturned. It’s gut-wrenching, yet an essential read for anyone passionate about justice reform. If we’re going to fix our flawed system, books like this are crucial for shedding light on its deep cracks. Highly recommend!

If you’re searching for a great #NonfictionNovember read, I highly recommend this book! As expected, Grisham’s writing is superb, but I also thoroughly enjoyed the stories shared by Mr. McCloskey. Their combined efforts made this a compelling and impactful read. Fingers crossed for a sequel—hint, hint!

EnjoyBle and horrifying all the same. Definitely could tell the difference of who was writing the story but enjoyed just the same

#1 Bestselling author John Grisham (favorite author) returns with his second work of nonfiction following The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town (5 stars) with FRAMED — Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions in collaboration with Jim McCloskey, Centurion Ministries Founder (works to free the wrongly convicted).

This masterfully researched work offers a gripping and absorbing look at the injustices faced by victims of the criminal justice system in the US.

Their goal with this book is to raise awareness of wrongful convictions and help prevent more of them in some small ways. It is an effort to shine a light on some of the terrible and abusive tactics used by the authorities to convict innocent people.

About...

FRAMED consists of ten heartwrenching and harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions. Stories of people incarcerated for life or given death sentences for crimes they did not commit.

These are accounts of innocent men who, despite being found guilty, displayed immense courage and resilience. They were forced to sacrifice their lives, friends, families, and spouses, spending decades in prison while the guilty party remained free.

My thoughts...

The authors brilliantly share the tragic stories of the innocent in FRAMED. From their battles and struggles amid corruption, racial injustices, testimonies, misconduct, and the injustices of the legal and court system when not there to support them.

Sharing the battles within a world of innocent until proven guilty. Told with sympathy, compassion, and the shocking truth.

Powerful and emotionally moving, we hear from all aspects of the justice system: corrupt cops, investigators, experts, attorneys, judges, witnesses, snitches, professional misconduct, withholding of evidence, racial discrimination, misapplied forensic science, false confessions, perjured testimony, procedural issues, witness intimidation, and much more about the long road to exoneration with disappointments, courage, and appeals.

Sadly, there are many more untold stories, and those cases are not overturned before it is too late. These stories are critical and timely, and each story deserves the attention it deserves.

FRAMED is a deeply emotional read, evoking strong feelings as you immerse yourself in these true stories of individuals caught in a web of deceit, lies, and injustice, wrongly accused and convicted.

From the gripping storytelling to the harrowing accounts of suffering and corruption, FRAMED is a powerful call to action for society to address these injustices and strive for redemption.

A highly recommended, compelling read of innocent Americans wrongly convicted. Superb work!

Thanks...

I'm grateful to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing a digital early reading copy for an honest review. I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by my favorite narrator (Michael Beck), and the authors, John Grisham (my favorite) and Jim McCloskey, for a superb listening experience.

The Authors...

JOHN GRISHAM: A bestselling writer, attorney, politician, and activist widely known for his legal thrillers. When he’s not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.

JIM MCCLOSKEY: Founder of Centurion Ministries, the first organization in the world devoted to freeing the wrongly convicted. Since its establishment forty years ago, Centurion has freed seventy individuals, all of whom spent decades in prison serving life or death sentences for the crimes of others. McCloskey has a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. His memoir, When Truth Is All You Have: A Memoir of Faith, Justice, and Freedom for the Wrongly Convicted, was published by Doubleday in 2020.

Blog review posted @
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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 15, 2024
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It’s hard to say I enjoyed this book. It’s a tough, very real look at the world of wrongful convictions. Ten cases are presented that will open your eyes and break your heart. While “enjoyable” isn’t the right word, this is a must-read. It’s compelling and powerful with great writing by Grisham and McCloskey. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I think I would have enjoyed one longer story versus several shorter stories. There were not enough details for me to care as much as I wanted to...

Wow. This book was powerful. It was a hard book to read and it took me a while to get through it, but only because I was so sad and angry through most of the chapters. John Grisham and Jim McCloskey do an amazing job with giving these men and women a voice and in some cases they were given justice when they didn't receive it in life. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I am forever changed.

I'm very glad this book exists because these stories deserve to be told and heard, but the writing was a little simplistic for my tastes.

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey is a non-fiction book about egregious miscarriages of justice and State-sponsored perjuries. Mr. Gishham is a best-selling author, this is his first non-fiction book. Mr. McCloskey is a former naval officer, corporate consultant, and the founder of Centurion Ministries which fights to overturn wrongs and free the innocent.

This book is frightening, it shows how easily corrupt police officers, attorneys, and judges can tilt the scales of justice their way. Once that’s done, the full power of the state can come down on an innocent person, usually for political reasons.

In Framed by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, each author writes five stories of injustice. Mr. Grisham’s are page-turning narratives of cases that local and national media have previously covered. Mr. McCloskey’s stories center around the ones that Centurion Ministries fought, while they lack Mr. Grisham’s style, they more than make up with insider’s perspectives and nuance.

I didn’t find the book as astonishing as the title suggests, but more enraging, alarming, and terrifying. Many of the stories take place in Texas and systematic racial bias is one factor that seems to repeat itself. these events didn’t happen during reconstruction, but during my lifetime – it isn’t easy to believe. These convictions however apply to everybody, half the convictions in the book are average white people.

All of the stories show the lengths authorities will go to avoid admitting that they made a mistake, avoid embarrassment, or not pay settlements, and that includes executing innocent people. Relying on The shady “experts”, jailhouse snitches, ignoring evidence and common sense are dramatized over and over again.

These are great stories, and after some of the latest books I read by Grisham (The Exchange for example) which, frankly, disappointed me, it’s good to see him back in top form. This book makes a good case against the death penalty, especially with DNA evidence and abuses which are being uncovered.

This novel is addicting, entrancing, and horrifying. Each chapter is a new foray into a profoundly unsettling recount of racism, a corrupt justice system, and lives broken by an undeserved guilty sentence. This will keep you up at night.

I had to take this chapter by chapter and sit with each story for a while before committing to the next. However, it kept my attention! I would recommend this book to anyone who binges true crime documentaries (like me), eats up true crime podcasts (like me), and cares deeply about justice (like me). John Grisham and Jim McCloskey should be proud.

Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday, for the eArc!

This novel describes the history of 10 true convictions of men sent to prison for life or death row based on lies, intimidation, threats, rewards to prisoners for lying and suppressed evidence at trials by the legal system.
This is an eye opening novel and reveals the flaws of some people we are suppose to trust. The subject matter is upsetting.

In this non-fiction work, Grisham and McCloskey account 10 different cases where an individual was wrongfully convicted and often on death row. The stupidity, corruption and coercion that is detailed is just insane. I’m sure this is just a small sample of cases like this and kudos to the authors for bringing it to the readers.

BOOK: Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions
AUTHOR: John Grisham & Jim McCloskey
PUB DATE: October 15, 2024, by Doubleday
PAGES: 368
RATING: 5 STARS
GENRE: True Crime

A H U G E Thank You to @netgalley, @Doubleday, and the authors for gifting me an advanced digital in exchange for my honest review!

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Like many, I’m a true crime junkie, and I’ve become very passionate about cases involving innocent parties being found guilty. These 10 stories take you through what happens to men who were wrongfully convicted. It’s infuriating to see innocent lives spent behind bars – some for most of their lives. - missing out on time with loved ones and having their freedom taken away. This book is something everyone should read to understand how difficult and long the process can be to prove innocence once wrongfully convicted. It definitely makes you think that this could happen to anyone. It could even happen to you if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. It shows just how valuable and integral organizations are such as Centurion Ministries and The Innocence Project. This is excellent to listen to on audio. Be sure to pick it up the next time you’re taking a long road trip or just doing chores around the house. YOU WON’T WANT TO SKIP THIS ONE.

I read through three of the recounts of innocent victims convicted of crimes they did not commit. I was unable to read any more as the ineptness and racism in each crime turned my stomach as they should to anyone who reads this book. I can say that if true crime and proving the innocence is something you would read, this book would be number one on the list.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.