Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Framed is a book that I had to take my time with. It's easy enough to read - both Grisham and McCloskey write in a familiar, conversational tone. The problem is the subject matter. It's infuriating. Several times while reading the stories contained in this book I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. The level of corruption and incompetence displayed in the cases presented are almost too much to be believed. I found I had to read the book in pieces - a chapter here, a chapter there, with lighter books on less serious topics in between to keep my sanity.

For all that it is difficult and frustrating to read, Framed is an important book as well. I believe anyone who reads it will come away certain that our criminal justice system is in desperate need of reform.

This book was very well written and very engaging. I have to admit that it took me a long time to finish it, not because it was boring, but because it would irritate me so much to the point that I felt I had to put it away for a bit. The amount of incompetence was astounding! I cannot believe people like this exist in the judicial system. It is a very scary thing to think about because this can literally happen to any of us.

For some, they just happened to be at the wrong place and wrong time. For others, they were suspects just because they were trying to be good Samaritans and help with the investigations. These "detectives" along with the judges, need to be held accountable. No amount of money could ever give these people all the years they lost with their loved ones. Having to lose the opportunity to have a family and a career and spend time with their family and friends because of someone else's ineptitude, is mind boggling and quite frankly, heartbreaking.

Overall, a very articulate book with timelines that were easy to follow. I wish the outcomes were different in these true stories, but sadly, it is not the case. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. I had to digest this a chapter or two at a time because at times it was so heavy and dark that it was hard to stomach. Everyone needs to read this. Each chapter is a new story on a true case of those wrongfully convicted, with one even going so far as an execution. Grisham is such a dynamic powerhouse of a story-teller. You could just feel his hatred for these flawed prosecutors, judges and witnesses dripping off of his stories. There were times in his chapters that he described practices so ridiculous that if it wasn’t real life, I would’ve almost laughed and the sheer idiocy of it all. And then McCloskey as a co-author adds important perspective with his passionate work with Centurion, spending years working to free these innocent people who have had their lives destroyed by the legal system.

This is an absolutely impactful and important book. Can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this in October.

This reflects the poor people who have been wronged and no one held accountable for what happened. It also shows how the police departments and other officials have caused horrible problems for good citizens. A good wake up call for why people need to keep pushing for what they think is right.

Wow. This book was incredibly hard to read because it just hits home how easy it is for something to be misjudged. Many of the people described in the book were young and had no criminal record to speak of only to have their lives ruined. It is such a sad reminder of the mistakes our criminal justice system makes.

As someone who lives in Oklahoma and very near Texas, it is just crazy to see the trust we put into law enforcement and how easily they can bungle the whole case.

John Grisham has cemented his innate talent for true crime reporting in this collection of wrongfully convicted prisoners that he shares with Jim McCloskey. With a biting sense of injustice that neither author takes pains to rein in, this book does not shy away from condemning the systems that allow for such miscarriages of justice to take place all over America. A must-read for true crime aficionados and anyone who thinks "it can't happen here". It can, and it does.

I didn’t realize when I requested this book that it was non-fiction, might not have required if I had known, but I am glad I did. The book is a series of stories of people who were railroaded but the legal system and as a result spend decades in jail for crimes they didn’t commit. It is scary how easy it was for corrupt police, DA’s and Judges to have so much power over innocent people. The stories were compelling, heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

As a fan of true crime, this book was a great, yet sad, read. It’s scary to think about how many wrongful convictions we have in our system. Recommend for all fans of true crime!

I vacillate on the idea of capital punishment. I find the details of "astonishing true stories of wrongful conviction" like those explored in this book to be strong motivators for me to want to join the developed countries that have abolished capital punishment. It is especially repellant to read of how police investigators seems to easily to double down on charging innocent people, even promoting increasing outlandish theories once they become invested in the wrong suspect. So often, the basest racism and prejudice appears to motivate these miscarriages of justice.

I rather expected to be challenged on whatever hope I had for an acceptable paucity of justice system Type I Errors. But, I did not expect to have my faith in bloodstain analysis challenged. From reading this, it appears the impression I get from documentary featured national experts does not gibe with the reality of part time practitioners coming out of a 40-hour training program.

Regarding bloodstain analysis, the report issued a number of critical warnings and ended with: “The uncertainties associated with bloodstain-pattern analysis are enormous.”


It was easier to be convinced of the unreliability of forensic odontology

In a 2001 study, twenty -five well-known bite mark experts were given four identical sets of bite marks and asked to compare them with seven sets of dental molds. The error rate was an astonishing 63.5 percent. Only one-third accurately “matched” the marks with the teeth. Almost all of them continued consulting and testifying in bite mark cases as if the study meant nothing.

...

But, science be damned. Bite mark analysis is still allowed in most jurisdictions; sought by prosecutors , presented by experts, approved by judges, believed by jurors, and rubber-stamped by appellate courts.


Co-author Jim McCloskey is the founder of Centurion Ministries, the first organization in the world devoted to freeing the wrongly convicted. To date, Centurion has freed seventy people serving life or death sentences for the crimes of others. Several of those affecting stories are told in this book.

I like the idea of this book, and it was interesting, but it’s easy to get lost in the details and names from one story to the next. It was hard for my mind to close one case and move onto the next without getting stories and people intertwined. Overall a 3 and average read for me. Interesting enough, but not captivating.

WOW what a book! I was given an ARC copy for a review. While the ARC copy I got did not have photos included I plan to look at a print copy to see the photos I missed. This one was quite an eye-opener for me. I've heard stories about innocent people going to jail but I guess never thought that much about it. After reading this book, I think I'll be a lot less trusting of police, although hopefully I never find myself in a situation like any of these people. One poor lady was only trying to help out by reporting what she saw and ended up in jail. Scary stuff. I even copied down some other titles mentioned and may look into them in the future. Pick this one up in October, you won't be disappointed!

Framed is a collection of ten stories focusing on the corruption of our judicial system — ranging from law enforcement to the courts. Hard to imagine that such corruption exists, but the stories tell a different tale. It was mind-boggling to learn of the unbelievable lengths that the courts, police and prosecutors went through to land or garner high conviction rates.

The collection of ten stories represent just a smidgen of the number of wrongful convictions in the United States. It’s unimaginable how the unbelievable narratives shaped the guilty perceptions among the jurors as well as law enforcement, thus convicting innocent men, tearing their families apart and ruining their lives forever.

Framed contains the stuff of movies, but the stories are inconceivably true. A collaborative effort by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, Framed is a definite must read for non-fiction/true crime fans. Five excellent stars!

Reading 2024
Book 142: Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

Got this one from #NetGalley. Haven’t read a John Grisham book in a long time and it is nonfiction so thought why not. Pub date is October 15, 2024.

Synopsis: In his first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, #1 bestselling author John Grisham and Centurion Ministries Founder Jim McCloskey share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions. Impeccably researched and grippingly told, Framed offers an inside look at the injustice faced by the victims of the United States criminal justice system.

Review: WOW! This book is astonishing! The stories told in this book are so out there, beyond the realm of believable, I was shaking my head while reading every single one. The book may have you down a Google hole as you look at each story to see where the people in the stories are now. I enjoyed the reading experience of John Grisham’s chapters better than the McCloskey chapters. My rating 3.5⭐️.

I have to say, "WOW." This book on injustice and racism in the law enforcement and judicial systems is unique. As someone who typically finds non-fiction books a bit dull, I found this one a pleasant surprise. Each chapter vividly portrayed the struggles of those who were wrongly arrested and imprisoned, often due to coerced witnesses and judges who turned a blind eye to evidence. The authors' skillful presentation of each case's facts and impact on individuals and their families was commendable.



I was given a free copy of the book by the publisher and NetGalley and I was not compensated for my review

What an interesting book. No snap judgments since you can ruin a person's life. Anyone that is interested in law should read this book and to get an in depth look at what really happens.

John Grisham is known worldwide for his bestselling novels, but it’s his real-life passion for justice that led to his work with Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, the first organization dedicated to exonerating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted. Together, Framed offers an inside look at the many injustices in our criminal justice system and the true stories of wrongful convictions.

The chapter titled Guilty Until Proven Innocent seems to happen more than we probably know, especially with people of color or past criminal history. The chapter titled Autopsy Games discussed fascinating facts and the chapter was captivating.

The book was engaging and upsetting at times in how justice was not served for many many years. I would recommend this book.

#Framed #NetGalley @doubledaypub

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for "Framed".

This new short story collection, co-authored by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, prompts its readers to ask imploring questions of America's policing and justice systems. There are ten cases McCloskey and Grisham take turns laying out for readers.

Though each story is organized slightly differently, there’s a mission made true in the compiled volume. These authors pick apart evidence rather than focus as much on the wrongfully alleged perpetrators, which is a brilliant approach that comes across as putting the convictions themselves on trial. Each story is a lament: a scathing evisceration of prosecutorial and political misconduct, topped off with bleak glimmers of what could have been; what should have been, if the case had been handled properly.

The injustices of “justice” are laid out for readers like crime scene photos slide across an interview table. “Framed” slyly puts on trial the very trust (specifically, white) Americans are raised to have in police, in lawyers, in the government, elected leaders and “science”. It calls into question the very foundations of how investigations are handled and crimes litigated.

This book is a collection of ten heartbreaking stories of persons wrongly accused of crime. So many lives are lost, devastated due to neglect, lies, and corruption. The stories are well told and factual. Really makes you wonder just how many prisoners are really in this situation while the real criminal roams our streets and neighborhoods!

This book was informative, captivating and educational. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it and it made me think long after I turned the last page. Grateful for John Grisham and Jim McCloskey for writing such an amazing book and the research they did for the accuracy between the pages.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and did not have to write a review. All opinions are solely mine.

Heartbreaking, infuriating, and shocking. The ignorance, narcissistic, stupidity put forth by both judges, juries, and law enforcement almost had me pulling out my hair! I did shout out an obscenity or two. This book hurts. Its embarrassing to those of us who believe in the good guys aka the cops. I highly recommend this for the simple reason that it proves, without a doubt, that you almost....almost....can't trust anyone. Learn from the wrongfully convicted people in here, in case you get arrested or blamed for something you didn't do.