Death Row: The Final Minutes: My life as an execution witness in America's most infamous prison

by Michelle Lyons

In 12 years, Michelle Lyons witnessed nearly 300 executions.

First as a reporter and then as a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Michelle was a frequent visitor to Huntsville's Walls Unit, where she recorded and relayed the final moments of death row inmates' lives before they were put to death by the state.

Michelle was in the death chamber as some of the United States' most notorious criminals, including serial killers, child murderers and rapists, spoke their last words on earth, while a cocktail of lethal drugs surged through their veins.

Michelle supported the death penalty, before misgivings began to set in as the executions mounted. During her time in the prison system, and together with her dear friend and colleague, Larry Fitzgerald, she came to know and like some of the condemned men and women she saw die. She began to query the arbitrary nature of the death penalty and ask the question: do executions make victims of all of us?

An incredibly powerful and unique look at the complex story of capital punishment, as told by those whose lives have been shaped by it, Death Row: The Final Minutes is an important take on crime and punishment at a fascinating point in America's political history.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Audiobook, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2018

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle Lyons' theme song could be "We shall not be moved". It takes a lot to get her going, and executions just don't do it. Getting fired unfairly does, that she's passionate about. You'd think it would be the other way round wouldn't you?

This is two books in one. The first is the author as an execution witness. It's interesting but she is such a dispassionate person that it's not involving. The second is the author being fired because she preferred blunt honesty than falsification for the sake of a corrupt politician. Never a wise thing to go against the establishment, as she learned. But ultimately, as in all the best fairy stories, right prevailed and everyone lived happily ever after

except the executed of course.

Totally rewritten Nov 2019

[Rowan MacDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

“If a person could hear their own coffin being closed over them, it would sound like a cell door”

Morbid curiosity caused me to start flicking through Michelle Lyons’ Death Row. 40 pages later, I found myself somewhat hooked and unable to drag myself away from this crazy world.

Unfortunately, Lyons soon comes across cold and arrogant. I initially ignored this, considering these traits perhaps necessary for her in handling being witness to so many executions (around 280). The gnarly anecdotes and stories somewhat distracted me from her personality. Sometimes I was reminded that the craziest in society are not in prisons, but living among us – like who the hell buys the toenail clippings of serial killers?

Death Row inevitably comes across like a memoir purely written for the author’s own therapeutic purposes – both the processing of workplace events that left her with trauma, and the grieving process associated with losing her mentor, Larry Fitzgerald. Larry would probably have written a far more interesting and balanced book – he seemed quite the character. As it is, Death Row is a book that seemingly doesn’t know what it wants to be. If you solely picked up the book thinking it would be about death row inmates, then you may be disappointed with its self-indulgent nature.

The book is understandably filled with people going through the worst in life – whether it be victims’ families or the inmates themselves being executed. Despite being witness to this, Lyons displays a fascinating level of self-centeredness:

“I had to trade my car, a big SUV”

The author has a serious chip on her shoulder towards many and this takes over the second-half of the book.

“I was arguing all the time”

This made for tedious reading and was hard to digest when written alongside human suffering on the levels of murder victims and executed inmates. At one point, she legit starts talking about who blocked and de-friended on her Facebook! The entire book gets swallowed up in various forms of politics, personal vendettas and petty grievances – she even makes point to mention stealing a stapler.

Sure, I may remember some of the more unusual aspects of the book, like:

- A contraband search finding a small jar of black widow spiders, which an inmate planned to try milking for their venom, to enhance a shank.

- An inmate spitting out a key to his handcuffs, just as the lethal injection took hold.

- A guy gouging out his own eye and eating it while on death row (after previously gouging out and eating his other eye in county jail)

And it educated me on the inconsistency of capital punishment in the US (which was a key reason for reading):

- Law of parties – involving the person who pulled the trigger receiving a life sentence (after dobbing-in accomplices and striking deal), while person who was known not to have pulled trigger gets death sentence.

- Millions of dollars are spent by the time an inmate is on the gurney.

But ultimately, my memory of this book will be how the author’s ego hijacked it all.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book for the most part, to be rather interesting, in a morbid kind of way, and it was my raging curiosity that led me to buy it. The book contains shifting views from two individuals that worked in communication within this line of work. While there was many interesting snippets of information here, it was pretty frustrating at times to follow, and the actual writing wasn't anything special.

