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  • Published: 31 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9781524743895
  • Imprint: Dutton
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $34.99

Confessions of an Innocent Man

A Novel



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

“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.

  • Published: 31 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9781524743895
  • Imprint: Dutton
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $34.99

About the author

David R. Dow

David R. Dow is professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center and an internationally recognized figure in the fight against the death penalty. He is the founder and director of the Texas Innocence and the author of Killing Time: One Man’s Race to Stop an Execution. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Praise for Confessions of an Innocent Man

Praise for Confessions of an Innocent Man:
"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

"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)

"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