Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O.J. Simpson Got Away With Murder

I've read two books by Bugliosi, and they were both incredibly well written page-turners. Both of them are written from the author's point of view, and it normally can become tiresome when the author has so little use for any intellect other than his own, but somehow I was able to forgive Bugliosi this. I think because, and admittedly with his benefit of hindsight, he was able to convince me that he did know what he was talking about and would not have made such a mess himself.

Rather than give a line by line review, since I think we are all familiar with the story, I'll just close by saying that for a book that by design is negative and hyper-critical of players on all sides, from jury to defense to prosecutors to media to you-name-it, it still manages to be a captivating and enjoyable story. I suspect this is in large part because he is able to impart to the reader a sense that they might well be if not as smart as Bugliosi, at least a lot smarter than any of the cops and attorneys in this debacle. And though there probably shouldn't be, there's something satisfying in that.

If Bugliosi would have been the prosecutor, OJ would be in jail where he belongs.

this is agreat book!

This is an amazing work that details every aspect of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Bugliosi's outrage is palpable. How could O.J. walk? I'm still shaking my head in disbelief after all these years. The bungling by the prosecution is particularly well-detailed. As a former prosecutor, he is in a good position to perceive their mistakes. Also, he writes very well so there is no sense of boredom about legal matters. My only question is why he puts so little emphasis on the positives of the defense. Even if the "dream team" wasn't that great, at the very least, they made fewer mistakes than the prosecution, and should be acknowledged for their consistency.
Congratulations Mr. Bugliosi! This is your second real crime classic.

The author says he only wrote this at the behest of his editor but ironically, this is Vince Bugliosi at his finest: indignant as hell and shouting the plain truth in a book that reads like a raging oratory. He also cites examples of incompetent judges and attorneys in other celebrity cases, and he names names. He rants about incompetence in general, religious beliefs, and more; it is provocative and refreshing. These are akin to George Carlin observations except that no humor is intended.

Mr. Bugliosi serves up a big helping of law for the layman without being pedantic. It is super-informative and I learned a lot about how a case comes to trial, rules of evidence, and the emerging field of jury consultants. Next time I am on jury duty, I will in no way feel that I am any less a part of that trial than the lawyers or judge!

I was surprised by some revelations such as: Simpson's jailhouse confession to Rosie Grier and why that evidence was perfectly admissible --but Judge Ito barred it because he apparently does not know the law. Another: Mark Fuhrman had had a previous squabble with the highest-ranking woman in the LAPD, who also happens to be the wife of Judge Ito! (Which might explain why Ito allowed Fuhrman to be crucified on something not relevant to this case.)

Mr. Bugliosi is not content to prove something once and leave it at that. He proves it again and again with different evidence. He pulls no punches on:

(1) Gil Garcetti, the then-District Attorney of LA County;
(2) Judge Lance "Ego," who never met a TV camera he didn't like, for making one appallingly illegal or idiotic decision after another once the trial started;
(3) the so-called "Dream Team," who was anything but that: not one of them had any murder trial experience whatsoever until Lee Bailey joined them;
(4) journalists and commentators, who consistently missed the point entirely;

...and then there was the prosecution. It is worth noting that "Bugliosi" is not found in the index of either Marcia Clark's book nor Chris Darden's. Silence in the face of an accusation = consciousness of guilt.

The only copy I could find was a large print edition and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants the full effect; it made the words seem extra declamatory. Wow.

Some other reviewers made notes I agree with.

1) Bugliosi argues this case magnificently.
2) OJ would have gotten away with it even if Vince had been the prosecutor barring one thing....

....that one thing is a powerful Bugliosi argument, a change of venue (like just happend with Michael Jackson).

Bugliosi tells it like it is. The defense attorneys were shameless nincompoops (except for Shapiro who winced at the playing of the race card and Flea Bailey who was an outstanding lawyer) who threw out red herrings. The prosecutors were so inept at their case that they didn't drill the obvious red herrings that were thrown their way.

And the linchpin of Bugliosi's argument is the simple fact that there is NO WAY the cops had time to get together and figure out what shoes OJ was wearing, what size gloves he wore - or bottom line make OJ act like the guiltiest person alive. Innocent people don't 'attempt suicide' because they've been 'framed,' especially celebrities like OJ.

Warning: this book requires a heavy dose of common sense to understand it. Don't read it if you lack said tool.