There is a rather a large section covered by Lyons, where she talks about her lawsuit that she filed against the prison system. This was pretty dull, and I doubt it needed to be included.

I noticed that Lyons throughout this read, seems to constantly defend herself, saying that everything isn't her fault, which makes it obvious to the reader that she wasn't completely okay with what she was involved in. I cannot begin to comprehend how difficult Lyons found her job to be on daily basis, but she could have easily walked away from it.

The death penalty is always going to be a controversial subject, and a difficult one, at that, but it is interesting to read about it from an individual that worked with the system.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tough but incredible read.
This memoir recounts Lyons experiences whilst working as a reporter, then a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice between 2000 - 2012.

During that time Lyons witnessed nearly 300 executions, I felt that the subject matter was handled with a delicate understanding and care.
It certainly gave me a better understanding of the American justice system.

Reading more like a compilation of case notes meant the narrative was a little uneven at times, it does give a stark realism to her experiences tough.
The prose was easy to read and wasn’t too preachy, such an insightful book!

[Robyn Ghafoor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is one of the most frustrating I have ever read and I'm really disappointed as I really had high hopes for it. First of all the author of this book is just something else, I have never come across an individual so lacking in emotion and as self entitled as this. She goes on about people showing emotion at executions as weak individuals, as if they're somehow beneath her, but then when she decides to start being affected by them and showing what little emotion she has then everyone else has to follow suit. It seems to me like everyone she has ever had contact with is somehow beneath her; people with emotion, TV journalists, anyone she has ever had a relationship with. I really enjoyed the individual cases and stories about the inmates but I felt there wasn't enough information and I had to stop reading to go and research on my own. I also enjoyed the parts that were written by Larry who comes across as far warmer a person than the author.

[Mark Porton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am in two minds about this book - Death Row, The Final Minutes, My life as an execution witness in America’s most infamous prison, by Michelle Lyons. Michelle Lyons witnessed almost 300 executions in the Huntsville Unit, the home of the State of Texas’ execution chamber. Lyons witnessed these in two roles – initially she was a reporter, I’ve learned the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has an allocation for reporters in the public viewing room and secondly, she was a spokesperson for TDCJ, both roles covered a period of around 12 years. I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and the author also narrated the bulk of this story.

I really enjoyed the author’s easy, conversational style which included appropriate profanities which didn’t feel out of place considering the subject matter. Michelle spent considerable time with the inmates of death row, and this is the part I found interesting. I wanted to know more about these people, where they ‘animals’ were they people who made wrong decisions? Truth is, it seems there was a small number of true psychopaths who were unpleasant to talk to and be with who didn’t possess any endearing qualities at all, but there were a cohort who seemed to be people who, admittedly committed horrific crimes (unless innocent), were humans who made shocking decisions and/or ended up in terribly difficult situations. I really enjoyed that aspect of this story, to hear their stories and how they ended up on death row was fascinating. Also, what type of prisoners they became and how they handled their final ordeal, including their last meals and the walk into the execution room and being strapped onto the gurney and receiving their final lethal injection.

The most confronting element of this book for me was the reactions of the families of (a) the victim and (b) the perpetrator. This particularly applied to the Mothers on both sides, the TDCJ had paper thin walls between the viewing boxes of both groups of people (who never saw each other) but they could be heard. The description of the Mothers of the condemned howling and banging on the glass for everyone to hear was absolutely terrible. Surely that can’t be good for anyone?
One big message delivered by this book was – There seem to be no winners in this whole death penalty process.

My main criticism of this book involved the last part whereby the author, in my view, became a tad self-indulgent and spent considerable time criticising management, the culture and several decisions of the department – which had an impact on the author, admittedly - but it went on for a bit too long. For me, this wasn’t the purpose of this book and detracted from the main theme of learning about the inmates and their stories. That was the point wasn’t it?

My view on capital punishment? I am against it, largely because innocent people can be charged and convicted of heinous crimes and this has been proven over the years with the advent of DNA testing. I couldn’t imagine being condemned to death and being innocent.

An interesting and solid read.

3 Stars

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book about life as a journalist covering the Texas prison scene, and more specifically death row inmates. I found it fraught with honesty and was impressed upon how the author made a name for herself in a very male dominated work environment.

The authors story covers how she began in earnest covering local crime news and progressed to witnessing the execution of hundreds of death row inmates in the execution capital of America. As a British reader, I’ve always found it utterly fascinating how America treats its criminals. From a personal perspective, having corresponded extensively with a death row inmate living on the infamous Polunsky Unit, it offered a glimpse into what I wasn’t told and what can be expected when my pen pal is eventually executed (he isn’t mentioned in this book, however).
My only slight niggle is the authors scepticism about why women write to condemned inmates. Unlike some, I have absolutely no romantic relationship with the inmate in question and only correspond on a platonic level. For others interested in doing the same, I use www.writeaprisoner.com. It’s an excellent resource providing support and friendship to inmates whether they are serving life, a few months or have been condemned to death.

The author poses lots of interesting theories about the death penalty and it’s place in modern society. This is an excellent read for those interested in criminology, forensic psychology and suchlike.

[Amanda Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't anywhere near as good as I was hoping it was going to be. Hearing about executions is interesting but this book lacked the structure and writing skills, which is surprising considering Michelle Lyons was a journalist for quite a few years. It had no real structure, it was all over the place and there were far too many people in the book to keep track of.

[Elizabeth Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept, but lacking in execution (pardon the pun).

Michelle Lyons is from Texas, but the book uses British English, which is quite jarring when the events take place in the south. This book was published by a British house, but it seems an odd choice, especially with no explanation.

I'm not sure how much of the book was written by Ms. Lyons, as she acknowledges a ghost writer. But the writing is nothing special.

The backstories of the inmates and the details of their executions are interesting. The stories of Ms. Lyons' deteriorating work environment and lawsuit against the prison system are not.

The book also described an inmate as "intellectually retarded." She wrote that down. On paper. It's 2018.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is neither an autobiography or crime book but sits uneasily between the two before it veers into a rant about the author’s employment issues. Whilst she was treated unfairly, these take up a fair chunk of the book and so it moves completely away from it’s title. She also seems to have a very negative opinion & shows prejudice against us Europeans (we’re not allowed a different opinion to hers or the American Way) and at one point thinks it’s really funny when her boss and sidekick tells two french journalists that are caught in a rainstorm that this must be the first bath they would have had in 10 years?!? Mind you, this is also a woman who calls an inmate retarded.

[Abbie (boneseasonofglass) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay read. Not as engrossing as I’d have imagined for someone who has viewed over 300 executions and described herself as someone who has been “intimately close with death”, many times with the inmates themselves. There were indeed some interesting characters as well as morbid tales of some truly horrific criminals, but a lot of the writing was disjointed and comes across more as an author writing this book for therapeutic purposes rather than to make it as engaging and interesting as possible for the reader.

I really can’t understand why Ms. Lyons felt obligated to do so much soul-searching that it seemed as if there were just as many chapters spent focusing on her ax to grind with the TDCJ, the reason she’s been divorced twice and sucks at romantic relationships, how her unique and “quirky” personality traits are often just misunderstood by others as arrogant and uncaring, blah blah blah, as there were chapters about the actual impact of the death penalty on the condemned men (along with very few women), the inmate’s families, and the victim’s families.

It was a bit odd as well that she claims to be able to now understand the death penalty from “a very personal take”, supposedly after the stepdaughter of her second ex-husband is shot dead in the face after a drug deal gone bad, a stepdaughter whom she herself describes her relationship with as “not particularly close, had not been around her a ton, because she had only come back into my husband’s life a year or so earlier.”

Yet somehow the very next sentence she appears to snatch the girl’s biological mother’s grief as her own: “My worst fear as a parent was being played out in front of me. And watching my husband go through all that pain and suffering was harrowing and heartbreaking in equal measure.”

Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for her worse fear as a parent to have been played out if it had been her own daughter from her first marriage (who I now I believe would be around 20 years old) that had been shot, rather than her second husband’s daughter that she seemingly had limited interaction with?

It’s just strange because she is decidedly anti- death penalty for many of the convicted killers she’s met who she’s been convinced are rehabilitated and no longer pose a future threat to society - yet these crimes are arguably more horrific and personal than the death of her stepdaughter - which, while still tragic, wouldn’t have come about had she not been an active participant in the drug deal as well. That is NOT to say by any means she deserved it, but if you’re going to make a case for who is a more heinous killer, a guy who raped, tortured and murdered a teenage girl simply walking to school, vs. a young adult who had likely ripped off a drug dealer... well, I think you can see where I’m going with this.

