Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments

Rating:
Summary: Interesting But Not Compelling
Review: After listening to Dunne on Larry King Live, I was very interested in his chronicles of some of the high profile murders of recent times.

Dunne is a good writer, entertaining, and worth reading. However, there was nothing new in this book. The man does get around socially and subsequently, he gets his story. While Dominick Dunne speaks with an honest voice, he's still singing the same old tune. Maybe I'm tired of hearing about OJ? I remain baffled about the title because Justice was certainly never accomplished for many of the rich and famous of which he writes. Ho Hum...

Rating:
Summary: One man's "Justice"
Review: Anyone familiar with the writing of Dominick Dunne, its chatty, informal and curiously personal tone, will be sure to enjoy his latest book Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments. For the uninitiated, Dunne's book is a collection of his Vanity Fair articles covering the trials of such "celebrities" as O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers and Claus von Bulow.

Dunne has brought a new perspective to the art of crime reporting. In tackling so-called "celebrity" cases Dunne uses his own peerage to inveigle his way behind the facade of wealth and power to highlight and expose how very different and yet comfortingly similar the response to such cases can be in those communities - so far removed from the hoi polloi

. As he admits in the book Dunne has been accused of trying to be the next Truman Capote. Certainly there are some parallels - Dunne is a shameless name-dropper - but these articles can hardly be equated to In Cold Blood. Capote was a amorphous socialite with an interest in how crime affected "Mr and Mrs America". Dunne on the other hand writes from a more compelling perspective; after the murder of his daughter and his subsequent exposure to the criminal justice system he became entranced by its operation. In light of his background, he focused on cases which represented his milieu; American High Society.

Dunne focuses on a subject that amalgamates two driving preoccupations of the public; a fascination with wealth and a fascination with crime. Combined, the two prove an irresistible draw upon the public psyche. If left at that, Dunne's work would be no more than a rich man's Hard Copy, but Dunne has also resurrected the idea of reportage; journalism which reflects the voice of it's author. In an age when many journalists seek to mask their true sentiments behind a thin veneer of "objectivity" Dunne is refreshingly straightforward about his own. This quality alone separates Dunne from so many of his peers, but coupled with his narrative style and astute observations it brings his writings to the forefront of modern social commentary.

Well written, insightful and entertaining; Dominick Dunne's Justice: Crimes, Trials and Punishments should not be missed. More than just true crime or court reporting, Dunne's work is an important commentary on the modern American justice system and how it relates to the society which it serves.Think of it as affordable justice for all.

Rating:
Summary: Dropping names and opinions
Review: Dunne is a hack when he tries to discuss the criminal justice system. His opinions are obviously not always incorrect, but he reveals a lot of misconceptions about the law and trials. His biggest asset seems to be that he knows and is known to many wealthy, famous or whatever individuals. One gets the impression that he is a groupie of both criminal trials and the rich and famous and inflates his own status. This collection of articles varies from really poor to average in intelligence and content.

Rating:
Summary: Dropping names and opinions
Review: Dunne is a hack when he tries to discuss the criminal justice system. His opinions are obviously not always incorrect, but he reveals a lot of misconceptions about the law and trials. His biggest asset seems to be that he knows and is known to many wealthy, famous or whatever individuals. One gets the impression that he is a groupie of both criminal trials and the rich and famous and inflates his own status. This collection of articles varies from really poor to average in intelligence and content.

Rating:
Summary: This is really a book about the trial of OJ Simpson
Review: Dunne moves in circles that I scarely knew existed anymore. Well, I knew they were around of course, just not in my world. He exists often in a world that the Society pages in our newspapers once fawned over. Those days, as Joe Epstein argues in "Snobbery" are largely gone. However, Dunne moves in what is left of it. But, what sets him apart (makes him far more than a name dropper that some ridicule him for being) is his compassion for victims. His own loss is moving. He is funny, warm, honest, and never pulls his punches. He is elegant and real. This book of essays is well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: OJ, OJ, and still more OJ
Review: Dunne's approach is to size up each person he encounters and either vouch for that person's good character or to engage in broad-gauge character assassination. He either likes you or he doesn't. Dunne never met a cop or prosecutor he didn't like, and Dunne never considers the possibility that inept cops arrested the wrong guy.

The glaring exception to Dunne's principle that the defendant is always guilty is the Safra murder in Monaco, where the defendant was an American male nurse who, in Dunne's opinion, was railroaded by incompetent or corrupt Monegasque cops and prosecutors. Yet in the February 2003 issue of Vanity Fair magazine, published after this book, Dunne does a 180-degree turn and talks about how, once the trial began, it was obvious that the male nurse was guilty. One might hope that Dunne would get a dose of humility from this experience, but it's not likely. Dunne is always 100% sure he is right and everyone else is wrong.

Dunne's unquestioning support of all cops, good and bad, is most apparent in his unwavering friendship with Mark Fuhrman, the detective who played the pivotal role in the O.J. Simpson trial, and who was found to have perjured himself regarding whether he had ever used the 'n-word.' Granted, lying about such a thing is not equal to murder, but Dunne doesn't grasp how damaging Fuhrman's perjury was to the prosecution's case. When a detective lies about a small thing, it is logical that he should not be trusted about larger things. Dunne just doesn't get it. That Fuhrman would lie about something under oath on national TV, knowing that he had an ex-lover with a tape recording proving the contrary, suggests that Fuhrman is not quite the genius that Dunne portrays him as being.

