Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three

After serving eighteen years in jail, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were freed in 2011, correcting one of the worst miscarriages of justice in American legal history. The Devil's Knot, written by award-winning journalist Mara Leveritt, is still the most thorough and perceptive account of the investigation, prosecution, and conviction of the three adolescent boys who came to be known as the West Memphis Three.

Following the deaths of three eight-year-old boys in 1993, West Memphis, Arkansas, police seemed to be at a standstill for many weeks. Detectives then abruptly accused three teenagers—purported members of a Satanic cult—of carrying out the murders. The adolescents were found guilty despite the trials' witch-hunt atmosphere, a case that had startling investigation flaws, a confession rife with mistakes, and a lack of tangible evidence connecting any of the defendants to the murder. The suspected ringleader, Damien Echols, was given the death penalty by the jury, while Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley received life sentences. All three of them stayed behind bars until their historic release in August 2011, when the guilty judgments were widely accepted in their native state and even affirmed on appeal.

This award-winning narrative, which features close-up images of its major players, untangles the many intricate threads of this very disturbing case that will undoubtedly impact American legal history for years to come.