Thank you to @celadonbooks and the author @danslepian for my copy. All thoughts are my own.

I interpret rules for a living. I know there is usually black and white and a grey, there’s bound to be anytime humans are involved. But I never really sat back and truly thought about how people tasked with putting guilty people away in jail, could knowingly put away innocent people, because it fit their narrative. This book highlights just that.

This book covers Dan Slepian’s involvement with six men. Dan is a producer for NBC Dateline and works with the men over the course of many years. However, one story is prominent, that of JJ Velazquez. JJ was convicted of murdering a NYC police officer, but always proclaimed his innocence. JJ’s case was by far the most difficult case Dan ever dealt with as there was so much information and paperwork involved. Dan never gave up, despite being emotionally drained, he was drawn to JJ and his case, and just wanted the best for the man. It was heartwarming and I love how it was written.

This book was written in a very compelling way. I really felt connected with Dan as a character and I enjoyed learning about his life and how he evolved over the years. There were many personal reflections and opportunities for the reader to feel connected. The plot was compelling and was nicely moved along by Dan’s personal glimpses into his own life though they never distracted from the cases that he was working on.

Fans of Dateline will enjoy this book as well because you will get a behind the scenes look at some of the cases from the episodes that occurred over the years.

If you want a book that will leave you satisfied but with so many questions, in the best possible way, then you really need to pick up this book. It really is that good.