White Lies: Rape, Murder & Justice Texas Style [Paperback]

Nick Davies (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1993

An account of the miscarriage of justice in the case of Clarence Dudley describes how, without any evidence, a power-hungry district attorney, a succession of judges, and others conspired to send the innocent man to his death. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

English journalist Davies tells a tale of Texan injustice: how a black janitor was convicted of raping and murdering a white cheerleader, only to be vindicated 10 years later.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

It sounds like a nightmare from decades ago: a black school janitor suspected of murder simply because of his race; evidence in his favor that somehow disappears; intimidated witnesses; judges and prosecutors who conspire to convict; and a death sentence. However, the case of Clarence Brandley--a gross perversion of justice--stings all the more because it happened in the 1980s in Conroe, Texas. Davies, a British reporter, spins a deeply disturbing tale of what was almost a legal lynching, concentrating on the courtroom drama and the lawyers, investigators, witnesses, and a priest who finally grasped justice for Brandley. He also profiles those who sought to keep justice away from him, including more likely suspects. Brandley's story at this time is still unfinished--he is free pending a new trial--and, as Davies eloquently points out, the story will not end as long as racism is still institutionalized in towns like Conroe. Extremely well written, dramatic, and thought-provoking, this is highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/90-- Sally G. Waters, Stetson Law Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Avon Books (Mm) (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380718456
• ISBN-13: 978-0380718450
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nick Davies writes investigative stories for the Guardian, and has been named Journalist of the Year, Reporter of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year in British press awards.

Apart from his work on newspapers, he also makes television documentaries and he has written four books: White Lies, which uncovered a racist miscarriage of justice in Texas; Murder on Ward Four, which examined the collapse of the NHS through the murder of children by Nurse Beverly Allitt; Dark Heart, a journey through the wasteland of British poverty; and Flat Earth News, exposing the shocking corruption of today's media.

He has three children and lives in Sussex.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent view of Southern Justice Gone Wrong, October 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: White Lies: Rape, Murder, and Justice Texas Style (Hardcover)

As a citizen of Conroe and someone who lived throuh the events, I find this book an amazing and horrifying story of justice gone wrong. Small town justice at its worst in Texas.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing yet accurate portrayal of racism in Texas, November 24, 2002

By 

Matt Potter (Spring, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Lies: Rape, Murder & Justice Texas Style (Paperback)

I live in Montgomery County Texas and unfortunately this book is as accurate as it is frightening. The book does a wonderful job of exposing the racism which exists just below the surface in Conroe and throughout Texas.

Recommended for anyone who wants to be shocked and disgusted at what can happen in Small Town USA today.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for Texans, August 22, 2001

By 

Michael Snyder (San Antonio, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Lies: Rape, Murder & Justice Texas Style (Paperback)

White Lies by Nick Davies should be required reading for all Texas high school students. This is a well chronicled story of Clarence Brandley, a school janitor in Conroe, Texas. When a high school cheerleader is brutally assaulted and murdered during a Saturday practice at school, the local police are called to the scene. They quickly identify the perpetrator of the heinous crime: Clarence Brandley. The only evidence to support their conclusion? Brandley is the only black custodian. Tried and convicted of capital murder, Brandley receives the death penalty and languishes on death row for years. Is there justice in Texas? If you're white and wealthy. No white person has ever been executed in Texas for killing a black. Former Texas Governor George Bush proudly claims that no innocent person was ever executed on his "shift". Little would he know. Proponents of the death penalty need to read this chilling account. Perhaps something would have been learned from history, instead of being forced to repeat previous mistakes - or injustice. Napoleon Beasley, a black man who as a teenager killed the father of a federal court judge, was convicted by a racist jury and sentenced to death. Recently he received a stay of execution. When will this insanity end? Incidentally, the book is very difficult to find - especially in Texas!