Convergence
-
-
5.0 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
This story seems impossible. But every word is true.
Convergence is the account of a vicious double homicide in 1970s Chicago and a trial that almost didn't happen.
This is a different kind of true crime book. It isn't a mystery, because the killer was arrested right away. It's not a police story, although Convergence is there at every step of their investigation. It's not a defense lawyer's story.
This is a story from the other side of the courtroom.
Convergence is the story of Gio Messina and Delphine Moore's murders and the trial that followed, but this time told from the perspective of the prosecution. You are there to witness how a case is built, how it's brought to court, and how it unfolds when the trial starts. You see what happens when power and money try and keep the trial from starting at all. You follow the prosecution from the courtrooms of Chicago to rural Tennessee looking for new evidence to replace the evidence that's vanished.
You're introduced to the choreography of the courtroom: listening in on the careful strategizing, understanding the thought behind what a jury hears, and getting a close view of what's involved in how it's presented. Most importantly, you're introduced to Mike Goggin and Gregg Owen, the two prosecutors who fought to have the case heard. Goggin and Owen had set a record for convictions that still stands. They refused to let the Messina and Moore murders break it.
Convergence is a historical snapshot of a time when Chicago was changing, and a timeless picture of how justice is sought and found.
Customer Reviews
Gripping tale of intrigue
I’ve always had a curiosity about the law and the inner workings of justice in our society, and this book gave me an insight that didn’t disappoint. The story really grabbed me and pulled me in as I met the collection of less-than-desirable characters that unfolded through the lens of a real-life double murder in a wealthy neighborhood of Chicago. The theme of power and money being able to buy anyone out of trouble are just as relevant today, and it’s easy to get caught up in the sickening acquiescence of a system that folds like a bad poker hand to allow this influence to trump justice. It’s another reason I wanted to root for the hero, who finds himself pulled into a murder case by his brother’s connection. I like how the author weaves the eerie parallels between the prosecutor’s unlikely path from rising rock star to law school graduate through the happenstance of timing. To me the book is not about a murder or even the intricacies of a criminal case. It’s about the often-undetected power of serendipity in all of our lives. That makes it really appealing to me because it’s not some typical crime mystery or murder novel. It’s not a novel at all, though it’s got the literary tone of one. What makes it even more compelling is that the whole story is true, not just based on a true story. It really feels like you are living through those times from decades ago, when you had to find a pay phone when you needed to make a call. I commend the authors for crafting a superbly written tome and adeptly putting listeners right in the scene through great writing and intricate details and even the reenactment of the court case in the final chapters of the audiobook. I highly recommend it!
Audiobook
Story is well-paced and the writing kept me interested. Chicago radio DJ Mitch Michaels did the narration.