Full disclosure- the author is related to my wife. I read both fiction and non-fiction regularly and this is a very good book. The writing flows with the description and plot of a good fiction novel. The most important part of the plot is that the whole story is true- it is meticulously researched by the author with careful attention to detail. Probably the only thing that suffers (in comparison to a work of fiction) is the character development. This story takes place in my home state of North Carolina but could take place anywhere in the united states. This story brings to light just how flawed our justice system can be. John Temple is a talented writer and this is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time.

My husband and I both read The Last Lawyer and loved it because it is so thought provoking. A book club might enjoy this book because of the interesting conversations it would spark.

I was drawn to read this book because I am a death penalty opponent and I'm familiar with the work being done by the Center for Death Penalty Litigation here in North Carolina, which is the central organization in this tale. When one is partisan concerning an issue it can be difficult to separate one's viewpoint from the quality of a work about that issue, but I've tried to do that in my assessment here.

Unfortunately, I didn't find the telling to be particularly compelling. The work of defending death row inmates is urgent, difficult, often futile, extremely demanding, emotionally draining, and absolutely essential to the protection of our system of justice. That so many convicted murderers have been exonerated in recent years due to DNA evidence, revelation of insufficient counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, and police fabrication or suppression of evidence, makes it clear that many innocents have been executed through the years. The efforts described in this book will be eye-opening to many as will the explanation of how tiny fragments of evidence sifted from stacks of reports and files can reveal flaws in a case.

However, John Temple's telling of the tale is occasionally repetitive and padded with irrelevancies that take away from the narrative. I finished reading the book because I am vitally interested in the issue. I suspect that anyone with less interest in death penalty litigation and in ending capital punishment would find it a little tedious.

I would only recommend this book to those either considering legal careers or who are involved in the death penalty reform movement.

The Last Lawyer gives hope that a less than perfect legal system can be made to work in at least one case, after years of injustice. I recommened this book for lawyers and non-laywers alike. Put it in on top of the stack of fiction by your bedstand --this is one you'll want to read for the drama alone. Thank you John Temple!

Like the others, I also couldn't put this down. I received the book on the 23rd and was done by the 24th!!! Amazing - although I am not normally defense-oriented in the legal sense, this book allowed me to see it and understand it from the other side. I was drawn to the defendant's story and legal issues - and I just had to find out how he fared in it all. Its good to see the system that I work in really works - and that justice will prevail for which ever side it is owed to.

Spellbinding. It read like a suspenseful novel -- I couldn't put it down. The characters of Sara and Mark were my favorites; they came to life on the pages. You don't need to be a lawyer to like this. Much more riveting than Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Trust me, The Last Lawyer is the best book I've read all year.

The Last Lawyer is a must-read for every law student or undergraduate considering a career in the law. Though every word is true, it reads like a riveting novel, a pageturner that gives readers insider access to a world most will never know. It demonstrates through a life-or-death matter why it's so important that attorneys do their jobs well, and for lawyers, it provides a refreshingly positive view of what happens when a zealous advocate fights for justice. I am recommending it to every law student who asks what should be read the summer before the 1L year. This book inspires. Bravo, John Temple!

I'll admit that the subject of this book is not something I usually gravitate to, but I received it as a gift, and was pleasantly surprised. This is a compelling story for many reasons. For example, the story of Bo, his conviction, and his family is an interesting one. However, the author takes complicated (and potentially dry) topics such as also death row legal cases, mental retardation evaluation, and appellate courts, and explains them in an understandable and fascinating way. I read this book in 2 days... couldn't put it down! I think that this would be a great gift for anyone who loves to read!

I just finished reading "The Last Lawyer" last night. I would recommend it to anyone who has not been privy to the lengthy, complex and personal winding road of death penalty appeals and the court proceedings. I agree with Leonard Pitts (one of my favorite syndicated columnist) who, on the book jacket, describes the book as reading "like first-class legal fiction, but it's far more compelling because it is, tragically, legal fact." So true. It was an extremely easy read and felt like story unfolding before me. I found myself frequently saying "just one more short chapter" before going to bed. Extremely well written.

Readers of my blog ([...]) will likely find the later half of the book (starting on page 130) particularly interesting (and sobering) as the use of intelligence test scores and the diagnosis of MR/ID becomes a major point of the story. How some of those in the legal field (and one judge in particular) played with the IQ scores and failed to recognize that they are imperfect measures (the need to recognize measurement error) is eye-opening and sobering to those of us involved in intelligence testing development and research.

I give it two big thumbs up.

Dr. Kevin McGrew
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics