Rating: 
Summary: One man's "Justice"
Review: Anyone familiar with the writing of Dominick Dunne, its chatty, informal and curiously personal tone, will be sure to enjoy his latest book Justice: Crimes, Trials, and Punishments. For the uninitiated, Dunne's book is a collection of his Vanity Fair articles covering the trials of such "celebrities" as O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers and Claus von Bulow. Dunne has brought a new perspective to the art of crime reporting. In tackling so-called "celebrity" cases Dunne uses his own peerage to inveigle his way behind the facade of wealth and power to highlight and expose how very different and yet comfortingly similar the response to such cases can be in those communities - so far removed from the hoi polloi . As he admits in the book Dunne has been accused of trying to be the next Truman Capote. Certainly there are some parallels - Dunne is a shameless name-dropper - but these articles can hardly be equated to In Cold Blood. Capote was a amorphous socialite with an interest in how crime affected "Mr and Mrs America". Dunne on the other hand writes from a more compelling perspective; after the murder of his daughter and his subsequent exposure to the criminal justice system he became entranced by its operation. In light of his background, he focused on cases which represented his milieu; American High Society.
Dunne focuses on a subject that amalgamates two driving preoccupations of the public; a fascination with wealth and a fascination with crime. Combined, the two prove an irresistible draw upon the public psyche. If left at that, Dunne's work would be no more than a rich man's Hard Copy, but Dunne has also resurrected the idea of reportage; journalism which reflects the voice of it's author. In an age when many journalists seek to mask their true sentiments behind a thin veneer of "objectivity" Dunne is refreshingly straightforward about his own. This quality alone separates Dunne from so many of his peers, but coupled with his narrative style and astute observations it brings his writings to the forefront of modern social commentary. Well written, insightful and entertaining; Dominick Dunne's Justice: Crimes, Trials and Punishments should not be missed. More than just true crime or court reporting, Dunne's work is an important commentary on the modern American justice system and how it relates to the society which it serves.Think of it as affordable justice for all.
Rating: 
Summary: Crime among the rich and famous
Review: Mr. Dunne has compiled a gossipy though well written group of essays about some famous and not so famous criminal cases. He writes most poignantly about the murder of his own daughter and the subsequent trial. A large part of what follows deals with the O. J. Simpson case and contains nothing that hasn't been covered elsewhere. Perhaps enough time has passed since we all overdosed on OJ coverage that it actually is interesting to re-read some of this with the perspective of distance.
Some reviewers below have criticised Mr. Dunne for his consistent references to his affluent lifestyle which includes innumerable dinner parties thrown by up-scale people at up-scale restaurants. I don't hold that against him but he is guilty of name-dropping and at times seems overly fixated on the property and lineage of moneyed people. For me this took away some of the potential power of what I believe was a well intended indictment of how ridiculous the American justice system can be at times.
Rating:
Summary: A Witty Insightful Commentary On Crime & Punishment
Review: There's a feeling when reading Dominick Dunne of partaking in a rather sinful indulgence. His non fiction stories resound with the phrase, "truth is stranger than fiction." "Justice" is his collection of heinous crimes, the subsequent trials, and surprisingly varied outcomes. If you've never read Dunne's work in Vanity Fair, for which he's a regular contributor, you're in for a treat. His stories are much more than your average crime and punishment retelling. They are reflections of our society in all it's grandeur and gaudiness. Over dinner soirees and cocktail parties, in the Hamptons, or Lincoln Center, his is the ear that's bent with gossipy and lurid tidbits that fuel his "cases" with sometimes jaw dropping confessions. Almost half of the book is devoted to the O.J. debacle, and if you're not interested in rehashing that, I'd suggest reading his previous anthology "Fatal Charms & The Mansions of Limbo." Which brings me to why I only gave the book four stars. I felt a little cheated that the first three stories in this collection had ben previous published in another book. I understood why his daughter's story needed to be in here, but felt the other two were merely recycled filler. But besides that a fun,entertaining bit of escapism.
Rating: 
Summary: Justice
Review: D.Dunn is a wonderful writer and keeps your attention. The first part of this work is about his personal story and gets way too much space however the balance of the work is good and strong and I certainly recommend it.....
