Perfect Justice: A True Crime Book

by Don Lasseter

Perfect Justice probes outrageous decisions by the Federal 9th Circuit Court in overturning death penalties. California Judge Donald A. McCartin, who sent nine men to death row, speaks out in fury when convicted child-killer Rodney Alcala’s verdict was overturned after twenty-three years. The book chronicles Alcala’s crimes and trials as well as the horrific murders committed by eight other killers who were sentenced by McCartin. The judge, called "Solomon with the sense of humor of Roy Bean reincarnated," provides a glimpse into his personal memoirs with a caustic insight into the appeals process and his encounters with rich and famous personalities. A must read for true-crime fans and those interested in the convoluted system of the appeals courts.

Genres: True Crime

322 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Don Lasseter has written five true crime books for Pinnacle plus 16 magazine articles that were reprinted in Pinnacle's anthology books about murders. In addition to being a crime writer, Mr. Lasseter is a WWII historian who frequently lectures on the subject in schools, at service clubs, and for veteran's groups. He accompanies his talks with slide packages titled "WWII, Then and Now", consisting of photos he took while actually retracing most major battles in Western Europe and in the South Pacific. Taking black and white combat photos with him, Mr. Lasseter laboriously searched for the exact spots on which the photographers stood and shot the same scenes as they look today. He accumulated over 1500 such pictures associated with various battles including the Normandy invasion, Battle of the Bulge, crossing the Rhine, taking Berlin, and other major engagements.

A native Californian, Mr. Lasseter resides in Orange County. He has served as guest lecturer in criminology classes at California State University, Fullerton. Hollywood history is Mr. Lasseter's third major interest. His personal library includes an extensive collection of movie books, and he takes pride in being able to name hundreds of old character actors whose faces are often seen in classic films. One day, Lasseter says, he will write books, both fiction and non-fiction, about the golden era of film production and the people involved.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grandma loaned me this book since the 'main character' is a judge who she played bridge with after he retired to Bass Lake. He was an interesting character. The book showcases one particular case that his death penalty sentence was reversed on but also devotes a few chapters to the judge's background (told from his own perspective) and then chapters on each of the other 8 men he sent to death row. It ends with a weird note by the author about how maybe the death penalty is stupid because it's too expensive (which I would agree with). Overall, I enjoyed the read because it was cool to learn about this friend of my grandparents and his chapters read very much like my grandpa's stories. But organizationally, I thought the author was a bit scattered. Like he couldn't decide if he wanted to be Truman Capote or Scott Turow. Content-wise this was a solid 4 star, but the writing and structure really threw me off.