True Stories of Law and ORder by Kevin Dwyer and Jure Fiorillo

I read about this book on a blog and since I am a huge fan of all three of the Law and Orders, decided to pick it up. Lately, TNT has been running mini-marathons and I have been catching up with a lot of the old ones I haven't seen in awhile which made me even more interested in reading this book. I give it a B.

Back of the book:
True Stories of Law and Order reveals the fascinating and shocking facts behind twenty-five of the hit show's most popular episodes- from the incredible account of how a woman's repressed memory leads to the solving of a thirty-year-old cold case to the high-profile investigation of transvestite millonaire Robert Durst. And just like in every episode, the actual crime is just the beginning. You'll follow these cases from the inital stages of investigation through the trial and up to the often controversial verdicts.

I really loved the premise of this book. I have always known that a lot of their cases were "ripped from the headlines" and have even recgonized a few from my local area. It was definitely interesting how much or how little the show has really changed. As a big crime buff who loves watches documentaries and Court TV, this book was right up my alley. At times the book was a bit dry and I think a bit more can have been done to spice things up. However, overall it was a lot of good information and I found myself sneaking peeks all of the time. The book was broken apart in short chapters with a different case and was perfect for reading when taking a break from cleaning and laundry.

One thing that I found absolutely appalling was the chapter and story about Jack Abbott. A famous Pultizer Prize winning author helps get a murderer released because of his skills and great talent in writing. Soon after his release, Mr. Abbott went on to murder someone else and had he still had these celebrities defending him and calling for him to not be placed in jail. One of these celebrities was Susan Saradon and Tim Robbins. Now I particularly do not care for the extreme liberal views, however, I always like Ms. Saradon's acting. After learning that they actually named their child after this cold-blooded killer and defended him, I don't think I could ever watch another thing either of them are in. I don't understand how someone can think that because someone has a great talent, they should not be held accountable for murdering someone else. I guess it happens, though, what with O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector, and Robert Blake to name a few. That shocked me though.

Up next is another cozy mysteries series. I should have entered in Kris', from Not Enough Books, challenge because it will be the second cozy this month. This book is one of my favorite series by Denise Swanson and is called Murder of a Chocolate Covered Cherry. Each summer I look forward to the next book, but this summer I totally forgot about it until yesterday. I got it from the library and hope to dive in now. Happy Reading!