Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver

 Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver 437 pages

Anatomy of a Murder is a book that talks about a legal case from beginning to end, not unlike John Grisham's books.  It begins with Paul Biegler who is an attorney in Michigan's U.P. (upper peninsula) answering the phone in his law office after he comes back from a fishing trip.  On the other end is Laura Manion whose husband Lieutenant Frederic Manion is in jail after he shot the man who beat and raped her.  She asks that Biegler meet with her husband and take his case.  Biegler was once the District Attorney in Iron Bay but did not win a recent election to continue in that position.  He goes to talk with Lieutenant Manion to decide if he will take the case.  Once he makes the decision to take it, he enlists his secretary and his lawyer friend to help him in gathering information including visiting the location where the murder/killing took place.  What follows is a detailed view of meetings with his client and other potential witnesses, gathering evidence and finally the trial. 

I thought the book was well written and enjoyed reading an early legal story.  I had to make sure I remembered the time period the book was written in at times since there were some slurs and other situations that would not be appropriate in 2022.  I gave this four of five stars on Goodreads.