Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, “the master of the legal thriller” (Associated Press) teams up with Jim McCloskey, “the godfather of the innocence movement” (Texas Monthly), to share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions.

“Each of these stories is told with astonishing power. They are packed with human drama, with acts of shocking villainy and breathtaking courage. But these are more than just gripping true stories—they are a clarion call for reforming the tragic flaws in our criminal justice system.”—David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon


John Grisham is known worldwide for his bestselling novels, but it’s his real-life passion for justice that led to his work with Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, the first organization dedicated to exonerating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted. Together they offer an inside look at the many injustices in our criminal justice system.

A fundamental principle of our legal system is a presumption of innocence, but once someone has been found guilty, there is very little room to prove doubt. These ten true stories shed light on Americans who were innocent but found guilty and forced to sacrifice friends, families, and decades of their lives to prison while the guilty parties remained free. In each of the stories, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey recount the dramatic hard-fought battles for exoneration. They take a close look at what leads to wrongful convictions in the first place and the racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and corruption in the court system that can make them so hard to reverse.

Impeccably researched and told with page-turning suspense as only John Grisham can deliver, Framed is the story of winning freedom when the battle already seems lost and the deck is stacked against you.


* This audiobook edition is accompanied by a downloadable PDF which includes A Note on Sources and Acknowledgments from the book.

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Published Oct 22, 2024

368 pages

Average rating: 7.32

73 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

boyleschris
Nov 24, 2024
Lesa's pick. Ten true stories of wrongful convictions. Co-written with Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries.
Mama Bear
Feb 09, 2026
8/10 stars
A factual book that was very sad and eye opening for the book club
RBR
Feb 09, 2026
Well written, keep me engaged. Short chapters, good stories, a great cause, helps me to notice aspects and things I have not been paying attention. Go from awareness into action.
Diane Fisher
Aug 31, 2025
10/10 stars
A great book of not so great stories. The moral of this story, don’t talk to police without the best attorney you can afford. Or better yet, don’t talk to the police. If they don’t have your story, they can’t make up one to refute it. The “justice” system is not so “just”.
literarily_occupied
Aug 12, 2025
8/10 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

I have been on a roll lately with true crime, especially that of wrongful conviction. Framed has proven to be another great book that takes a deeper look into this epidemic.

It absolutely fascinates and disgusts me in equal measure, the prevalence of false imprisonment and wrongful executions in our country. It has really made me question my stance on capital punishment and my faith in the justice system. In a media fueled world where it's guilty until proven innocent, the risk of taking the life of an innocent person is just too great, in my opinion.

Thank you to the Libro.fm Librarian ALC program and Random House Audio for this complimentary Audiobook Listening Copy.

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