Problem of Evidence: How the Prosecution Freed O. J. Simpson

Only two of the O.J. trial books are really essential reads: Lawrence Schiller's, and this one. Anyone who professes to be "outraged" by the verdict MUST READ THIS. You will still be outraged when you finish ... at all the TV and print media who downplayed much of the evidence that was plainly presented in the courtroom and then had the nerve to blast the jury for returning the only verdict a reasonable person could. Unlike Dominick Dunne, Bosco covered the trial like a real journalist and not a dilettante. The result is many fascinating and unsettling nuggets and factoids. Such as: the truly mercenary nature of the Brown family (Lou Brown had the audacity to lie about not getting child support while O.J. was in jail); the clear evidence that more than one person was directly involved and the unlikeliness that any of the killers were Heisman trophy winners and just how badly the media let themselves be manipulated (I find it unsettling that some of the "respectable" press sold stories to tabloids on the side). For his efforts, Bosco's book goes unreviewed while Dunne writes a forgettable, racist memoir in which he can't even use his own name and gets lionized. There ain't no justice in the world.

Of all the books written about the Simpson trial, it is refreshing to find one where the author paid attention. It takes great courage to write about this trial without jumping to a popular conclusion that has little to do with actual evidence (or lack thereof). Congratulations to Mr. Bosco for putting a search for truth ahead of public demand for scapegoating. By the way, did the publishers actually read the book before writing their review?

Unlike Bugliosi, who presented the Simpson case as a 'no-brainer', Bosco does not refer to readers who might disagree with him as 'pin heads' or 'mental midgets'. Instead, he shows some of the deep contradictions in the evidence which lead a reasonable person to doubt Simpson's guilt. What neither he, nor any other writer has yet done, is resolve the mystery at the heart of the case. Are there really no other suspects? Well, maybe this author has another book in the works.

This author brings the unique perspective of an educated author who attended the trial EVERY DAY, but was not a participant. He brings out lots of tidbits from the trial, and lots of evidence that suggests O.J. did not do it -- while acknowledging the blood evidence that O.J. did it. I only regret that Bosco does not plainly give us HIS ultimate opinion on whether O.J. did it.