Also, while she remarks that “if their 17 year old daughter (anti-death penalty advocates) was shot in the face and killed, how would they cope knowing that her killer’s life was spared? I know, from personal experience, that it is a bitter pill to swallow.”

Meanwhile, the actual father of the girl, through his sorrow, develops a serious drug habit immediately following her death. How did the author cope with this? ”I would not tolerate this in my house. We divorced in no time at all, and I haven’t seen him since.” Wow. Ok then.

I agree with another reviewer who mentioned that had the book been written from another person’s viewpoint, such as her mentor Larry Fitzgerald who passed away in 2017, it likely would have been much more enjoyable, told in devastatingly tragic yet beautiful words - without the irritating self-absorbed complaining sprinkled all throughout its chapters.

Because it’s still an interesting and quick read, I’d recommend it, but only if you’re quite interested in the subject matter, and more importantly, able to take the author’s incessant, needless arrogance and immaturity. Sad, because it could have been a much more interesting, enlightening book if not for this major flaw.

I plan to edit this review later; hard to type one when someone is attempting to have a conversation with you at the same time. 😬

[Chloe Reads Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS
I really wanted to like this book more than I eventually did. I read this for my book club, Chloe's Crime Scene Corner, and it does present a very interesting perspective to capital punishment. I found this book to be more of a dive into the bureaucracy of the prison system in Huntsville Texas, whereas the blurb gave me the impression we'd be having more of an in-depth look into specific prisoners and their crimes, before their eventual execution. I felt like a lot of things were repeated multiple times throughout the book. I was going to give it 2 stars, but that epilogue was a slight redemption.

[Rob Twinem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing Michelle Lyons acts as a go between for the Huntsvilles Walls unit in Texas and press, families etc. Essentially Death Row is a chronicle of the time she spent there, the prisoners executed and the people she knew. The novel reads like a diary as she recalls those awaiting death by injection and explains how attached she became to so many. There are some interesting facts such as the number of executions greatly increased under the Bush presidency and delays of up to 20 years before most residents could expect their final meal in preparation for that unavoidable meeting with their creator. I find it difficult to write a review on this book as it is essentially just a record of her time at the unit, how it affected both herself and her immediate family (she was divorced twice) and how she was forced to retire due to intimation and bullying. 

[angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about seeing the humanity in others, plain and simple. It doesn't matter what your view on the death penalty is, but shows a history of how Michelle's views morphed as she grew older and gained new perspectives in life. She focuses on the inmates as people, not monsters (well, not all of them at least). I thoroughly enjoyed her story, as she has an extremely rare view on the subject of the death penalty.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started slow but stick with it, it gets better.
Sometimes a little personal and self opinionated but the brings it back in.
I love the segments on the inmates themselfs I would have liked to have seen more of the inmates in their own words but over all a good book.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Lubię przekopywać bazę empik go i szukać dziwnych tytułów, bo ten rytuał prowadzi mnie do chociażby takich pozycji! Nie do końca wiedziałam, na co się piszę i nie do końca jestem usatysfakcjonowana. Owszem, książka ma mocny wydźwięk - w końcu autorka latami obserwowała egzekucje, pisała o tym i jej życie dosłownie kręciło się wokół oglądania śmierci. Zrobiło dużo dobrego dla więziennictwa w Teksasie, ale jakim kosztem.

Ale jest też dość chaotyczna, zwłaszcza w drugiej połowie, gdzie historie o skazańcach przeplatają się z problemami w pracy, sądzeniem się z byłą firmą i życiem osobistym - ta część mnie zgubiła, bo zwyczajnie się w tym chaosie pogubiłam. Więc tak - bardzo fajna pozycja, ciekawa i zapewne nietuzinkowa, ale mogłaby być trochę lepiej dopracowana.

[Bookworm86 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for 'Death Row The final minutes' by Michelle Lyons

Borrowed from local library

This book was an OK read, especially if you are interested in the Prison system. It covers the controversial subject of Death row and includes both the victim and convicteds views.

