Why read The Crime of Sheila McGough?

Book cover of The Crime of Sheila McGough

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The Crime of Sheila McGough is Janet Malcolm's brilliant exposé of miscarriage of justice in the case of Sheila McGough, a disbarred lawyer recently released from prison. McGough had served 2 1/2 years for collaborating with a client in his fraud, but insisted that she didn't commit any of the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Crime of Sheila McGough as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

T.I.M. Wirkus

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I recently saw the critic Molly Young describe this book as the story of a woman who goes to prison essentially for being annoying.

That hooked me, so I went out and found a copy. I hadn’t read anything by Janet Malcolm before this, and I was sad it had taken me so long to get to her work. This one isn’t a novel, but Malcolm has such a knack for character that it often reads like one.

She also has so many great, cutting insights about the legal system, and a few lines that made me laugh out loud.…

From T.I.M.'s list on when you can’t decide between a crime novel and a comedy of manners.