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Confessions of an Innocent Man: A Novel

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Confessions of an Innocent Man: A Novel

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Overview

“Every person wrongfully convicted of a crime at some point dreams of getting revenge against the system. In Confessions of an Innocent Man, the dream comes true and in a spectacular way.”—John Grisham, New York Times bestselling author of The Reckoning

A thrillingly suspenseful debut novel and a fierce howl of rage that questions the true meaning of justice.

Rafael Zhettah relishes the simplicity and freedom of his life. He is the owner and head chef of a promising Houston restaurant, a pilot with open access to the boundless Texas horizon, and a bachelor, content with having few personal or material attachments that ground him. Then, lightning strikes. When he finds Tieresse—billionaire, philanthropist, sophisticate, bombshell—sitting at one of his tables, he also finds his soul mate and his life starts again. And just as fast, when she is brutally murdered in their home, when he is convicted of the crime, when he is sentenced to die, it is all ripped away. But for Rafael Zhettah, death row is not the end. It is only the beginning. Now, with his recaptured freedom, he will stop at nothing to deliver justice to those who stole everything from him.

This is a heart-stoppingly suspenseful, devastating, page-turning debut novel. A thriller with a relentless grip that wants you to read it in one sitting. David R. Dow has dedicated his life to the fight against capital punishment—to righting the horrific injustices of the death penalty regime in Texas. He delivers the perfect modern parable for exploring our complex, uneasy relationships with punishment and reparation in a terribly unjust world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524743895
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/31/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	661,635
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

David R. Dow is the Cullen Professor at the University of Houston Law Center and the Rorschach Visiting Professor of History at Rice University. A graduate of Rice and Yale, Dow's areas of expertise include constitutional law and theory, contract law, and death penalty law. Working with students in his death penalty clinic, Dow has represented more than one hundred death-row inmates during their state and federal appeals. He is also the founder and director of the Texas Innocence Network.

He lives in Houston and Park City, Utah, with his wife, Katya, their son, Lincoln, and their dogs, Delano and Soul.

Reading Group Guide

1. Rafael is the narrator of this book, so we only get his perspective on the story. Do you think his version of events is reliable?

2. Rafael calls Tieresse his love and soul mate. With her permission, he sleeps with other women. Is he unfaithful? Why or why not?

3. How much do you think Rafael’s race and background had to do with the judge’s readiness to convict him? Does his case remind you of anything you’ve read about in real life?

4. Of everyone who had a hand in Rafael’s wrongful conviction, why do you think Rafael feels compelled to take revenge on these two judges? Do you think his behavior is justified?

5. Tieresse’s son, Reinhardt, has a complicated relationship with Rafael. How does it evolve and change throughout the novel?

6. Author David R. Dow is the founder and director of the Texas Innocence Network and has years of experience working with death-row inmates. How do you think his background informs the story? Did anything about Rafael’s experience on death row surprise you?

7. Rafael’s block-mate, Águila, tells him “Some victories cain’t be measured in conventional terms.” Their friendship has a profound impact on Rafael. What do you think he learns from Águila?

8. Why does Rafael spend so much time talking with Moss and Stream? Does he hope to find some type of absolution in their conversations? Can he forgive himself for what he’s done?

9. Before our story begins, Reinhardt tells Tieresse, “the difference between the life you have and the life you envision is equal to the distance between perfection and reality.” How is that idea referenced throughout the novel? Do you believe Rafael makes peace with the way his life has turned out?

10. How should we interpret the book’s final scene? Is it clear that Rafael dies? And, regardless, is the message that justice has been served? Why or why not?

11. Forgiveness, justice, love, and revenge: Of all the themes in Confessions of an Innocent Man, which do you think represents the ultimate message of the book?

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

Praise for Confessions of an Innocent Man

"Best Mystery Books of 2019"—The Wall Street Journal

“Every person wrongfully convicted of a crime at some point dreams of getting revenge against the system. In Confessions of an Innocent Man, the dream comes true and in a spectacular way. As I zipped through the pages, I kept thinking, ‘This book is too thin. I want more.’ ”—John Grisham, New York Times bestselling author of The Reckoning

“Mr. Dow [is] a born writer if ever there was one.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Suppose you were arrested, tried, and sentenced to die for a murder you didn’t commit, then vindicated and freed at the last possible minute. What would you do? Would you try to go back to the old life you’d nearly lost? Or would you punish those who’d stolen it from you? In Confessions of an Innocent Man, David R. Dow, who knows more about death row than any other person who’s never lived there, puts you in the place of a victim of the system whose soul has been shriveled by rage, then invites you to take a look in the mirror. The result is a terrifying modern-day revenger’s tale, one whose furious, irresistible momentum will sweep you up—and make you think.”—Terry Teachout, drama critic for The Wall Street Journal

