“This book is a lightning strike. It quickens the mind, illuminates the landscape, and guarantees you will see things differently—in this case, how the jagged edges of justice come to bear on decisions of life and death. Clancy and O’Brien are journalists at the top of their class, where facts matter and reporting can read like a novel.”

“Takes the smoke screen out of the capital-punishment debate and dishes out the realities: the

challenges to judges and lawmakers posed by awful crimes, competing pressures on the scale of

justice, and the role of victims in determining punishment. A great read and more. . . . An

important book.”

“A thoughtful and fascinating look behind the headlines of some of the most grisly—and

important—murder cases at the Supreme Court."