Defending the Devil: My Story As Ted Bundy's Last Lawyer

Rating:
Summary: Informative & Insightful--An Excellent Book!
Review: Defending The Devil is an excellent book. Polly Nelson provides a detailed account of the struggle involved in being Ted Bundy's last lawyer. I deeply appreciated her straightforward sharing of her emotions, the criminal 'justice' system, and her knowledge of Ted Bundy. Here is a rare insightful look at an intelligent man who sadly took a path into darkness...yet Nelson sees also his humanity... I learned an incredible amount from this book--about the legal procedures & difficulties in defending such a notorious capital case, about the evils of a society which executes its own citizens in the name of justice, and details about a man most wish to view only as a 'monster,' but whom Nelson provides a more in-depth look at based on her own experiences. I commend Polly Nelson for having the courage to fight the case to save his life...and I thank her for sharing her experiences and thoughts in her excellent book! This book is well written, provocative, thought-provoking...and I highly recommend it to all with an interest in law (criminal defense), psychology, and social justice...I recommend it to all with an open mind who care about learning the truth in several areas this book explores.

Rating:
Summary: A very good behind-the-scenes look
Review: In early 1986, a young attorney named Polly Nelson took on a case that would catapult her name into the headlines. Yet because the job was to save Ted Bundy from Florida's electric chair, the publicity wasn't favorable. Reporters would invariably ask "what about the victims?" and Nelson would have no answer. In the end, Nelson and her colleagues would fail to persuade the courts that Bundy deserved to live, and he would be put to death in January 1989. Even staunch death penalty foes refused to protest at the prison as Bundy, the very personification of evil, died in Old Sparky.

This is much more than a sob story for Ted Bundy, however. Nelson's book has an agenda, but it really doesn't involve deifying Bundy. Rather, Nelson believes that the American justice system is unfair to convicts facing death sentences, and her passion is clearly not for Ted Bundy but instead for justice. Keep in mind that she was a neophyte attorney with very little experience -- she didn't even know who Ted Bundy was when she took the case. Her story isn't just about a horrible serial killer; it's about the judges and court clerks and prosecutors and public defenders who together held a man's life in their hands. She does put forth some questionable theories, such as Bundy's being mentally ill (manic depressive) and being forcibly tranquilized on the day of his critical May 1979 plea hearing, but to her credit she appears to simply be acting as a good lawyer who is exploring all the evidence -- not as someone who thinks Bundy got a raw deal and should go free.

If you are a true crime fan who also has an interest in jurisprudence, this book will probably interest you. If instead you are primarily interested in Bundy himself, this book still has plenty of relevant information to offer. For example, Nelson exposes the role of Diana Weiner as being more than just Bundy's civil attorney. She discusses Bundy's meetings with psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Lewis. And she offers a great deal of insight into Bundy's Florida trials where Bundy sometimes acted as his own counsel, essentially signing his own death warrant with his grandstanding. This book is a very good supplement to the other books on Ted Bundy.

Rating:
Summary: The last and closest look at America's most nororious killer
Review: Just as Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me gave us an eyewitness account of the beginnings and middle of Ted Bundy's gruesome criminal career, Defending the Devil gives us an up-close look at the end. Consider this a companion piece.

Rating:
Summary: Defending the devil over innocents
Review: Nelson's book is easily the worst of the seven books written to date about Bundy and his crimes. In it, she tries to make Bundy into some sympathetic character deserving of society's forgiveness, and clearly tries to salvage a wreck of a legal career by sacrificing her objectivity on the altar of a cause celebre. Nelson is truly Bundy's final victim; at least she lived to tell.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating story of a young lawyer's trial by fire.
Review: This book surprised me. I bought it to read about Ted Bundy, but I became even more interested in what it was like to be the young laywer who represented him as he was about to be put to death. You stand in the author's shoes as she faces her conflicts and dilemmas--and some humorous situations as well! I enjoyed reading it very much.

Rating:
Summary: I was made to feel that Ted Bundy was the victim
Review: This woman became a pawn in the twisted little world Bundy lived in. To think that he felt sorrow for anyone other than himself is a shame. Bundy was not a victim of some unjust system.The story goes on about how she was trying to save his life. How cruel it was to have him come so close to death only to get a stsy. I say nothing can compare to the fear and pain he caused. If you want your heart to bleed for poor old Ted read this book, if not read something by someone who helped put this devil away

Rating:
Summary: Kinda creepy
Review: What got to me most about this book is how attached Nelson becomes to Bundy. Being passionate about your opposition to the death penalty is one thing; speaking of a monster like Bundy as "my Ted" and buying him a Mickey Mouse watch when you go to Disneyland is something else. However, this does give a detailed look at Bundy's case from the judicial perspective, which hasn't been covered much before. Most people seem to want to read about the details of Bundy's gruesome crimes; if you've read all those books and want a new perspective, this is a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: Kinda creepy
Review: What got to me most about this book is how attached Nelson becomes to Bundy. Being passionate about your opposition to the death penalty is one thing; speaking of a monster like Bundy as "my Ted" and buying him a Mickey Mouse watch when you go to Disneyland is something else. However, this does give a detailed look at Bundy's case from the judicial perspective, which hasn't been covered much before. Most people seem to want to read about the details of Bundy's gruesome crimes; if you've read all those books and want a new perspective, this is a worthwhile read.