Portraits of Guilt

Rating:
Summary: The Elizabeth Smart case. Payment for patience.
Review: I became interested in this author after seeing her speak about eyewitness memory on the Oprah Winfrey Show. I found the book, read it and then noticed a composite drawing in the Elizabeth Smart case that seemed to bear no likeness to the man arrested for the kidnapping. Jeanne Boylan's name was periodically associated with the case and I felt let down that she'd so badly erred in doing the less than stellar drawing. (Though now we know that the man was caught because the Smart family realized his religious name, announced it to the public and then were given real photos by the man's own family that were aired on TV which then resulted in his subsequent identification and quick arrest.)

Now, in more recent news reports, I found out that Jeanne Boylan actually interviewed the younger sister of Elizabeth about her memory of the abduction night and that the poor suspect drawing the media was showing was not from her interviews, but was from a local portrait person and was not taken from the little sister's sighting the night of the abduction but rather was taken from the family who knew the man and had spent many hours with him. Now I understood why the descrepancy.

I felt relief. I momentarily thought Jeanne Boylan had lost her skills. Now I understand the difference between her interview and the drawing that is now linked to the case but does not look like the kidnapper.

I look forward to the sequel of 'Portraits of Guilt' and to reading more about what happens to eyewitness's memories when the sightings are endured during moments of fright and fear and how that forces their vision very deep into the recesses of their mind as it did for Elizabeth's little sister.

Praise the Lord that with help and encouragement, Elizabeth's little sister finally remembered the religious name with the help of the loving Smart family, the apparently astute police and Jeanne Boylan who all had fiercely guarded the young child's evolving memory while it was gradually surfacing so that the kidnapper was finally caught. Good things come to those who wait!

Rating:
Summary: A true detective story
Review: If you want to consider yourself well informed about what goes on behind the headlines, you must read this book. The author was involved in the biggest crime stories of the decade, from the tragic Polly Klaas case, through the Unibomber and the Oklahoma City bombing. She brings an insiders knowledge of how law enforcement works (or doesn't work) to her book, but thats just the tip of the iceberg. Portraits of Guilt succeeds on many levels. Its a true story of a woman with a unique talent who is often forced to fight an entrenched system, and who pays a personal price for her convictions. Many people suffer when a violent crime occurs...not only the victim. I found the events surrounding the Polly Klaas investigation particularly heartbreaking and at the same time inspiring. She was there for Oklahoma City and she did the Unibomber picture that made headlines around the world and led to his eventual identification and capture. The way Ms. Boylan got her witnesses to re-live what they saw brings a strong psychological angle to the story, and challenges the "by the book" method most law enforcement agencies use. Through it all, the author never loses her courage and sense of purpose. She pays a high price for her dedication and confronts the ghosts of her own past as well. The stories about the less "high profile" cases are equally involving. An amazing story. Well written and multi-dimensional. I could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Portraits of Guilt
Review: Wow! Portraits of Guilt is a must read, true story that draws you in with riveting details of some of the highest profile crimes committed in the past decade. Ms. Boylan takes us into the hearts and minds of the witnesses, friends and family of those involved in these crimes as well as through her professional and personal heartbreaks and triumphs.

But, above all, this is the story of a woman, considered a maverick in her field, dedicated to helping investigative authoritites change the way eyewitness investigations are conducted. As I read each case history, her "unorthodox" method of interviewing a witness seemed to make perfect sense - Psychology 101.

You wont put this book down until you've turned that last page, still in thought, and closed the back cover.