Synopses & Reviews
Making Murder Pay
More than a crime, murder has become big business. An entire industry depends on the steady drumbeat of horror that starts up at the first signs that a pretty white girl is missing. Suddenly, law enforcements difficult task is made worse by media carnival barkers who cavalierly tamper with witnesses, throw up false leads, and subvert justice in pursuit of the story.”
In The Murder Business, renowned former LAPD detective and current FOX News crime investigator Mark Fuhrman delivers an explosive exposé of the facts, obscured or ignored by much of the media, of some of the most riveting murder cases of our time. Fuhrman reveals:
How investigators knew Caylee Anthony was never missing”—and how media reports to the contrary prolonged misery and impeded the investigation
Who killed JonBenét Ramsey
How Scott Peterson almost got away with murder
Why suspects love sitting down with the media, even as they avoid police interviews
Why the media neglect minorities despite higher rates of minority victims of kidnapping and murder
How the media could regain their watchdog” credentials
The never-before-told full story of the O. J. Simpson case—and why he
got off
Mark Fuhrman puts you in the shoes of professional criminal investigators, walks you through crime scenes with the penetrating eye of a trained detective, and shows you the unconscious irresponsibility and greed of the media who inadvertently capitalize on suffering and hinder justice in their pursuit of ratings. The Murder Business is a shocking tale of crime, and the media's interference with criminal investigators, that will forever change the way you look at crime reporting.
Synopsis
In "The Murder Business," former LAPD detective and current FOX News crime expert Fuhrman argues that the media's obsession with crime has sidetracked justice, and allowed many criminals to get away with murder.
Synopsis
Excerpt from The Murder Business
"Media and law enforcement work at cross-purposes. Law enforcement want to solve a case as fast as possible and put the guilty behind bars. The media want a case to drag on as long as humanly possible, and do all they can to extricate every last bit of drama, drop by bloody drop, in order to hold the attention of the millions of viewers who have gotten hooked. Law enforcement must abide by rules. The media make their own rules, and even then break them, or find ways to work loopholes into them. All that matters is ratings. If people knew how its done—how the media seduce, buy, bribe, and corrupt, like an inevitable, malignant cancer on a murder investigation—they might be too sickened to buy the next ticket to the carnival....The unfortunate truth is that today, each murder has many victims, and high-profile murders can hurt innocent people who get burned by the spotlight, whether or not they sought it out themselves. I learned that firsthand as a police witness in the O. J. Simpson trial, a wrenching experience that showed how the criminal justice system can be manipulated by money, power, politics, and fame. In twenty years of police work, I thought that the guilt or innocence of the suspect was all-important. Then I started covering high-profile murder cases, where ratings and profit often far outweigh the importance of facts."
Synopsis
Crime stories fascinate the public. But between factual news stories, overblown "human interest" reports and salacious murder mystery exposés, it's difficult to tell where news ends and entertainment begins. Mark Fuhrman, best-selling author of
Murder in Brentwood, explores this fine line and how it is increasingly being crossed, revealing new and shocking details on such highprofile cases as JonBenet Ramsey, Martha Moxley and Chandra Levy. In
The Murder Business, Fuhrman argues that the media's approach to covering crime ("if it bleeds, it leads") has allowed many criminals to get away with murder and impeded the search for justice.
The Murder Business presents a compelling plea for journalists, cops, and citizens to demand higher ethical standards in the pursuit of justice.
About the Author
Mark Fuhrman is a retired LAPD homicide detective who gained national recognition during the O. J. Simpson case. That case was the subject of his first book, Murder in Brentwood, which became a New York Times bestseller. Since then, he has written five other books on crime and is currently employed as a FOX News consultant. Mark lives in North Idaho with his wife and two children.