Rating: 
Summary: Same Material Bound Up In A Book
Review: From my rating you would never think that I actually enjoyed the writing in this book and thought it was a good read. However, it was almost all rehashed material from the work he writes for Vanity Fair. Reading this, I felt like I was watching a TV show where the writers couldn't come up with enough new material for the show so they do a flashback episode where about 10% is new material and the remainder is previously shown material. Dunne did the same thing here. No new crimes or material to work with, need a book, so crank out the old with a few updates on where the cases have progressed to. In addition, much of the material was very dated. I don't think there is much left to say or know about the OJ trial, yet about 1/2 the book was related to that case. Yawn! Save the money and take it out of the library if your a Dunne fan, otherwise skip it.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Mr. Dunne!
Review: Dominick Dunne offers us insights into what goes on behind-the-scenes of our justice system. He points out the ploys used by defense attorneys, such as having a defendant carry a Bible to court every day, or dressing up or, in the Menendez brothers' case, dressing down, to get the "right look" to perhaps influence the jury. Sometimes our justice system fails terribly, and Mr. Dunne lays bare some of its flaws. Covering the Martha Moxley murder, OJ Simpson, Claus Von Bulow, and other high-profile cases, Mr. Dunne writes superbly. It is a page-turner; I could hardly lay it down. No wonder it is another best-seller!
Mr. Dunne is like a modern-day Job in that he reveals for all the world to see the ugly sores of injustice in his own life. Like Job who was advised to "Curse God and die" by his friends, Mr. Dunne thought of hiring a hit-man to avenge his daughter's murder. Fortunately neither one gave in to those temptations. How inspiring it is that both men went on to greater and greater things: Mr. Dunne to turning his anger into writing best-selling books, and Job into an even greater life of service to God.
Thank you, Dominick Dunne, for your example, your courage and your writing!
Rating:
Summary: Let's Eat Out
Review: I first want to say that I LOVE Dominick Donne and his writing. I find him fascinating, and his knowledge of all the players in these stories is pivotal in his perspective. However, a great deal of this book is a re-hash of his previous works. I bought this on audio tape, and this was probably the best way to know this work. To hear these tales in the author's own voice is compelling and addicting. I enjoyed the stories even though some of them were familiar. Mr. Donne knows the score and I appreciate his viewpoint.
P.S. I want to be on the dining out list!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not great
Review: The book is not quite what I expected. It's practically all old news, based, I suppose, on Dunne's notes/article that were written at the times of these cases. The constant name dropping didn't bother me, but I expected to see more updated news/where do things stand now, perhaps. And far too many pages devoted to OJ. On TV Mr. Dunne made the book sound exciting, but it's not. It is a good book for the 'reading room' though! (bathroom, for those of you in Rio-Palm Beach)
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable...if you read the right parts
Review: Having not read any of Dunne's other books, I will comment only on this one. The opening pages provide the most interesting and gripping reading: the trial of the man who murdered Dunne's daughter. I also found the story of the Menendez brothers and that of the murder of Martha Moxley especially interesting. The parts that I found interesting, however, make up only about one-third of the book. Dunne devotes fully one-half of the book to the O.J. story. It goes on and on...and on. When the author noted several time how long and boring the trial became, I was having the same feelings about his treatment of the O.J. saga. I did enjoy learning about Dunne's perceptions of the cast of characters, including defendants, victims' families, attorneys, and reporters. Dunne reports what goes on when the cameras aren't rolling. For the most part, however, the author treats each person as either a "good guy" or a "bad guy." While I understand that his experiences as the father of a murder victim probably cause this rather simplistic perspective, this and other characteristics of the book resulted in my losing interest about half-way through it. I finished the book but would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the first 80 pages and the final 20 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Much too much
Review: Much too much OJ, too much old facts in von Buelow, Menendez, Moxley/Skakel, etc. Obviously all writen before these cases were concluded and publicized. Too much name dropping. If you want a "who is who", then read this. Don't read it for news on these cases. He also could have used a good Editor. Obviously been put together without much effort.
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