I FOUND THIS BOOK NOT A 'TEXTBOOK' PER SE, THOUGH IT SEEMS TO BLANTANTLY LAY OUT A VERY SOLID FOUNDATION FOR MANY IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF EYEWITNESS INTERVIEWING, BUT "PORTRAITS OF GUILT" IS ACTUALLY A REAL STORY ABOUT HONORING THE HUMAN SPIRIT AS WELL AS THE COSTLY AND SOMETIMES DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WHEN IT IS NOT HONORED. SHE MAKES HER ARGUMENT IMPRESSIVELY BY USING A SERIES OF ACTUAL CASES. BOYLAN VERY CLEARLY POINTS OUT WHERE A READER NEEDS TO GO FOR FURTHER ACADEMIC MATERIAL AS DID SHE HAVE TO DO IN HER OWN SEARCH FOR THE ANSWERS. BUT THIS BOOK, AS I SUSPECT THE WRITER INTENDED, IS AN ACTUAL 'MEMOIR' OF A REAL LIFE, FULL BODIED, RICH, MULTI-DIMENSIONAL AND VERY REALISTIC. HAD IT BEEN SOLELY A TEXTBOOK, I'D HAVE LONGED FOR MORE ABOUT THE PERSON, HAD IT BEEN A STRICT BIOGRAPHY, I'D HAVE LONGED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER WORK, BUT I FOUND MYSELF HIGHLY SATISFIED ON BOTH COUNTS, AND LEFT SUBSTANTIALLY WISER AS WELL AS DEEPLY MOVED BY THIS UNUSUAL LIFE AND WHAT THIS LONE WOMAN WORKING AGAINST ALL ODDS, HAS DONE WITH HER OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TO OPEN HEARTS AND MINDS OF A JUSTICE SYSTEM SO CLEARLY IN NEED OF SOME SERIOUS REVISION. I SALUTE HER AND HER DETERMINATION.
AS FOR THE READER WHO TITLED THEIR REVIEW "DISAPPOINTED", IF YOUR APPETITE IS WHETTED FOR MORE, IT'S SIMPLE; YOU NEED ONLY GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY TO FIND THE RESEARCH BOYLAN OBVIOUSLY DIRECTS YOU TO IN THE BOOK. SHE GIVES YOU JUST ENOUGH INSTRUCTION TO MAKE YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE. (THAT IS CALLED "GOOD WRITING".) AS FOR READERS IN SEARCH OF A UNIQUE STORY THAT DELIVERS SOME HEARTLY LAUGHS, MORE THAN A FEW TEARS AND BEHIND THE SCENES INSIGHTS INTO MANY OF THE MOST INTRIGUING CASES,YOU WILL NOT FIND YOURSELF EVEN REMOTELY DISAPPOINTED. THIS WAS A HIGHLY ENJOYABLE, VERY INFORMATIVE READ AS WELL AS A PERSONAL AND MOVING BOOK. BOYLAN'S CANDOR AND WIT ARE REFRESHING THIS THREE DIMENSI0NAL STORY IS A NEEDED BREATH OF FRESH AIR.