And the Sea Will Tell (1991)

The first part of this book is very interesting - second half is overkill on the courtroom happenings. Haven't been able to finish over 200 pages of the courtroom proceedings... guess that explains why the author was the attorney. ( )

Two couples, both seeking solitude on a deserted Pacific Island, arrive at Palmyra Island in close succession. Only one couple survives to tell the story. Fugitive Buck Walker (using alias Roy Allen) and his girlfriend, Jennifer Jenkins, intend to live off the land out of reach of the authorities who are on the lookout for Buck. Avid sailor Mac Graham and his reluctant wife, Muff, aim to spend a year on their well-stocked, well-equipped boat. When Buck and Jennifer are discovered in Hawaii on the Graham's boat with no sign of the Grahams, the pair are tried for theft. Several years later, human remains are discovered on Palmyra Island and Buck and Jennifer are tried for murder.

Much like TV's Matlock, defense attorney Vincent Bugliosi, a former prosecutor, accepts cases only when he believes his client is innocent of the crime(s) with which they have been charged. After hearing Jennifer's story, Bugliosi believes she is innocent of murder. Bugliosi and co-counsel Len Weinglass take on her defense.

The book reveals what I've always suspected about Gilligan's Island. This remote Pacific island is no paradise. There is a sinister aspect to the island itself. The tension builds as other visitors to Palmyra come and go until only two couples are left. The suspense is sustained throughout the trials, first of Buck Walker, then of Jennifer Jenkins. The most appealing aspect of the book for me is the inside look at Bugliosi's legal strategy. Bugliosi starts with his summation and works backwards. He researches the background of every witness statement and piece of evidence. He scripts examinations, cross examinations, and motions. He anticipates what the prosecution will do and stays a step ahead of them. It's a fascinating look at the inner workings of the legal system. ( )

This is perhaps the best of Bugliosi's books, a masterpiece of the true crime genre. Bugliosi excels at blending the facts of the murders with descriptions of the legal prosecutions that follow. The legal element is fascinating and useful for the lawyer engaged in navigating the courts; but the crime facts are what compels the general reader. We feel the terror and helplessness of the victims especially in this case as they encounter a predatory couple they are without resources to defend against. Unlike most of Bugliosi's books, in this one he is the defense attorney and this role offers a unique perspective and something of a moral quandry for the career prosecutor who professes only to defend those accused when he personally believes in their innocence. The question is fairly presented in the book: is Bugliosi's client (the female partner in crime) truly innocent? The ambiguity adds an element of additional interest to the usual format of the true crime book where we know who is guilty from the get go. ( )

Captivating story well told. ( )

There is something about Vincent Bugliosi's writing that always brings me back. Along the same lines as Helter Skelter, Bugliosi uses his knowledge of true crime to spin a web of horror. Going to the Caribbean will never be quite the same again! ( )