The book is mainly a reprinting of Vanity Fair columns, of which 10 (of 18) chapters are about the Simpson trail. The most moving chapter is the first, where he recounts the murder trial of his own daughter. The author is correct in his theme that the criminal justice system is a mess, but anyone looking for a thoughtful analysis will be disappointed. At times, Dunne shows a gift for narrative flow; at other times, he comes across as little more than a self-important gossip columnist and name-dropper.

Rating:
Summary: Well Written, Except of a Lot of Annoying Name-Dropping
Review: It was fascinating to read the detailed stories of the O.J. trial as the story unfolded, instead of in hindsight, as all of the other books did. Dunne's essays on the Simpson case were written as the trial progressed, and it was fun to read things like that there's no way, with this DNA evidence, that he could get acquitted! Dunne's books are unique because he lets you know exactly what he is thinking; when he thinks a witness was lying, or a lawyer, or even a judge, was unethical, he lets them have it. That makes the book very satisfying [more so if, of course, you agree with his point of view.]

My quibble with the book, and it's a picky one, is the constant name-dropping, even when not necessary to the story. Sometimes Dunne comes off as someone with low social self-esteem, who tries to make himself more important by dropping the names of rich and famous he knows personally, particularly in the Simpson essays. On Virtually every page, he states something like, "I was having dinner with movie mogul Marvin Davis, with so and so sitting at the next table, when so and so came up to me and said, "Dominick . . .." Other anectdotes are preceded by statements like, "I was at a party for Mr. Big Shot famous movie producer, and schmoozing with Ms. Big Shot Movie Star, when the following incident occurred." It tends to get old after a while, particularly when I had never heard of some of the allegedly Big Shot people.

It's a small quibble, though, because the book really does give you a front row seat into some of the more fascinating crimial trials in history; not just what went on in the courtroom, but also what was going on behind the scenes. Thus, by the time you are finished reading the book, you can forgive Dunne for throwing in so much self-important name-dropping, because he took us along for such a fascinating ride. I would recommend the book to all who are interested in the more tawdy criminal trials of our day.

Rating:
Summary: In 2003, deserves a 2nd look!
Review: Many people who have reviewed Dunne here have missed the fact that this book is a collection of essays with updates of his work for Vanity Fair. So if they appear repetitive, you probably subscribe to Vanity Fair.
For the virgin Dunne reader, I'd start with this book. I just finished JUSTICE at a cottage in the great Canadian North. What a quick, easy read.
I do think Dunne should have edited from essay to essay, as there are repeated names and facts from one to the next. Regardless, I can't think of another famous person I'd like to interview for his opinion on the world of the rich and famous. Dunne is a millionaire, hob nobs with his fellow kind, yet calls it like it is.
Some suggest he dwells in the land of good versus evil. I suggest, Dunne travels by gut instinct.
His honesty is refreshing.
I was fascinated with the extensive coverage of the OJ trail...
Again, I disagree with my fellow reviewers---I wanted more, more, more.
The newspaper and tv coverage gave the "official" view...Try a front row seat -- that's what the Judge gave Mr. Dunne.
This book isn't everyone's cup of tea, but its readers are sure to acknowledge Dunne has reinforced the concept that justice is a relative term.

Rating:
Summary: A decent job by someone from whom I expected more
Review: Reading this book was somewhat of a letdown. But, in all fairness to its author, Dominick Dunne, I must add that this book was only a letdown because I am familiar with the author's previous work. Usually, Dunne's work is quite thought-provoking. This time, with the exception of the title essay (which is nothing short of wonderful), I found little more than gossip columnist reporting. His essay on the trials of Claus von Bulow was particularly disappointing. Alan Dershowitz's book, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, was much more informative, intellectually-challenging and, for that matter, gossipy. Going back to the title essay, "Justice", my hat goes off to Mr. Dunne for revealing so much of what he and his family went through during the trial of his daughter's murderer. As an attorney, I'd like to add that his frustrations with the system are justified, and his criticisms are right on the money. The final essay, "Trail of Guilt", is also fascinating, once again, because it demonstrates the author's deep personal commitment to the Martha Moxley case. If all the essays in this book were equal to the first and final ones, I would have rated it five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Entertaining
Review: This is a collection of articles that appeared in Vanity Fair on some of the biggest crime stories of the rich and famous. This is not a series of "whodonits.." Instead Dunne weaves the tales of the people and personalities involved in each case. From the Menendez Brothers, to OJ, Claus Van Bulow, and Michael Skakel, we see the people behind the facades. Very, very entertaining pieces.

Much of the book centers on the OJ Simpson trial. I am sick of the OJ trail, but I found these articles interesting. Especially worth reading is how Dunne describes the culture of Los Angeles and its elite through these revealing articles. So even if you're tired of OJ, you'll likely find these pieces relevant and interesting.