Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments

In this collection of 19 essays, which originally appeared in "Vanity Fair" magazine, Dominick Dunne presents nine true accounts of crimes, trials, and punishments, mostly delayed or denied. He begins with his own wretched first experience with the debacle of the American court system, in which his own daughter was violently murdered, and the guilty served a sentence of only 2 ½ years. Ten of the essays deal with the O.J. Simpson case. Dunne always believed O.J. was guilty of the double murders, and he presents what happened at the trail and sketches of the participants in a straightforward manner that would convince all but the most stubborn. One essay deals with the Menendez brothers trail for the murder of their parents, another case where the victims are victimized again. The other essays deal with lesser known, but no less sensational crimes. What comes out of these episodes is a realm of society that few of us know well: multi-divorces, extra-marital affairs, extravagant spending, high-flying life styles, cut throat business dealings. It is as fascinating to read, as it is repugnant. Dunne is an outsider who has gained admittance to the inner thoughts and dealings of this nether world and brings it to us unflinchingly. Highly recommended.

There are 2 things that must be done:
1. The criminal behind bars.
2. I should get my reputation back.

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.

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.

While I did enjoy "Justice," it was not what I expected. I wasn't aware that the book is a grouping of Mr. Dunne's articles from "Vanity Fair." The book was off to an excellent start with a chapter about Dominique Dunne that made me cry. However, it quickly moved into numerous chapters about OJ Simpson (this was the bulk of the book). The book is worth reading if you are an OJ Simpson junkie. If you are not, I recommend skipping that part. I also could have done without Mr. Dunne's constant references to all the famous people he knows.