Customer Reviews

The Prosecutors: A Year in the Life of a District Attorney's Office

5 star:		(7)
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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

An absolutely outstanding writer! This is a book you can't put down, but don't want to finish reading because you don't want the pleasure to end. The writer captures your interest from the very beginning and weaves his story through multiple cases, which are all in the legal process at the same time, but he does not lose the reader. His descriptions of tragic cases never reek of sensationalism, nor are they gory, yet the writer's style gets the message of mayhem across and exudes concern for victims' families without being schmaltzy. This is an incredible insider's view of all the players in local Sacramento law. What an eye opener. A peepers delight. What an incredible year of investigation this man lived! What a flawless re-creation of those experiences! From time to time the reader has to remind themself that this is not fiction, this is reality, this occurred. What he writes is historical. Facts.

While this is his first effort, this book leaves the reader yearning for his next novel. Please don't make us wait too long.

As a Sacramentan who is intimately familiar with our local criminal justice system, upon which this book is based, it's my view that Delsohn has done a magnificent job of capturing the flavor of a complex, multidispilinary operation---warts and all. As one who is acquainted with many of the characters in the book, I believe Delsohn's book is well written, well researched and well balanced. It should be a "must read" for all who are interested in the justice system, and especially by folks who contemplate a career in this field.

The Prosecutors opened my eyes to how the real criminal justice system works and the dedication of the men and women who toil away every day unseen. Recommend to anyone interested in the real world of DA's.

Gary Delsohn proves himself as an outstanding journalist in the classic sense with this book. He captures the essense of the cases but more importantly, the thoughts and feelings of the women and men who tirelessly work to uphold justice in our communities. This is an excellent book that puts a very human face on the large and seemingly inhumane criminal justice system.

This is a "true crimes" book, not any sort of analysis or even reporting on a prosecutor's office. It deals with several very big homicide cases which were dealt with in 2001 by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. Mr. Delsohn spent a year in that office, but it appears that he spent it almost exclusively with Chief Deputy John O'Mara and a select number of homicide prosecutors. He deals only with a few cases, some of which were highly notorious. These cases are presently journalistically, and are readable, but entirely from the perspective of the prosecution.

The book reflects the traditional ethos of line prosecutors. It talks little about achieving justice in general. The cases considered are so outrageous that maximum punishments (generally life-without-parole) are about the only reasonable sentences. But a dozen cases do not make up very much of the workload of a prosecutor's office. Sacramento files 40-50,000 cases per year: petty thefts; drunk drivings; drug offenses; domestic violence; bar fights; etc. Justice in these cases are often far less clear. These cases and considerations are not anywhere in the book. Nor do the dozen or so prosecutors in the book represent all prosecutors.

The book is a decent read, assuming one wants a true crimes book. It is also a good read for those who are in the area and have some knowledge of the crimes, the locales, and the players. But the book is not more than that and gives little insight into the over-all functioning of a prosecutor's office or into prosecution in general.

I'm only halfway in to this new book, surprised no other reviews out there yet since I know a lot of folks in Sacramento area have been reading it. Sacramento District Attorney gave author Gary Delsohn incredible access for his year long project. Working with the lawyers and detectives is shown to be just about like any other workplace - there are arrogant, passionate and sometimes dimwitted people working in every type of job in our lives. Just because someone is a doctor or lawyer isn't reason to assume they can tell the difference between night and day, or at least agree on it! A great read - my wife wants me to hurry up and finish so she can read it.

Gary Delsohn's "The Prosecutors" is, in a word, incredible. It's extremely well-written, emotionally affecting, and manages to offer tremendous insight into how our justice system works -- and doesn't -- while remaining compulsively readable. It's the kind of book you can't put down AND feel smarter after finishing. There's something here -- something important -- for everyone.

Gary Delsohn combines a great reporter's unerring eye for telling detail with a talented writer's literary flair. The result is an unflinching look inside a district attorney's office and the U.S. justice system, warts and all. None of the characters are too lovable, but they vibrate reality. For a reader who normally eschews cops-and-robbers stuff, this book took a bit of effort to warm up to, but then it took quite a bit of effort to put it down. If you like TV's "Law and Order," you'll really like this book. Come to think of it, I'd even subscribe to HBO if they made this into a mini-series.

I grabbed this audio book for a recent trip and soon tossed it aside because the author read his own book. He rushes through the text and does not enunciate clearly. I doubt that I'll ever try the print version because what I did hear was more about the criminal & the crime than the workings of the DA's office. It's possible that this changes later in the book but I didn't get far enough to tell. The author should seriously consider hiring a professional reader like Scott Brick if he decides to offer any more audio books.

The only reason I was able to suffer my way through this book is because it was our book club's monthly selection. It appears to be written by a seventh grader who is smitten with the D.A.'s office, not an award-winning (adult) journalist. I can't believe his editors let this through -- we're they sleeping??