REVIEW: Real Justice: Sentenced to Life at Seventeen, by Cynthia J. Faryon

Real Justice: Sentenced to Life at Seventeen

David Milgaard was a troubled kid, and he got into lots of trouble. Unfortunately, that made it easy for the Saskatoon police to brand him as a murderer. At seventeen, David Milgaard was arrested, jailed, and convicted for the rape and murder of a young nursing assistant, Gail Miller. He was sent to adult prison for life.

Throughout his twenty-three years in prison, David maintained that he was innocent and refused to admit to the crime, even though it meant he was never granted parole. Finally, through the incredible determination of his mother and new lawyers who believed in him, David was released and proven not guilty. Astonishingly, in hindsight the real murderer was obvious from the start.

This is the true story of how bad decisions, tunnel vision, poor representation, and outright lying and coercion by those within the justice system caused a tragic miscarriage of justice. It also shows that wrongs can be righted and amends made.

True crime stories are sort of a favorite of mine. I love to read about how the mind works, and how crimes are managed and solved. (I'm also a HUGE Criminal Minds fan). 

This is the story of David Milgaard, sentenced to live in prison in the late 1960s, for a crime he didn't commit. Clearly, there was a lot of mis-managing in this case. MANY details were obvious, from my many years removed perspective, yet completely ignored or never discovered by the police. Sad.

It's a compelling story, but this particular telling of it is definitely geared more for a YA reluctant-reader set. There are kids that love the CSI and Criminal Minds-type shows but can't yet manage a higher level reading version of that type of story. This one will fit the bill.

I tend to look for more detail, less glossing over. And not that the author particularly left things out, she just pared down the information to make it more approachable. (I'm speculating here..the fact that the publisher made sure to note the Fry Reading Level--4.3--tells me this wasn't intended to be a higher level reader book.)

What do you think??

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from James Lorimer & Company through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.