Of Murder and Madness: A True Story [Mass Market Paperback]

Gerry Spence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1995

A KILLER WITHOUT REDEMPTION...
In broad daylight in the backwater of Rawlins, Wyoming, Joe Esquibel shot his wife right between the eyes in front of eight witnesses, including his own children and a deputy sheriff with his gun drawn. It seemed an indefensible case of premeditated murder by a remorseless killer. A crime that cried out for the death penalty.

A LAWYER WHO WOULDN'T GIVE UP...
Enter Gerry Spence, the controversial, nationally renowned defense lawyer who'd never lost a case. Undeterred by the odds against him, and armed with awesome powers of persuasion, he turned the trial into an electrifying legal battle to save a man from execution. For seven years, through three trials, he fought with everything he had, until, incredibly, he achieved the impossible: Esquibel was acquitted by reason of insanity.

OF MURDER AND MADNESS...
With riveting detail, Gerry Spence takes you behind the scenes of an unforgettable true-life courtroom drama-- and inside the mind of a murderer. It is a fascinating, unvarnished look at the wheelings and dealings that go on in the courtroom...and a chilling odyssey into the darkness of the human soul.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gerry Spence's genius with people is unsurpassed in the legal profession."--Robert Shapiro

"Gerry Spence is one of America's last true originals-- a man who thinks as brilliantly as he lives, who writes as compellingly as he talks, and who practices law as faithfully as most people practice religion."--Dan Rather

"Spence's highly personal view of law and justice is sensitive and effective."--Library Journal

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312956878
• ISBN-13: 978-0312956875
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gerry Spence has been a trial attorney for more than five decades and proudly represents "the little people." He has fought and won for the family of Karen Silkwood, defended Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, and represented hundreds of others in some of the most notable trials of our time. He is the founder of Trial Lawyer's College, a nonprofit school where, pro bono, he teaches attorneys for the people how to present their cases and win against powerful corporate and government interests. He is the author of fifteen books, including The New York Times bestseller How to Argue and Win Every Time, From Freedom to Slavery, Give Me Liberty, and The Making of a Country Lawyer, and is a nationally known television commentator on the famous trials of our time. He lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars yes, it's all true, January 29, 2001

By 

"irishcowboy" (Southwest U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Of Murder and Madness: A True Story (Mass Market Paperback)

Famous, flamboyant, but brilliant Wyoming attorney Gerry Spence tells the start-to-finish story of a murder trial he was involved in.

For years, this book was out-of-print; few libraries had copies. So, when I ran across this book in the 'true crime' section of a University bookstore, I was elated.

Once I began reading it, there was no stopping me. [Spence is THAT kind of writer. He doesn't bore you for ten pages. He puts the hook in you after a few pages].

The book is rather lengthy, but that's okay. All he has to say needs to be said...in order to understand the crime committed, the background info that LED to the crime, and the actual courtroom drama itself.

This book is a VERY good read for anyone undecided on the death penalty. [It might even confuse you more as to where you're at regarding the death penalty. But that's fine. It will give you something to think about for quite some time].

Yes. This book is a definite page turner. Once started, I doubt you'll be able to put it down. I know I couldn't.

Best part is: it's the type of 'true crime' that could happen in Anywhere, U.S.A. NOT like the Charles Manson "Helter Skelter" true-crime that is sensationalized.

I'd suggest this book to anyone interested in: 1) death penalty cases. Pro or con. 2) real life justice and our legal system.

This is not a book for the faint hearted. Be cautious.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Surprise!, July 20, 1999

By 

Andrea Sonn (East Windsor, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Of Murder and Madness: A True Story (Mass Market Paperback)

What a wonderful surprise this book is. Spence may be an "aw shucks" country lawyer on his T.V. appearances but "Of Murder And Madness" reveals him to be a deep thinker and a talented writer. Here, he parallels his own life with that of a murderer he defends. It is really most extraordinary. A good read and an informative discussion of the insanity defense. Luckily it's still in print. What a clever combination of legal thriller and autobiography. Read it. You really won't be sorry.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does society produce killers?, January 5, 2003

By 

Gerburg Frick "narrator of Red Cage, true acc... (Lake Orion, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Of Murder and Madness: A True Story (Mass Market Paperback)

Trial attorney Gerry Spence writes a fascinating tale about one of his trials in which he defends the American underdog. Spence describes a chivalrous undertaking on his part, feeling that a more intellectually advanced human being should become involved with the problems of the less advanced, the unfortunate and the meek. In his book Half Moon and Empty Stars, Spence writes a defense story about the fateful American Indians in modern times, and in Of Murder and Madness his subjects are Mexican Americans in Wyoming and their dire circumstances. As the defense lawyer in a murder case, he takes us behind the scenes unveiling the caprice of the "courthouse club" and the criminal shortcomings of the Welfare Department. He says an insane society produces "skitz" (schizophrenia sufferers). The story of psychotic Joe is interwoven with Spence's autobiography and philosophical outlooks. The battle in this trial is for the lost soul of the defendant, a noble cause for one determined trial attorney. Gerborg