The book itself includes Michelle's story from reporter to spokesperson as well as Larry's perspectives. Larry hired Michelle and they became good friends.

I picked this book up from the library as I thought there would be more interviews and more information from the inmates. I understand that sounds morbid, but I recently read 'The Prison Doctor' and was hoping it would be more like that.

I didn't actually think that it was that well written, however I did read it all so it couldn't have been that bad!! It did bore me on occasions as she seems to go off on a tangent in places and seems to be constantly trying to convince herself that 'it wasn't her fault' and that she was just a witness.

There were several parts of the book that did interest me and that I feel may stay with me for a while. Death sentencing will always be a hot topic and it was interesting that Michelle did point out how it would feel from both sides of the law.

The book includes photos of inmates as well as other logs. I won't go into my feelings of the death penalty although I do disagree with them deciding to stop the last meal request.

I felt like I was enjoying Larry's input more than Michelle's in several places as he seemed to be more open. There were several parts of the book that made me laugh, curious, fascinated and sad.

Overall I have decided to give this book a rating of 3/5 (3 BEING I THOUGHT IT WAS OK) on Goodreads and Amazon.
I would recommend this book to fans of crime, law and the justice system.

£3.99 to purchase on kindle

#DeathRowTheFinalMinutes

[Tracy Shephard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous read and one that stirred emotions and thoughts that I never thought I had.

Michelle Lyons witnessed over 300 deaths. The men and women sentenced to death by the state of Texas were sometimes the worst that society had bred, some were just unfortunate to have been given a death sentence for a crime that in other places would have justified a life sentence and others... well.. the thing this book does best is that it gives the reader a chance to decide for themselves.

The process of a death sentence is sensitively told, but what's more is that each of these people are given a respectful and quiet representation, and even though their crimes are the most heinous, they are all portrayed as people first, and their personalities and their characters are told with some affection. 

That said, in no way does the author try to preach, her own views and reasons for them are strongly given. Her life among this people along with the friends..and enemies she has made throughout her career are interesting and fascinating. 

Her job has forged a life for her that would have been a lot different if she had for instance been doctor or something else, and her story is well worth a read.

I was left with the notion that everyone she came into contact with was all the better for having known her and the compassion she had shown them, at least gave them a moment of joy. 

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be sooooo my kind of job! Took me slightly longer to read as I wanted to take everything in rather than skim read it. Fantastic insight to what happens at a correctional facility & how the condemned are prepared to meet their makers.

[Karen Tippett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review title: Meh.
DNF after 1/3. Just not really that interesting. Mostly it's about how tough the author is and how she was unfazed by anything she witnessed. Did we mention she's young? Because she's young. And female.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Badly written, a wasted opportunity.

[Ruthy lavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating and extremely well written.
An easy 4 stars ⭐️

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a disturbing, unsettling and challenging book. But it is a must read. I was sickened by the tales of the crimes of violence. Being around violence and people who committed horrid acts, even without the executions, has to affect you. There’s a strange contradiction: an ostensible self-reflection and awareness of the impact of her job, an apparent admission that came late in her life that witnessing all the executions affected her. But then Lyons undercuts this awareness by saying it hasn’t really affected and she is fine. It’s clear that she has been affected in more ways that she yet realises. Surely the ghost writer could see this? No wonder her boss developed an alcohol problem!!!

Whatever your view on capital punishment, you should read this. There are more victims than the victim of the crime and the executed felon. Witnesses and those involved in the process are also victims.

With all the flaws in the system Lyons witnessed, and the denial of humanity, she still supports capital punishment. This book, however, confirmed my opposition to state killing as a punishment.

[David Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book would open up the moral debate around executing prisoners. I wanted to read about dubious cases where the life and crimes of an inmate are laid bare and we would see the many shades of grey around criminal justice and its process. I was expecting to read about the humanity found amongst the people involved in the gruelling task of taking another person's life.

There are elements of these factors that I wanted to read about in the book, however what I received instead was one journalist's take on a career working for the Texas department of criminal justice.

And I just don't care. I realised far too late in the book that it was an autobiography. I've no doubt that she has led a notable life, but she never fully presents an argument for or against the death penalty. She even states this herself. She also comes across as completely devoid of warmth and compassion, and looks down upon individuals who are emotionally moved by the death of an inmate.

