JUSTICE Crimes, Trials and Punishments

VANITY FAIR writer Dominick Dunne uncovers a disturbing pattern of injustice in celebrity murder trials--looking at murders BY the rich and famous as well as murders OF them. The half-dozen intriguing and disturbing essays examine the trials of Lyle and Erik Menendez, convicted of murdering their affluent parents for their inheritance; Claus von Bulow, accused of attempting to murder his diabetic wife, Sunny, with an overdose of insulin; and, of course, the most high-profile trial of the nineties--the acquittal of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his wife, Nicole. The most poignant story covers the murder of Dunne's actress daughter, Dominique, by her ex-boyfriend. With a unique eye for the fascinating and the absurd, Dunne sharply details the inadequate justice so commonly dispensed in celebrity cases. While the well-connected author provides exhaustive details of every famous person, as well as their families and friends -- his slow-paced narration impedes his stories, and uneven volume throughout induces further frustration. While Dunne the author paints a vivid picture of injustice, as narrator he delivers a sketchy performance. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]