And the Sea Will Tell

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

A shocking true story of of murder on an a tiny tropical Island by the name of Palmyra. The story and the details of the trial are extremely well documented and I enjoyed being the extra person on the Jury and forming my own opinion of after reading and listening to all the evidence.

I enjoyed this read although it was extremely long winded and a little indulgent from the writers point of view, but seeing as Vincent Bugliosi had a front row seat at the trial I am sure writing this book was a passion and he felt he needed to get as much information as possible into the story.

An extremely complex story involving two couples who happen by chance to arrive together on the small uninhabited Island of Palmyra, each expecting to have the show more Island to themselves and to live for a while on this remote and exotic Island where time rolls slowly by but all is not what it seems and when years later a body is found on the island an Investigation leads to a trial of one of the couples.

This is one of those books where I enjoyed it but would be reluctant to recommend it to others as its not going to be everyone’s cup of tea but for readers who enjoy true crime stories where court trials are detailed and factual and the author goes to great pains to paint the picture of before and after then you may love this gripping story.

I had a hard copy and an audible version of this one and am thanking my lucky stars for both as the book is over 700 pages long and the audible helps get through this a little quicker although the narration was quite poorly done but I became used to the narrator as time went on.

I very nearly didn't read this one and as when the book arrived I was a bit irked to see that the Author’s name was in very large font while the title took second place in smaller font below the authors name and I felt this was a little indulgent of him as seemed to scream “ you should know who I am as I am”. (Which I didn't) Anyhow I did read the book and enjoyed it, extremely well written and researched and I did come to my own conclusion after ploughing though the evidence and Mr Bugliosi may well be glad I wasn’t a jury member at this trial.

An interesting and well written account but tbh could have done with being about 200 pages shorter and still lost nome of its appeal. show less

And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi is a 2006 W.W. Norton Company publication.

Last year I read a novel that might have been partly inspired by this true crime case. The author mentioned this book in her notes at the end of her novel, which triggered a memory of both this book and the made for television mini-series based on it. Although the novel jogged my memory- reminding me of the bare basics of this case, I had long forgotten the specifics. So, I thought I’d try to locate a copy of this book and re-read it sometime.

Though this edition was published in 2006- the book was originally published in early 1990s. The case in question began way back in the mid-1970s, when an affluent couple- Mac and Muff Graham took off on a long show more voyage aboard their sailboat- ‘The Sea Wind’- (this boat is actually called at ketch).

Apparently, Muff had a strong feeling of foreboding before embarking on this journey- and sadly, her intuitions proved correct.

Expecting the island of Palmyra to be uninhabited, the Graham’s were a bit irritated by the presence of Buck and Jennifer- a scrappy looking couple who were obviously ill prepared-the seaworthiness of their vessel is highly debatable- they are very low on provisions and are hanging around waiting for someone to bring them more supplies.

Meanwhile, the two couples would have to resign themselves to sharing the island. But, when the Graham’s go silent, not answering any attempts at communication, it raises serious questions. When Buck and Jennifer subsequently arrive in Hawaii aboard the Sea Wind attempting to pass the boat off as their own, they don’t fool anyone- and are eventually arrested for theft.

Years pass-

Then the skeletal remains of Muff Graham are discovered. Buck and Jennifer are arrested for murder- But they are tried separately.

This is where Bugliosi comes in. The attorney became a household name when he prosecuted Charles Manson. But at this time, he is trying to transition from prosecution to criminal defense -and this case would a good one bulk up his reputation- which is how he came to be Jennifer Jenkin’s attorney.

In this book, Bugliosi takes the reader through the entire case from start to finish. Although Bugliosi was a very good attorney- no matter what side of the debate- he is not exactly humble, and this comes through in the tone of this book. He is also verbose to the extreme. The book really should have been trimmed down by half- I’m not joking- because the author tended to go on long diatribes that made for dry reading at times.

Eventually, he gets down to brass tacks, leading to the ultimate courtroom showdown.

The argument was that Buck was guilty of murder- but Jennifer was totally clueless about it. Bugliosi was convinced of her innocence. But, even after reading this book twice now- I still don’t feel like we know the whole truth of what happened on that island.

To this day the body of Mac Graham has never surfaced…

Overall, despite being overly long this is a compelling murder mystery and a riveting courtroom drama.

3.5 stars show less

“It is said that the principal element that distinguishes a profession from a business is that in a profession, one’s primary obligation is to those he serves, not to himself.”
― Vincent Bugliosi, And the Sea Will Tell

I like a good True crime book every now and then and I had already read Bugliosi's book about OJ Simpson so I tried this one. It is extremely long and very wordy. It is also a creeper of a book, all together more of a creeper because you are reading non fiction.

So I had a few thoughts. The first one is that there was so much packed in here and some parts were more interesting then others. There was ALOT of courtroom jargon and some aspects of this book were extremely difficult to follow. I also did feel my mind show more wander at some of the more legal aspects of the book.

But it is exceptionally well written and just horrifying to read about. It is much different then his book about Simpson.

So yes it is a well written and interesting book but it is quite long and took me awhile. If you are a true crime fan you will most likely want to read this. show less

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!

This is another true story by the author of 'Helter Skelter' (which I have not read). It's an intresting story written colorfully and well. The characters are developed so as you have the impression of actually knowing them persoanlly. But beware, the primary author, Bugliosi, is a bit full of himself.