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Editorial Review:
In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the Big Leagues, Ron stumbled, his dreams broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then, on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron's home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation led nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evidence, it led to Ron Williamson. The washed-up small-town hero was charged, tried, and sentenced to death--in a trial littered with lying witnesses and tainted evidence that would shatter a man's already broken life...and let a true killer go free. Impeccably researched, grippingly told, filled with eleventh-hour drama, John Grisham's first work of nonfiction reads like a page-turning legal thriller. It is a book that will terrify anyone who believes in the presumption of innocence--a book no American can afford to miss.John Grisham tackles nonfiction for the first time with The Innocent Man, a true tale about murder and injustice in a small town (that reads like one of his own bestselling novels). The Innocent Man chronicles the story of Ron Williamson, how he was arrested and charged with a crime he did not commit, how his case was (mis)handled and how an innocent man was sent to death row. Grisham's first work of nonfiction is shocking, disturbing, and enthralling--a must read for fiction and nonfiction fans. We had the opportunity to talk with John Grisham about the case and the book, read his responses below. --Daphne Durham
20 Second Interview: A Few Words with John Grisham
 Q: After almost two decades of writing fiction, what compelled you to write non-fiction, particularly investigative journalism?
A: I was never tempted to write non-fiction, primarily because it's too much work. However, obviously, I love a good legal thriller, and the story of Ron Williamson has all the elements of a great suspenseful story.
Q: Why this case?
A: Ron Williamson and I are about the same age and we both grew up in small towns in the south. We both dreamed of being major league baseball players. Ron had the talent, I did not. When he left a small town in 1971 to pursue his dreams of major league glory, many thought he would be the next Mickey Mantle, the next great one from the state of Oklahoma. The story of Ron ending up on Death Row and almost being executed for a murder he did not commit was simply too good to pass up.
Q: How did you go about your research?
A: I started with his family. Ron is survived by two sisters who took care of him for most of his life. They gave me complete access to the family records, photographs, Ron's mental health records, and so on. There was also a truckload of trial transcripts, depositions, appeals, etc., that took about 18 months to organize and review. Many of the characters in the story are still alive and I traveled to Oklahoma countless times to interview them.
Q: Did your training as a lawyer help you?
A: Very much so. It enabled me to understand the legal issues involved in Ron's trial and his appeals. It also allowed me, as it always does, to be able to speak the language with lawyers and judges.
Q: Throughout your book you mention, The Dreams of Ada: A True Story of Murder, Obsession, and a Small Town. How did you come across that book, and how did it impact your writing The Innocent Man?
A: Several of the people in Oklahoma I met mentioned The Dreams of Ada to me, and I read it early on in the process. It is an astounding book, a great example of true crime writing, and I relied upon it heavily during my research. Robert Mayer, the author, was completely cooperative, and kept meticulous notes from his research 20 years earlier. Many of the same characters are involved in his story and mine.
Q: You take on some pretty controversial and heated topics in your book--the death penalty, prisoner's rights, DNA analysis, police conduct, and more--were any of your own beliefs challenged by this story and its outcome?
A: None were challenged, but my eyes were open to the world of wrongful convictions. Even as a former criminal defense attorney, I had never spent much time worrying about wrongful convictions. But, unfortunately, they happen all the time in this country, and with increasing frequency.
Q: So many of the key players in this case are either still in office or practicing attorneys. Many family members and friends still live in the same small town. How do you think The Innocent Man will impact this community and other small rural towns as they struggle with the realities of the justice system?
A: Exonerations seem to be happening weekly. And with each one of them, the question is asked--how can an innocent man be convicted and kept in prison for 20 years? My book is the story of only one man, but it is a good example of how things can go terribly wrong with our judicial system. I have no idea how the book will be received in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, or any other town.
Q: What do you hope your readers will take away from The Innocent Man?
A: A better understanding of how innocent people can be convicted, and a greater concern for the need to reimburse and rehabilitate innocent men after they have been released.
Customer Reviews:
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Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 
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Grisham's first non-fiction impressive 
An aberration from his usual style of legal suspense thrillers, Grisham does some fieldwork in this stirring true story about a man (Ron Williamson) who struggles mightily in life after the good old days of high school stardom. Ron was a high school baseball prodigy and everyone in Oklahoma knew his name. He was drafted by the Oakland A's and success seemed destine for Ron, however the pressures to make it in the big leagues take their tole on his psyche and slowly he becomes a shell of a man in need of... more info
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Gripping True Tale
This gripping book examines injustice following the rape/murder of Debra Sue Carter of Ada, Oklahoma in December, 1982. With her outraged community demanding justice, police botched the investigation, overlooked prime suspect Glen Gore, and employed dubious techniques that led to the arrest of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz. Williamson was an unstable belligerent drunk with prior arrests for sexual assault, but Fritz was guilty only of being his friend. As the author shows, both were railroaded and... more info
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Grisham shows he is probably a better non-fiction writer. 
Grisham never surpassed A Time to Kill, in my opinion, in his fiction writing, but I've generally enjoyed his work. The Painted House was a very good book, and although fictionalized, it was based upon a true story, and perhaps now that he's made millions, he can afford to spend the time researching for non-fictional works. I hope so.
Several of Grisham's books, the ones I've like least, were written it seemed to justify his being able to write off a vacation. Those books had clumsy facts about places... more info
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Not very compelling 
John Grisham does a great job creating fiction in the world of attorneys and their trade.
This is the first non-fiction book I've read of his and I have to say, those that voted one-star basically got it right. It was a boring tale, a tale we've all read about these days; wrongly accused exonerated and returned to society, trying to fit in.
My problem with this book is the main character: Ron Williams. Honestly this isn't a person you can conjure up much compassion for. He's depicted as a spoiled,... more info
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