Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;Coming soon as a major motion picture starring Academy Award winners Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth, this and#8220;riveting portraitand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt;) of a small Arkansas town recounts the all-too-true story of a brutal triple murder and the eighteen-year imprisonment of three innocent teenagers.andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;For weeks in 1993, after the grisly murders of three eight-year-old boys, police in West Memphis, Arkansas, seemed stymied. Then suddenly, detectives charged three teenagersand#8212;alleged members of a satanic cultand#8212;with the killings. Despite the witch-hunt atmosphere of the trials and a case that included stunning investigative blunders, the teenagers, who became known as the West Memphis Three, were convicted. Jurors sentenced Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley to life in prison and Damien Echols, the accused ringleader, to death. The guilty verdicts were popular in their home stateand#8212;even upheld on appealand#8212;and all three remained in prison until their unprecedented release in August 2011.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In andlt;Iandgt;Deviland#8217;s Knotandlt;/Iandgt;, award-winning investigative journalist Mara Leveritt presents the most comprehensive, insightful reporting ever done on this storyand#8212;one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American legal history. In-depth research, meticulous reconstruction of the investigation, and close-up views of its key participants unravel the many tangled knots of this endlessly shocking case.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Acclaimed as and#8220;an indictment of a culture and legal systemand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;Library Journalandlt;/Iandgt;) and and#8220;the best blow-by-blow account available of the investigations and trialsand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;The Memphis Commercial Appealandlt;/Iandgt;), this award-winning account will shape the American legal landscape for years to come.
Review
"Brutal, riveting....The true horror of Leveritt's well-written book is that this barely believable fate could potentially befall any American." Henry Rollins
Review
"The abuses of the criminal justice system shown here are so blatantand#8212;and so profoundly tragicand#8212;that they would be hard to believe were it not for the depth and evenhandedness of Leveritt's reporting."
Review
"Devil's Knot becomes the best horror novel you've ever read, one of those that leaves you wondering what new sick dread might be lying in wait on the next page...The monster Leveritt reveals in the end, however, is more terrifying than even the fork-tailed boogeymen conjured by West Memphis police and prosecutors to fit their crime. What Leveritt reveals to us is the most horrible fiend a rational person can imagine when matters of life and death are at stake: the Specter of Doubt." author of Dead Man Walking
Review
"The chronology [of Devil's Knot] is the first time all elements of the case have been assembled in one narrative, which offers surprises, even for those familiar with the events. As such, it is a true public service." < -="" i="" -=""> - Arkansas Times - < -="" -="">
Review
"An affecting account of a controversial trial...Leveritt's carefully researched book offers a riveting portrait of a down-at-the-heels, socially conservative rural town with more than its share of corruption and violence." < -="" i="" -=""> - Arkansas Democrat Gazette - < -="" -="">
Review
"Well written in descriptive language, Devil's Knot is an indictment of a culture and legal system that failed to protect children as defendants or victims. Highly recommended." < -="" i="" -=""> - Publishers Weekly - < -="" -="">
Review
"The abuses of the criminal justice system shown here are so blatant—and so profoundly tragic—that they would be hard to believe were it not for the depth and evenhandedness of Leveritt's reporting." Sr. Helen Prejean
Synopsis
Coming soon as a major motion picture starring Academy Award winners Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth, this “riveting portrait” (Publishers Weekly) of a small Arkansas town recounts the all-too-true story of a brutal triple murder and the eighteen-year imprisonment of three innocent teenagers.For weeks in 1993, after the grisly murders of three eight-year-old boys, police in West Memphis, Arkansas, seemed stymied. Then suddenly, detectives charged three teenagers—alleged members of a satanic cult—with the killings. Despite the witch-hunt atmosphere of the trials and a case that included stunning investigative blunders, the teenagers, who became known as the West Memphis Three, were convicted. Jurors sentenced Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley to life in prison and Damien Echols, the accused ringleader, to death. The guilty verdicts were popular in their home state—even upheld on appeal—and all three remained in prison until their unprecedented release in August 2011.
In Devil’s Knot, award-winning investigative journalist Mara Leveritt presents the most comprehensive, insightful reporting ever done on this story—one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American legal history. In-depth research, meticulous reconstruction of the investigation, and close-up views of its key participants unravel the many tangled knots of this endlessly shocking case.
Acclaimed as “an indictment of a culture and legal system” (Library Journal) and “the best blow-by-blow account available of the investigations and trials” (The Memphis Commercial Appeal), this award-winning account will shape the American legal landscape for years to come.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Mara Leverittandlt;/Bandgt; won a White Award for investigative journalism in 1991, was named Arkansas Journalist of the Year in 1992, and was awarded Arkansasand#8217;s Booker Worthen Prize in 2000 for her book andlt;i andgt;The Boys on the Tracksandlt;/iandgt;. A contributing editor to the andlt;i andgt;Arkansas Timesandlt;/iandgt;, she lives in Little Rock.