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

By Gary Delsohn

Book Overview

Depicting American justice at its best and worst, The Prosecutorslifts the lid off today's legal system with details that are more shocking and graphic than any television show or bestselling novel. Allowed unprecedented access to spend a year inside an urban prosecutors' office, Gary Delsohn provides a riveting, behind-the-scenes look at how America's increasingly overburdened judicial system really functions. Seen through the eyes of the main characters in this true-life drama-John O'Mara, a tough, jaded homicide chief and Jan Scully, an accomplished former sex-crimes prosecutor who is now the D.A.-The Prosecutorsshows us these dedicated public servants at work. The cases they encounter within this one year are as shocking as they are indelible: * A simple robbery in Sacramento, California, goes bad and shatters a family forever. * A serial killer is caught only after a nationwide manhunt. * A well-respected doctor is accused of murdering his own daughter. * A twenty-five-year-old cold case involving Patty Hearst and the SLA explodes and brings incredible pressure and scrutiny to the D.A.'s office. * The son of a high-ranking California state prosecutor faces a possible death penalty for kidnap, rape,and murder. The Prosecutorschronicles the real-life legal dramas that are waged daily in our courtrooms. It is a book that enlightens, educates, entertains, and even infuriates at times with the miscarriages of justice, but, ultimately, shows in stark detail the intricacies that make our legal system work.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525947124
• ISBN13: 9780525947127
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Dutton Adult
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.2" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

The Prosecutors

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.

Classic Journalism Revived

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.

STW

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.

Captures the Flavor --Warts and all!

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.

A Great Read

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.