Justice: Crimes, Trials and Punishments
 Dominick Dunne
 (Reviewer - Donald D'Haene)
 2003 Three Rivers Press
 ISBN: 0609809636

Essays written for Vanity Fair.

Associate Reviewer Donald D'Haene writes:

Is there anyone on the planet who didn't watch, at least in part, some coverage of the O. J. Simpson trial?

I know someone who had a front row seat! Dominick Dunne. That's what Judge Ito gave the author. & what a view it was.

I was fascinated, okay, addicted to the extensive coverage of that trial. I wanted more, more, more. & in Justice: Crimes, Trials and Punishments, Dunne delivers in spades. The newspaper & television coverage gave the “official” view. Dunne's take is the real deal.

Of the famous “They don't fit” glove debacle, Dunne suggests, “In a dazzling bit of showmanship, Simpson seized the moment and ran with it, just as if he had caught a pass and made an eighty-yard touchdown...That the gloves contained the blood of his deceased former wife appeared to be of no consequence to him.” (Pg. 235)

Dunne also relays information the media failed to report. For example, isn't it odd that Simpson would leave the following message on a cheerleader's answering machine the night of the murders, “Hey, Gretchen, sweetheart, it's Orenthal James, who is finally at a place in his life where he is, like, totally, totally unattached with everybody! Ha! Haa!” (Pg. 226)

Such passages are just the tip of the iceberg. It's important to note that this book is a collection of essays for Vanity Fair with updates. So if they appear repetitive, you probably subscribe to the magazine. But for the virgin Dunne reader, I'd start with this book. It's a quick, easy read.

I do think Dunne should have edited from essay to essay, as there are repeated names & facts from one to the next. Regardless, I can't think of another famous person I'd like to interview for his opinion on the world of the rich & famous. Dunne is a millionaire, hobnobs with his fellow kind, yet calls it like it is. Some suggest he dwells in the land of good versus evil. I suggest, Dunne travels by gut instinct. His honesty is refreshing.

Dunne doesn't only cover the OJ trial, he writes about the Claus von Bulow & Lyle & Erik Menendez cases as well as others. But the most moving by far is the murder of Dunne's daughter, the actress Dominique Dunne, by her ex-boyfriend, who walked away with a pitifully light sentence thanks to the extremes taken by his defense lawyer, & the vanity of the judge. You think people criticized Judge Ito, wait until you read how smarmy the vain judge was in the Dunne case.

Justice: Crimes, Trials and Punishments isn't everyone's cup of tea, but its readers are sure to acknowledge Dunne has reinforced the concept that justice is a relative term. & for those of us who don't get Court TV this is the next best thing.

More from Dominick Dunne:
The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
Season in Purgatory
People Like Us
An Inconvenient Woman & more.
(10/19/03)

Donald
2003©Donald D'Haene
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
My most important work to date is my memoir, Father's Touch [Author web site: www.fatherstouch.com] Do check out Rebecca's Interview with me.

I have been freelance writing since 1988. My short stories can be found in The Good Life (2000) & Memories of Elgin and Middlesex(2000). I am also an actor with Armstrong Talent in Toronto, Canada.

A short film is being produced [Phat Puppy Productions] based on the first chapter of Father's Touch. It will submitted to film festivals around the world. As well, this fall, Canada's W Network will air a half hour segment of their series, Family Secrets, based on the author's life & story.

I live in London, Ontario, with my partner, Maurice, my mother, & our three Siamese cats, Kyle, Bach-Pierre, Maxine & a cockatiel, Jay.