David R. Dow has dedicated his life to the fight against capital punishment. In his fictional debut, the owner and head chef of a promising Houston restaurant is convicted of murdering his older, wealthy wife. Now, with his recaptured freedom, he will stop at nothing to deliver justice to those who stole everything from him.
... a powerful, thought-provoking debut thriller that’s not to be missed ... Dow’s work with incarcerated individuals, and the experiences he must have gained from meeting those who’ve done real, hard time while actually innocent, is evident as he masterfully captures the tortured voice of a man whose freedom was ripped away by a failed system that hung him out to dry. Taking readers inside 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.
Mr. Dow writes with authority about life on death row, where other inmates believe in Rafael’s innocence and offer emotional support ... Mr. Dow, a born writer if ever there was one, takes us where his narrator thinks he must go.
While the main character’s actions are sometimes a little far-fetched, the questions of who gets justice and why court procedure seems to take such precedence over indivdual lives will stay with readers after the satisfying ending to this surprising read. An apt suggestion for further reading is Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy (2014), a nonfiction exposé of the same kinds of wrongs.
