A Wilderness of Error: The Trials of Jeffrey MacDonald

Morris provides an exhaustive study of the infamous murder case involving Jeffrey MacDonald, a military doctor who was convicted, perhaps wrongly, of the brutal 1970 murders of his pregnant wife and two small children. From the beginning, MacDonald claimed that “four hippies” broke into his home, attacked him, and killed his family. Morris examines everything related to the MacDonald case, from the vicious murders and the initial—some say sloppy and biased—investigation that lead to MacDonald’s 1979 conviction, to MacDonald’s present-day claims of innocence from his prison cell. This audiobook clocks in at over 14 hours, and it’s easy to imagine it coming across as a dry recitation of facts and statistics in the hands of another narrator, or being presented with an over-the-top sensational reading, but John Pruden keeps his narration simply and believable while delivering a mountain of trial evidence, testimonies, and interviews. And this ultimately makes for a more compelling listen. A Penguin hardcover. (Sept.)