Gone in the Night

by David Protess

Book Overview

When seven-year-old Jaclyn Dowaliby was murdered near her suburban Chicago home in 1988, her innocent father was convicted and jailed, and his legal team and some committed journalists set out to win... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044021243X
• ISBN13: 9780440212430
• Release Date: May 1994
• Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Hard to put down

Even when you know the outcome, this book is a page-turner. For all those who like a mystery and a story of courtroom justice (and injustice) this is a great read.

Suspect what you hear in the news

The first 4/5 of this book was very frustrating to read. If it hadn't been a true story, I wouldn't have tormented myself with it. But, because it really is true and, I think, important for us to realize, I gave it four stars.I say "frustrating" because one awful thing after another, after another, after another keeps happening for at least 300 pages. Police start the lies because they're so anxious to close the case of a missing child that they pin the blame almost immediately on the easiest targets, the parents. From there, they ignore all facts that might disprove their theory. The prosecutors do the same and claim things that aren't true. Witnesses lie. The media, with one notable exception, is a mouthpiece for the prosecution. The jury doesn't get what really happened because of inept lawyers, prosecutorial misconduct, and plain ol' stupidity.The whole case looks just plain ridiculous when the authors point out the facts. And the whole time the defense lawyers insist to their clients that they should say nothing, to me, the most frustrating of all the frustrations.Yet, all those frustrations are so important for us to realize. I can't think of a big upcoming court case that is covered day by day in the news that the media has not already decided for us. And, usually, their decision is based on whatever the police and prosecutors tell them. It's so easy to forget that they might be wrong. And then all the t.v. channels' Web sites have a place for us to vote on the guilt or innocence of someone who hasn't even been to trial yet.The last fifth of the book had some positive mixed with the negative so was easier for me to read.

Must-read for anyone who thinks prosecuters are always right

This book must be read by anyone who thinks the police and prosecuters are always right. Not only were they wrong in this case, but they acted maliciously. It is crucial for us to realize how far off track our legal system has gone, with help from the media.