On the day before his twenty-first wedding anniversary, David Sullinger buried an ax in his wife’s skull. Now, eight jurors must retire to the deliberation room and decide whether David committed premeditated murder-or whether he was a battered spouse who killed his wife in self-defense.Told from the perspective of over a dozen participants in a murder trial, We, the Jury examines how public … examines how public perception can mask the ghastliest nightmares. As the jurors stagger toward a verdict, they must sift through contradictory testimony from the Sullingers’ children, who disagree on which parent was Satan; sort out conflicting allegations of severe physical abuse, adultery, and incest; and overcome personal animosities and biases that threaten a fair and just verdict. Ultimately, the central figures in We, the Jury must navigate the blurred boundaries between bias and objectivity, fiction and truth.
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Good character development, but unsatisfying ending.
This was a good read, although somewhat a bit confusing because of the way the chapters were set up. The characters were interesting, and there were some good side stories. It was pretty quick reading, and definitely suspenseful.
I felt like the approach to the book was unique. It got a little boring in the middle or I would have given it more stars. But the ending…
JUST DONT DO IT
Well done study in group dynamics using a murder trial as the venue. All participants from lawyers to jurors to court staffers are included in the analysis with a clear picture of each individual. Made me review the justice system and appreciate some of the personal nature of each individual’s thought process in making decisions.
Good example of what makes up a jury. An example of the different types of people and why they are there. Nice twist at the end.
When I picked up this book, I expected to find a Twelve Angry Men style story, and it is that, sort of, but it’s also much, much more. Rotstein gets you deep into the courthouse as the jury sits down to deliberate so that you get a real view of life outside of the courtroom.
There’s no doubt that David Sullinger killed his wife. He split her head open with an axe. But does a battered husband defense justify the killing? His two children have split on the issue, one supporting him and one condemning him. And the history of his relationship with his now dead wife further complicates the issue—he was her high school student who had an affair with her while in her class. His high-powered defense attorney sees an open and shut case for acquittal and apparently ran rings around the small-town prosecutor during the trail. The prosecutor is equally certain it’s a simple case of premeditated murder—but with far smaller resources than the defense, did he prove his case?
Rotstein makes the book far more interesting by jumping the point of view around between well over a dozen people. Inside their own minds, most of these people prove to be very petty with their unique insecurities, idiosyncrasies, pathologies, and secrets. It’s a delight to see their deliberations unfold as the reader tries to figure out how the jury will decide the case.
Wow! Just goes to show you how some jurors use their power to influence others. Sent an innocent man to prison just to make herself feel like a god. Scary.
The characters are unfortunately realistic because those types exist. It was interesting to have a story show the effect of abuse from different sides.
didn’t care for the layout of the chapters. finished the book but really can’r recommend .
Unique trial story.
This was an unusual courtroom drama with outstanding characters. Extremely well written. A 100% recommended read
This book was suggested to me, and had a lot of hype surrounding it. I thought it was mediocre. The premise was interesting, a jury trial deliberation being told by the members of the jury. It went through the different personalities, their thoughts, and their feelings about the case. It also had the judge and the lawyers and some of their teams giving their thoughts, too.
I liked the beginning, but then I felt the book lost something. The end was confusing to me, as I really didn’t understand the motive of the Jury Consultant doing what they did. If that had been better explained, other than to use their skills to alter the perception of others, I think I would have been more satisfied. Additionally, the story line about the judge, her grief, and her onset of Alzheimer’s Disease was very sad, and led a bit of humanity to the story.
I was disappointed in the outcome of the book, as I thought it had a great premise, and it started well.
#WeTheJury #RobertRotstein
The book was confusing. There is too much feed back that didn’t pertain to the story.
Great ending
I would give this book 3.5 stars (not3) if I could. It held my interest and had a few slightly surprising revelations at the end, stereotypes of the jurors were a bit of a turnoff.
I did not like the ending at all/
A little choppy but good characters
Very interesting book. A good look at our jury system. unexpected ending that I did not see coming.
This was a very disappointing book and a waste of my time !!!