Anatomy of a Jury: The Inside Story of How Twelve Ordinary People Decide the Fate of an Accused Murderer

An acclaimed trial attorney presents a mock murder case to explore the jury system in this compelling . . . intelligent . . . provocative work ( The New York Times Book Review ).

Creating a composite legal case based on real-life criminal investigations and trials, Seymour Wishman's Anatomy of a Jury carries us from crime scene to courthouse to jury room, providing a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look into the nation's criminal justice system.

In autumn 1982, in the affluent New Jersey community of Glen Ridge, a woman is found brutally murdered in her home. The victim's distraught husband points police to a likely perpetrator: an African American handyman with a criminal record. A search of the suspect's home reveals nothing, but still the man is indicted for the crime. His ultimate fate is to be determined by a jury of his peers—twelve strangers with no special legal skills or training and a fervent desire to do what is right.

As dramatic and riveting as it is educational, Wishman's staging and analysis of a criminal trial is a rousing endorsement of the jury and a superb description of how the system really operates ( St. Louis Dispatch ).