4.0
A Death in the Islands
ByPublisher Description
Lies, murder, and a legendary courtroom battle threaten to tear apart the Territory of Hawaii.
In September of 1931, Thalia Massie, a young naval lieutenant’s wife, claims to have been raped by five Hawaiian men in Honolulu. Following a hung jury in the rape trial, Thalia’s mother, socialite Grace Fortescue, and husband, along with two sailors, kidnap one of the accused in an attempt to coerce a confession. When they are caught after killing him and trying to dump his body in the ocean, Mrs. Fortescue’s society friends raise enough money to hire seventy-four-year-old Clarence Darrow out of retirement to defend the vigilante killers. The result is an epic courtroom battle between Darrow and the Territory of Hawaii’s top prosecutor, John C. Kelley, in a case that threatens to touch off a race war in Hawaii and results in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American history.
Written in the style of a novel, but meticulously following the historical record, A Death in the Islands weaves a story of lies, deception, mental illness, racism, revenge, and murder—a series of events in the Territory of Hawaii that nearly tore apart the peaceful islands, reverberating from the tenements of Honolulu to the hallowed halls of Congress, and right into the Oval Office itself, and left a stain on the legacy of one of the greatest legal minds of all time.
In September of 1931, Thalia Massie, a young naval lieutenant’s wife, claims to have been raped by five Hawaiian men in Honolulu. Following a hung jury in the rape trial, Thalia’s mother, socialite Grace Fortescue, and husband, along with two sailors, kidnap one of the accused in an attempt to coerce a confession. When they are caught after killing him and trying to dump his body in the ocean, Mrs. Fortescue’s society friends raise enough money to hire seventy-four-year-old Clarence Darrow out of retirement to defend the vigilante killers. The result is an epic courtroom battle between Darrow and the Territory of Hawaii’s top prosecutor, John C. Kelley, in a case that threatens to touch off a race war in Hawaii and results in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American history.
Written in the style of a novel, but meticulously following the historical record, A Death in the Islands weaves a story of lies, deception, mental illness, racism, revenge, and murder—a series of events in the Territory of Hawaii that nearly tore apart the peaceful islands, reverberating from the tenements of Honolulu to the hallowed halls of Congress, and right into the Oval Office itself, and left a stain on the legacy of one of the greatest legal minds of all time.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesA Death in the Islands Reviews
4.0
“September 1931, Honolulu, Hawaii. Thalia Massey, a naval lieutenants' wife, claims to be the victim of gang rape by five Hawaiian men. Following a hung jury in the rape trial, mother of Thalia and socialite Grace Fortescue, decides to take matters into her own hands. With the aid of Thalia's husband and two of his naval colleagues, they kidnap one of the accused in an attempt to coerce a confession and ultimately kill him in the process. They are caught attempting to dump the body in the ocean and are arrested. With the help of Fortescues' high-society friends, renowned lawyer Clarence Darrow is brought out of retirement to defend the vigilante killers, which results in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in United States history and threatens to touch-off a race war in Hawaii.
I first saw a documentary about these cases on Netflix, so was a little familiar with the subject matter. However, television can only provide so much information, whereas a book can show you the depths.
Mike Farris has not only meticulously researched these cases, but has managed to captivate the reader with the combination of legal accuracy and journalistic literary style. This combination provides a compelling read, particularly for this subject matter. The subject matter itself is unpleasant: lies, deceit, prejudice, racism, mental illness, revenge, and political power play. It also leaves a permanent stain on the legacy of Clarence Darrow; a man considered by many as one of the greatest legal minds of all time.
I recommend people read this book, as it is a valuable lesson in social history as well as true crime. Well written, meticulously researched, and thought provoking.”
About Mike Farris
Mike Farris is a commercial litigator and entertainment lawyer in Dallas, Texas. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas, and is on the faculty at the La Jolla Writers Conference. His books include Front Row Seat: A Veteran Reporter Relives the Four Decades that Shaped America and Call Me Lucky: A Texan in Hollywood. Farris lives in Sunnyvale, Texas.
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