Perhaps if she spent more time talking about the humanity and the moral dilemma surrounding the death penalty, rather than how great her job was, then it would be a better read.

[Danni (_forbookssake) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Death Row: The Final Minutes was a book that I had been looking forward to reading for a long time, and overall, I was rather let down.

The cases and information on the death row inmates that Michelle Lyons had known was extremely interesting to read, and I did enjoy that aspect of the book. However, those were few and far between, and I really wish she’d spent more time on them. Instead, the author made this book more about herself than the inmates. She came across as extremely cold hearted, with a massive ego, who had a vendetta against a system who she felt had wronged her.

This book had so much potential to be a fascinating and insightful true crime book, but I felt that the author destroyed all chances of that with her own awful attitude.

[Victoria Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Working as a journalist and then as a spokesperson for the prison system, Michelle Lyon’s witnessed almost 300 executions in Texas in 12 years.

This non-fiction book is her reflection on that time, the people she saw put to death and her feelings on a system that is based on the idea that murder is acceptable - as long as it’s state sanctioned.

This was well written, interesting and thought provoking and I enjoyed my time reading it.

The death penalty is such a complex topic but it was fascinating to see what the process involves and to have the perspective of someone who has dealt with it up close.

If you can handle the topic then I’d recommend this one - big thanks to Kayla for sending it my way!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read plenty of books about prison life and inmates on Death Row but this was like nothing I have read before. A complete insight into the lives of people on Death Row, from last meal requests to their last statements in life. The last words they will ever utter in their lives.

Michelle was a journalist and got the opportunity to witness hundreds of executions, being with the families of the condemned, and recording the last statement, the length of time it took the convicted to die. As she worked with these people over a number of years, she did become friendly with some and that was interesting to read her thoughts on the person themselves, whether she thought they should be given the dealth penalty or not. There are also some passages from another journalist within the book, where he gives his views also on the various individuals on death row and their situations.

I only gave this 4 stars due to the fact that the book didn't seem to be in any particular order, and was a little chaotic. I would have preferred for each chapter to be a single prisoner, rather than multiple in one chapter as I felt that it was difficult to keep up with the reason for each person's incarceration, where if they were separated into chapters it would have read easier.

The final few chapters Michelle explains how she was mistreated by her employers which caused her to leave the job she loved, which then led to a court case for herself which was a complete turnaround and something not expected.

Overall, an enjoyable and fascinating read.

[Zsófi Németh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I would have preferred more objective facts, more interesting details about the mental state of the inmates, their last meals, thoughts, behavior during the execution. I had to sadly experience that this book more of a mea culpa, when the author tries to justify her “job” by defending it all the time: “not my fault, it’s just a job I have to do, I am tough” so she clearly was not okay with it, from the memories of her childhood is obvious that she had some real pressure on her to succeed in what she does. Later on she has some good insights about her own behavior and maybe she could see how ridiculous was what she was doing but I don’t think that this personal problem should be written down in a book what is about “the final minutes” of inmates.
Because although you can find some great information and shocking detail (in a good way) in which you might be interested since you bought it, and how her own emotions unfold through the book is quite refreshing to read, not too monotonous, the self defense and her projections (everyone is weak but she’s the statue of being the toughest person ever existed, just to please her father) really really irritating and it makes you to just skip pages all the time.

Overall I gave 3 stars because of the interesting insights and photos, letters.

[Boadicea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally offensive in practically every way.
Lyons begins by saying she is impartial, but she reads, at least at first, as very pro death penalty, and insults and belittles anti-death penalty reporters and campaigners. 'It showed bias and a lack of empathy...' but she shows no empathy to anyone. She's proud of having no feelings and the way she continually paints herself as an objective observer when she is anything but is a little sickening and very irritating. Anyone who thinks like her is wonderfully objective, any one anti capital punishment is terrible, stupid or publicity seeking (and probably all three). In fact, you may only have an opinion on capital punishment if you're a Texan. Everyone else just 'didn't understand'. She also seems to have a hatred of Europeans, and stereotypes all of them in offensive ways.
There is also a lot of talk about her age - often complaining that other people talk a lot about her age.
A objective view of the death penalty would be fascinating, but this isn't it. This seems to be a rant about how hard done by she is, wrapped up in something she though other people would be more interested in, but clearly all about herself.
Best avoided.