“An impressive fiction debut....The plot is a page-turner, and the addition of Dow’s knowledge of the legal machinery of death and his nuanced characterization of his lead elevate this above similarly themed legal thrillers.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[Confessions of an Innocent Man] explores wrongful convictions, the death penalty and appeals process, life on death row, and exoneration. It’s also about duplicity—the honest and hardworking man becoming a criminal only after a wrongful conviction; a legal system that seems too often to pit police, prosecutors, and judges against the truth—and features an ingenious, well-planned, and perfectly executed revenge. This fast-paced legal thriller powerfully captures themes of love, surrender, despair, and vengeance. It will appeal to fans of Phillip Margolin and George Pelecanos, and pair nicely with Anthony Ray Hinton’s memoir The Sun Does Shine.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“A debut novel that's a page-turner with a message....[Dow’s] criminal justice work is a clear influence on this novel, and his passion bleeds through on every page. The claustrophobic nature of prisons, the routine cruelty, the anonymous suffering, the decrepit conditions—they all come through in straightforward, well-written prose. . . . A solidly suspenseful novel.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This thought-provoking debut...[an] absorbing tale of misfortune takes readers inside the mind of a good man who’s desperate to prove his innocence as well as inside the world of a maximum-security prison and the horror that is death row. . . . The questions of who gets justice and why court procedure seems to take such precedence over individual lives will stay with readers after the satisfying ending to this surprising read.”—Booklist

“A powerful, thought-provoking debut thriller that’s not to be missed...Taking readers inside [his protagonist] Rafael mindset, Dow projects his anguish and pain, prompting an emotional response from readers who, with every page, will find themselves holding their breath as he sets out to right wrongs in his own way, cheering him on as he goes. The characters are well-developed, the pacing is fast, and the story is absolutely stunning. Confessions of an Innocent Man is a red-hot debut that falls somewhere between a work of psychological suspense and a legal thriller, and should attract fans of both.”—The Real Book Spy on Crime Reads

From the Publisher

★ 01/28/2019
Defense attorney Dow, the founder of the Texas Innocence Project, makes an impressive fiction debut. Wealthy Tieresse Kerryman courts Rafael Zhettah, a chef from a humble background, after she has a meal at his Houston restaurant, and the pair soon marry. Their fairy tale romance comes to an end two years later when Tieresse is bludgeoned to death with a candlestick in their home and Zhettah is arrested for her murder. Zhettah was sleeping with one of the waitresses at his restaurant at the time, but his alibi isn’t enough to persuade a jury of his innocence. On death row, Zhettah struggles to maintain his sanity, even as a team of dedicated appellate lawyers battle to avert his execution. Eventually, Dow reveals the truth about the circumstances behind the teasing opening prologue, in which Zhettah offers cake to two fellow prisoners, whom he addresses as “Your Honors,” on the one-year anniversary of their captivity. The plot is a page-turner, and the addition of Dow’s knowledge of the legal machinery of death and his nuanced characterization of his lead elevate this above similarly themed legal thrillers. Agent: Simon Lipskar, Writers House. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Narrator Henry Levya and author David R. Dow combine to deliver an emotional wallop with this first-person mystery focused on retribution. Levya convincingly inhabits the mind of Rafael, an Everyman who is thrust onto a Texas death row only to be spit out six years later. Dow’s knowledge of Texas’s death penalty system and its inhabitants is mind-blowing—a lawyer, he has represented more than 100 death row inmates—and his sparse, clear style illuminates these details. The plot might be a bit outlandish, the premise might be muddled, and the conversations between prisoners and captors might drift into the cerebral, but none of that detracts from the emotional and intellectual impact of this audiobook. As Rafael, the ex-chef, learns, revenge is a complicated dish, whether served hot or cold. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MAY 2019 - AudioFile

Narrator Henry Levya and author David R. Dow combine to deliver an emotional wallop with this first-person mystery focused on retribution. Levya convincingly inhabits the mind of Rafael, an Everyman who is thrust onto a Texas death row only to be spit out six years later. Dow’s knowledge of Texas’s death penalty system and its inhabitants is mind-blowing—a lawyer, he has represented more than 100 death row inmates—and his sparse, clear style illuminates these details. The plot might be a bit outlandish, the premise might be muddled, and the conversations between prisoners and captors might drift into the cerebral, but none of that detracts from the emotional and intellectual impact of this audiobook. As Rafael, the ex-chef, learns, revenge is a complicated dish, whether served hot or cold. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MAY 2019 - AudioFile

2019-01-21
An acclaimed professor, memoirist, and activist delivers a debut novel that's a page-turner with a message.
Rafael Zhettah doesn't want or need much out of life. He likes to cook at his restaurant, he likes to be alone, and not a single part of him expected to marry a billionaire and then be sent to death row for killing her, a murder he didn't commit. Dow (Law/University of Houston Law Center and History/Rice University; Things I've Learned from Dying, 2014, etc.) is the author of two memoirs detailing his experiences with the Texas Innocence Network, devoted to helping death row inmates with their appeals. His criminal justice work is a clear influence on this novel, and his passion bleeds through on every page. The claustrophobic nature of prisons, the routine cruelty, the anonymous suffering, the decrepit conditions—they all come through in straightforward, well-written prose. "Men do not go crazy from being locked in a cage. They do not go crazy from the outside pushing in. They crack from the inside pushing out. When you take away hope, madness fills its place, and madness is loud." Dow knows his stuff. Authenticity is this novel's strongest element, but the message can sometimes drown out the drama. Narrated by Zhettah in a quick, direct style, the novel feels like two books in one. The first half is about Zhettah's time on death row. The second features his intricate and intriguing plan for revenge—two judges, a missile silo, two planes, a parachute, some light computer hacking, and lots of MREs feature in his plotting. In this novel, justice is not just blind, it's hamstrung, but the reader knows from the start that the scales will be balanced by the end.
A solidly suspenseful novel by an anti-death penalty activist that—despite some surprising detours—reads like a novel by an anti-death penalty activist.

Kirkus Reviews