Killing Time [Paperback]

Dave Lindorff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

In the first independent book on the case, which arrives at conclusions not by conviction but by reportage, investigative reporter Dave Lindorff offers explosive new evidence about the prosecution, the defense and Mumia Abu-Jamal. Lindorff will leave you with an entirely new perspective.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book we've been waiting for. Lindorff brilliantly manages the hardest play of all. Commendable for its allegiance to truth. -- Counterpunch February 16-28 2003

From the Publisher

Award-winning investigative reporter and Fulbright Scholar Dave Lindorff has been working as a journalist for 30 years. He ran the Daily News bureau, covering Los Angeles County government, spent several years as a correspondent in Hong Kong and China for Businessweek, and has written for such publications as Rolling Stone, The Nation, In These Times, Mother Jones, Village Voice, Salon, the London Observer and the Australian National Times. He lives in Philadelphia.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Common Courage Press (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567512283
• ISBN-13: 978-1567512281
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,796,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The facts at last, January 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Killing Time (Paperback)

Beyond the protests and the politics, the celebrity involvement and the media hype, what do you know about the death row case of Mumia Abu-Jamal? Most of us would answer, "Very little." In Killng Time, Dave Lindorff compiles existing information from court records, police and media reports, as well as conducting new interviews in the hope of finally making sense of this confusing case. He thoroughly analyzes all the pieces, including the questionable motives of many key players, in an attempt to find the truth and expose the numerous inconsistencies. He makes no assertions regarding Mumia's innocence or guilt but makes a strong case for police corruption and judicial irregularities that have kept Mumia on death row for 20 years without yet having the benefit of a fair trial.

This objective, investigative reporter questions the police, the judge, the prosecution, the defense, as well as the defendant and his supporters. Lindorff works hard to maintain objectivity in the face of overwhelming evidence of mistakes, poor legal strategy, lies and deals. Killing Time gives us raw facts along with thoughtful analysis, including that which has been suppressed, ignored or misinterpreted. I am grateful for finally getting the facts behind this case.

Killing Time is interesting and well written. One's views of our justice system will be challenged. After Chapter 2, I had read enough to realize that justice was not served. Lindorff continues with startling revelations and clear insight for the next 10 chapters. It is fascinating, yet also disturbing, when one realizes that a man's life is in the balance in this case.

Reading this book helped me to better understand the actions of Governor Ryan of Illinois who recently commuted the death sentences of 167 people because of "the demon of error" in the judicial system. If the system in Illinois is anything like the Philadelphia system described in this book, it makes his actions understandable, perceptive and heroic.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written by a master journalist., December 12, 2002

By 

"susannadodgson" (Haddonfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killing Time (Paperback)

I have heard Mr Lindorff talk about the good and bad sides of American justice on CNN and network television and was astonished at his reporting that the US Government Terrorism hotline is answered by staff at the television show "America's Most Wanted". In "Killing Time" Mr Lindorff has sensitively balanced the needs for fairness and closure in the tragedy of the murder of a young policeman followed by the assignment to death row of one of Philadelphia's most promising broadcast journalists.
Susanna J Dodgson, PhD, Publisher, Emerald Pademelon Press.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, December 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Killing Time (Paperback)

Investigative reporter Dave Lindorff has earned a reputation as an independent thinker and thorough researcher. This book is a testament to those skills, and anyone who has followed this long running case should read Lindorff's book. It busts through conventional wisdom and corporate media spin to find the truth about what has always been a controversial case whose story has been told most often through the eyes of political and personal views, rather than through the hard facts alone. Buy it, read it, learn from it.