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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The final word on the Sheppard case?, September 22, 2003
By A Customer
Several books have been written about the famous Marilyn Sheppard murder case. The great majority of them have been decidedly pro-Dr Sam. Now, at last, the prosecutors have broken their silence as far as books are concerned. This is an extremely interesting account of the third Sheppard trial (the civil suit against the state of Ohio, brought by Sam Reese Sheppard for wrongful imprisonment of his father, Dr Sam Sheppard). The photographic material is outstanding: finally I can see what coroner Gerber meant when he spoke about a surgical instrument having made a bloody imprint on Marilyns pillow case (not that he was right about that, but the strange "instrument-like" impression is clearly visible). The most powerful aspect of this book is that it is completely focused on evidence and facts. There is, for instance, an appendix with the original police report and various statements by Dr Sam. The reader can read, line for line, the cross-examination of Dr Sam Sheppard during the trial in 1954. This emphasis on the facts of the case enables the reader to interpret the available evidence in one or the other direction. My only criticism (and the reason for not giving five stars) is that the focus tends to be so much on the evidence and law aspects that the human beings sometimes get a little lost. Otherwise, an excellent account and probably the last word on the Sheppard case (although this case seems to be a neverending story, so one never knows...).
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still Not the Last Word, October 18, 2003
The Marilyn Sheppard murder mystery refuses to die. It's a good guess that if her ghost were to rise out of the grave and identify her actual killer, it wouldn't change anyone's settled convictions about the case and the question of who the murderer was. That said, William Mason and Jack P. DeSario's narrative of the third (final?)Sheppard trial three years ago should settle some of the long-standing myths and misconceptions about the case that is believed (erroneously)to have inspired "The Fugitive" television series. This is a detailed, passionately argued and frankly partisan account of prosecutor Mason's successful defense on behalf of the State of Ohio against Sam Reese Sheppard's wrongful imprisonment suit. As such, it offers a blow-by-blow account of the assertions made by Sheppard's attorney Terry Gilbert and how Mason and his staff demolished them during the lengthy civil suit that ended with a decisive verdict for the State on April 20, 2003. It's all here: the obligatory rehashes of the murder, the 1954 trial, the 1966 trial, the decade-long campaign by Sheppard's defenders to finger Richard Eberling as the real killer, and the bizarre legal strategies that culminated in Terry Gilbert's courtroom defeat? Most interestingly, Mason and DeSario's account suggests fascinating questions that it does not answer. Why, for example, did Sam Reese Sheppard and Terry Gilbert insist on presenting the jury with the narrative of a"happy" marriage for Sam and Marilyn Sheppard--an ironic echo of Sam's foolish lies about his marriage during his initial interrogation and inquest? Why did Sam Reese and Gilbert overhype the implications of their much-touted--but ultimately disappointing--DNA evidence? Did they really believe that the evidence in their civil suit was that strong--or did they gamble that the State would fold before or during the trial and reach an out-of-court settlement? Mason and DeSario don't answer these questions but their book effectively recapitulates the relentless evidence that persuaded the 3rd Sheppard jury.
The book might have benefited from a change in tone. Although it is told in the third person, it is clearly from Mason's perspective and might have had a slightly less self-justifying tone if related in the first person. Mason's anger over the tactics and assertions of the plaintiff are evident on almost every page and it would be interesting to more directly encounter the personality muted by the third-person approach here. Bottom line: this book convinced me more than ever that Sam Sheppard was guilty. It's hard to believe, after reading this book, that Same Reese and Gilbert dared to show up in court with such flimsy "new evidence." It probably won't change any minds about the case but it is at least a worthy if lone counter to the seven or so volumes that have trumpeted Sam Sheppard's alleged innocence since 1954.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everyone Will Enjoy this Book, July 31, 2003
By A Customer
Once you start reading this book you won't be able to put it down!!!! You don't have to be interested in law to enjoy this book. From the very beginning this book grabs your attention and makes you keep reading. The Sam Sheppard murder case was a truly intriguing case and this book about the trial clarifies the true facts on what really happened the night of the murder. This book is a must read!
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