What do you think?
Rate this book
Acquittal: An Insider Reveals the Stories and Strategies Behind Today's Most Infamous Verdicts
October 3, 1995. The shocking outcome of the O.J. Simpson trial leaves a nation divided. July 5, 2011. Casey Anthony walks free despite being convicted by millions on cable news and social media.
There are times when something as supposedly simple as a just verdict rises to the level of cultural touchstone. Often these moments hinge on logic that seems flawed and inexplicable—until now. In Acquittal , leading trial consultant Richard Gabriel explains how some of the most controversial verdicts in recent times came to be.
Drawing on more than twenty-eight years of experience, Gabriel provides firsthand accounts of his work on high-profile cases, from the tabloid trials of Casey Anthony, O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector, and Heidi Fleiss to the political firestorms involving Enron and Whitewater. An expert on court psychology and communications, Gabriel offers unique insights on defendants, prosecutors, judges, witnesses, journalists, and the most important people in the the jury.
Through play-by-play breakdowns of the proceedings, Gabriel reveals the differences between a court of law and the court of public opinion, the convoluted mechanics behind jury selection, strategies for creating a careful balance of evidence and doubt, and the difficulties of providing a fair trial in the digital age. Along the way, Gabriel raises hard questions about not only the legal system but about the possibility of justice in an oversaturated media landscape.
The courtroom is a natural theater. The stakes are high. The roles are all too familiar. And there is always the chance of a twist ending. Acquittal is a revelatory guide to this riveting, frustrating, fascinating world—the most unpredictable drama in American life.
There are times when something as supposedly simple as a just verdict rises to the level of cultural touchstone. Often these moments hinge on logic that seems flawed and inexplicable—until now. In Acquittal , leading trial consultant Richard Gabriel explains how some of the most controversial verdicts in recent times came to be.
Drawing on more than twenty-eight years of experience, Gabriel provides firsthand accounts of his work on high-profile cases, from the tabloid trials of Casey Anthony, O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector, and Heidi Fleiss to the political firestorms involving Enron and Whitewater. An expert on court psychology and communications, Gabriel offers unique insights on defendants, prosecutors, judges, witnesses, journalists, and the most important people in the the jury.
Through play-by-play breakdowns of the proceedings, Gabriel reveals the differences between a court of law and the court of public opinion, the convoluted mechanics behind jury selection, strategies for creating a careful balance of evidence and doubt, and the difficulties of providing a fair trial in the digital age. Along the way, Gabriel raises hard questions about not only the legal system but about the possibility of justice in an oversaturated media landscape.
The courtroom is a natural theater. The stakes are high. The roles are all too familiar. And there is always the chance of a twist ending. Acquittal is a revelatory guide to this riveting, frustrating, fascinating world—the most unpredictable drama in American life.
- GenresNonfictionTrue CrimeLaw
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2014
4 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 3, 2015
Fascinating book by a trial consultant who worked on both the OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony defense teams. A much better book than the review score would lead you to believe. If the Amazon reviews are any indicator, most people who are giving this book 1 star are doing so because they find the author's profession unethical.
March 18, 2018
This book is not a lurid, sensationalist retelling of high profile court cases in the US but it is shocking. It is so disheartening to read about the support and safety nets available to the wealthy who commit crimes. This book describes the efforts which trial consultants go to to secure an acquittal for their clients. It left me seething with anger for the victims. If only the same time, manipulation, and money could be directed towards achieving justice for the victims. I felt somewhat dirty reading this knowing that the families of OJ's ex-wife and Phil Spector's victim Lana Clarkson never got the same assistance in their fight for justice. The book is well written and presents the facts of this distasteful side of the US justice system in a clear and comprehensive manner.
November 16, 2014
I found this to be a fascinating book, providing real insight into 5 high profile cases, including the OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony trials.
The part about picking a jury was really insightful and is something that I'm sure most people don't think about. All in all, a really great book.
The part about picking a jury was really insightful and is something that I'm sure most people don't think about. All in all, a really great book.
February 3, 2015
Pretty good. Gabriel is a jury picker. He tells the stories of 6 high-profile cases he's been involved in. Lots of interesting information.
July 25, 2014
This was a highly repetitive written commercial for trial consultants.
November 26, 2021
Read it, but it didn't really keep my attention.
February 8, 2021
I think there are two listings for this book, with the other being "Acquittal: An Insider Reveals the Stories and Strategies Behind Today's Most Infamous Verdicts." I'm not sure if there are differences between these two versions or if the subtitle is the only difference.
One major issue I had with this book is that there was no concluding chapter. The book ends with the author finding out the verdict of the Casey Anthony trial, the last trial he details in the book. It really needed a conclusion chapter to wrap everything up and give the reader some key takeaways from the book. Hopefully in the other version of the book, they added that. I also found some of the details from some of the cases a bit unnecessary. For example, there were a lot of details provided regarding the Jim Guy Tucker case, and I'm not sure all of that was necessary for what this book was trying to do.
I did find it really interesting to hear about some of the different things lawyers and trial consultants can do to try to learn about the environment they're working with, such as holding mock trials and the surveys they can conduct. I understand why the author focused on high-profile trials. As other reviews have mentioned, those trials are likely some of the only ones with trial consultants. However, if the author had worked on less high-profile cases, I would have liked to have heard about some of those, as well.
Overall, I learned some interesting things from this book, and I'm glad I read it. It had its issues, but I would recommend it to people who have an interest in true crime or learning about different aspects of the justice system or jury trials.
One major issue I had with this book is that there was no concluding chapter. The book ends with the author finding out the verdict of the Casey Anthony trial, the last trial he details in the book. It really needed a conclusion chapter to wrap everything up and give the reader some key takeaways from the book. Hopefully in the other version of the book, they added that. I also found some of the details from some of the cases a bit unnecessary. For example, there were a lot of details provided regarding the Jim Guy Tucker case, and I'm not sure all of that was necessary for what this book was trying to do.
I did find it really interesting to hear about some of the different things lawyers and trial consultants can do to try to learn about the environment they're working with, such as holding mock trials and the surveys they can conduct. I understand why the author focused on high-profile trials. As other reviews have mentioned, those trials are likely some of the only ones with trial consultants. However, if the author had worked on less high-profile cases, I would have liked to have heard about some of those, as well.
Overall, I learned some interesting things from this book, and I'm glad I read it. It had its issues, but I would recommend it to people who have an interest in true crime or learning about different aspects of the justice system or jury trials.
March 15, 2015
I think my vague dislike of this book was caused by how often the author repeated himself, and how he seemed to talk down to his audience.
The first 50 pages or so were really boring, and it was as if the author was trying to prove how many legal words he knows.
When I finally got to the parts about the trials he's been involved in, it was pretty interesting to see how jury selection and the legal process actually works, but (and this is probably just an issue for me personally), I had a hard time caring about what a guy who helped select the juries who acquitted both OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony had to say.
The first 50 pages or so were really boring, and it was as if the author was trying to prove how many legal words he knows.
When I finally got to the parts about the trials he's been involved in, it was pretty interesting to see how jury selection and the legal process actually works, but (and this is probably just an issue for me personally), I had a hard time caring about what a guy who helped select the juries who acquitted both OJ Simpson and Casey Anthony had to say.
February 25, 2015
Repetative and jargon dense. I followed the OJ Simpson case closely and found that part interesting but slightly confusing at the technical aspects that he was describing. It almost seems as if he's trying to show off his legal intelligence. It would have been better if he would have stuck to the facts instead of the "I contributed with...." or "I suggested that...." etc.
January 30, 2016
Stresses the importance of jury selection.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews