Gone in the Night

by David Protess

The anxiously awaited chronicle of a case that received major national media coverage--in which a father was wrongly accused of murdering his daughter--by David Protess, the award-winning investigative journalist who broke the story. An electrifying true crime story.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

484 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1993

Reviews

[Sarah D Bunting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Workmanlike. Film verzh is more efficient.

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot done wrong in this case: sloppy police work, possible political gain foot those involved in the case, stories painting a bias against the parents. Now I don't like that these issues exist in some cases of the justice system but they do happen sometimes. I rarely like when only one side is the focus in crime books; having a look at both sides makes me feel like I have a more thorough understanding. In the case of this book I understand why one side was focused on since there was an obvious lack of any evidence to prove guilt. If I was a juror I don't think I could convict either of the Dowalibys. I can't believe David Dowaliby was found guilty and Cynthia Dowaliby was secretly acquitted by the judge. It makes sense that people want someone to pay for the kidnapping and murder of Jacklyn Dowaliby but the evidence was just not there for a man to receive 45 years in a maximum security prison. I'm glad his appeal worked on getting him since convicting someone with so little evidence isn't right. All we can hope is that cases where there are obvious shortcomings in cases reveal that certain people are not guilty and that law enforcement and judges see that they need to be ever vigilant in their jobs.

[Nat PlainJanetheBookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a while to get through this one because admittedly I felt it to be quite an information overload. Especially in the courtroom or to do with the trial. From a readers perspective I think it can be difficult knowing how much to put in and leave out, and generally I love courtroom information, but this time it was too heavy/boring for me.

[A.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The miscarriage of justice that's covered in this book is astounding, and in this country, no less. Unfortunately, I'm not surprised. Apparently, a father losing his daughter to a child killer isn't enough torture--the "justice system" has to put him in prison.

[Erica Salcines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book but i'm not happy with the result in the case beacuse it shows a lack of justice. They should seek other evidence of who actually killed jaclyn.This is just one of many cases that have not been given justice.

[Aaron Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently checked out from the library *Gone in the Night*, which is the recounting of the botched investigation and prosecution of David Dowaliby for the kidnapping and murder of his 7-year old stepdaughter, Jaclyn. The book left a lasting impression on me years ago when I stumbled upon it during a bar exam study break in the downtown Orlando library. I was engrossed and read a good chunk of it, and it's probably what motivated me, at least somewhat, to attend law school in Chicago (with its history of bad policing and corrupt government officials).

The authors of the book, Rob Warden (*True Stories of False Confessions*; *Greylord* about the pay-for-justice corrupt Cook County judges case) and David Protess (*A Promise of Justice: The Eighteen-Year Fight to Save Four Innocent Men*, also with Warden) have a history with The Innocence Project out of Northwestern; again, probably contributed to my reasons for wanting to move to Chicago. If this book had been this thoroughly researched today, we'd probably be seeing the Dowaliby case as a Netflix follow-up to "Making a Murderer", as sloppy investigative work and biased and lazy media both contributed to the wrongful presumption that "the stepfather did it." The book's details and ability to recall from almost entirely primary sources is likewise astounding.

[Ellie Slager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was really good but it is a shame that a 7 year old was Murder. They thought it was the parents for the longest time. But it wasn’t though.

[Dortha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope they find out who killed her. The book never say who actually did it

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unfortunate reality of injustice in the American justice system. I found it very similar to John Grisham's true account, "The Innocent Man." In this case, the judge who placed an innocent man in jail was quoted as saying, "The truth is, trials suffer from the same problems humans have-imperfection. They don't always reach a correct result, but they do end disputes and, whatever happens, life goes on." (Judge Neville, quoted in "Gone in the Night")

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I flew through it in a little over a week. It is the true story of a kidnapping in Chicago and it is amazing to see all the screws up made by professionals. It makes me think about how carefully I should be doing my job.

[Patricia Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a touching story but it really dragged in spots.the police and crown prosicuters really messed up the case and twisted the witnesses stories.its a sad story of the murder and curuption of it.

[Christa]

I've tried to read this book twice, but it hits too close to home.