Scan barcode
A review by tsenko2
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
4.0
An excellent book, well worth reading if you love To Kill a Mockingbird and have any curiosity about Harper Lee.
The author delved deep into the lives and surroundings of the key characters in the trial. And while I respect an author who researches thoroughly, I fault Casey Cep and her editors for not tightening up this book. It wanders around and throws in many irrelevant facts. Which is great if you want a glimpse into the eradication of the Creek Nation or the building of dams in Alabama. Those are examples of the author straying off from the central premise of the book. A serial killer, a vigilante and Harper Lee are more than enough for any single book to cover. This could easily have been a five star book if the author had maintained greater focus.
I’m also not crazy about the ambiguity of the title. “...Trial of Harper Lee” can be misconstrued as Harper Lee being a defendant on trial. It actually refers to her observing a trial for the purpose of writing a book about it.
The author delved deep into the lives and surroundings of the key characters in the trial. And while I respect an author who researches thoroughly, I fault Casey Cep and her editors for not tightening up this book. It wanders around and throws in many irrelevant facts. Which is great if you want a glimpse into the eradication of the Creek Nation or the building of dams in Alabama. Those are examples of the author straying off from the central premise of the book. A serial killer, a vigilante and Harper Lee are more than enough for any single book to cover. This could easily have been a five star book if the author had maintained greater focus.
I’m also not crazy about the ambiguity of the title. “...Trial of Harper Lee” can be misconstrued as Harper Lee being a defendant on trial. It actually refers to her observing a trial for the purpose of writing a book about it.