I probably have rated it higher than it should be but it was quite thought provoking. Not so much another dissection of the trial that seemed to never end as the rampant online fury that surrounded Amanda and Raffaele, people that not only were blatantly innocent but who these people couldn't have possibly known anything about other than what was fed to them via social networks, websites, and overtly biased media outlets. What possible stake could Jim Bob in Timbuktu have in the sad tale of one British student's brutal murder in Perugia, Italy and the quite obviously framed defendants? Why wish the innocent guilty, and so vehemently, or care at all with everything else that is going on in the world?

Preston, yes that [a:Douglas Preston|12577|Douglas Preston|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1399043352p2/12577.jpg] of Preston & Child, does a good job of distilling the workings and psychology of online mob hysteria and retribution and how it starts and spreads virally. He focuses not so much on the details of this actual event as on the meta-level workings of the frenzy and how literally thousands of individuals can make death threats against someone they don't know and don't have any stake in based purely on mob dynamics and biological and social evolution.

Addendum: If you Google Amanda Knox you get 7.1 million hits. Hundreds of thousands have to be negative, and more than a few are the most disgusting torture and murder fantasies (threats?) you have ever read. How is a person supposed to get on with their life much less feel safe in an environment like this? Remember, this could happen to anyone. ( )

This was an interesting book. It spoke of crime, punishment and society. It use to be shocking murder cases were reported in international, national and local newspapers. Some made it to rock the world and become high profile cases reported on with every legal move. Others died away to only local news. With the advent of the internet every case can easily become the high profile, international case. Not only are these cases now reported in the newspapers, hashed over on the tv and shown on channels such as Court TV but there are blogs devoted to them. Amanda Knox has fallen into this category of alleged murderers. Every bit of their trial is scrutinized on the internet. Every piece of evidence, real or rumored, is taken as fact. The person on trial now not only has a guilt or innocence trial in court but also on the internet and tv. The concept of innocent until proven guilty has, often times, turned into guilty unless proven innocent. I picked up this book because recent cases and their internet/tv draw has fascinated me. What makes someone passionately believe in someone's guilt or innocence without really knowing the evidence? What makes someone hate someone to the degree that Amanda Knox has received? Why would you start a blog for or against her innocence that resembles a fan club or hate club? Is this a new phenomenon or has it always been there just not as well known before the internet? Most of all is this useful or detrimental to society? This book delves into that and attempts to answer these questions. It is not a book that presents the evidence or rehashes the trial of Amanda Knox. If you are looking for that this is not your book. If you are interested in why society acts as it is in regards to Amanda Knox and whether or not it is useful to society than you may enjoy this book. I appreciated the book and the information the author gives. I feel though I cannot give it 5 stars though as the author takes a side. I would have preferred a neutral discussion in which the excessive feelings expressed in Pro Amanda Knox blogs were also explored with an eye to the role good or bad they play in society. It is worth reading though if you are interested in criminal justice as the side it does present is well written. ( )