A narrative history of the Inquisition, and an examination of the influence it exerted on contemporary society, by the author of ARE WE ROME?

News-breaking trial verdicts capture our attention! Would the nonfit of the glove in the O. J. Simpson case be enough to acquit? Were Laci's torso and Conner's body proof of Scott Peterson's guilt? Do we really want to hear the final verdict, or is it the truth that we seek? John Edgewood has a new job and a new start in life. He is working as a mechanic at the City Yard in San Francisco, California. He is a quiet man who keeps to himself, responsible at his job. He lives a simple life in the Tenderloin. This is a refreshing change for John. The previous year, he had been incarcerated in state prison. His bad choices started when he was a teenager, taking his cue to drink from a drunk mother. One too many times, he ended up in a courtroom, facing a judge. Now that John's life is on track, he faces an accusation that will change his life forever: John Edgewood is accused of murder-a crime that both he and the reader know that he didn't commit. As the readers journey through the trial process alongside John, we get to know the attorneys for both the prosecution and the defense, the judge, and each member selected for the jury. Will the truth prevail, or will it be simply about obtaining a victory? What if one member of the jury was God Himself? Would that change the outcome for John? Courtroom 211J is where John's fate will be decided. What will it be and why?

“From Torquemada to Guantánamo and beyond, Cullen Murphy finds the ‘inquisitorial impulse’ alive, and only too well, in our world” (Jane Mayer, author of Dark Money). Established by the Catholic Church in 1231, the Inquisition continued in one form or another for almost seven hundred years. Though associated with the persecution of heretics and Jews—and with burning at the stake—its targets were more numerous, its techniques were more ambitious, and its effect on history has been greater than many understand. The Inquisition pioneered surveillance, censorship, and “scientific” interrogation. As time went on, its methods and mindset spread far beyond the Church to become tools of secular persecution. Traveling from freshly opened Vatican archives to the detention camps of Guantánamo to the filing cabinets of the Third Reich, the author of Are We Rome? “masterfully traces the social, legal and political evolution of the Inquisition and the inquisitorial process from its origins in late medieval Christian France to its eerily familiar, secular cousin in the modern world” (San Francisco Chronicle). “God’s Jury is a reminder, and we need to be constantly reminded, that the most dangerous people in the world are the righteous, and when they wield real power, look out. . . . Murphy wears his erudition lightly, writes with quiet wit, and has a delightful way of seeing the past in the present.” —Mark Bowden, author of Hue 1968 “Beautifully written, very smart, and devilishly engaging.” —The Boston Globe

What went wrong in imperial Rome, and how we can avoid it: “If you want to understand where America stands in the world today, read this.” —Thomas E. Ricks The rise and fall of ancient Rome has been on American minds since the beginning of our republic. Depending on who’s doing the talking, the history of Rome serves as either a triumphal call to action—or a dire warning of imminent collapse. In this “provocative and lively” book, Cullen Murphy points out that today we focus less on the Roman Republic than on the empire that took its place, and reveals a wide array of similarities between the two societies (The New York Times). Looking at the blinkered, insular culture of our capitals; the debilitating effect of bribery in public life; the paradoxical issue of borders; and the weakening of the body politic through various forms of privatization, Murphy persuasively argues that we most resemble Rome in the burgeoning corruption of our government and in our arrogant ignorance of the world outside—two things that must be changed if we are to avoid Rome’s fate. “Are We Rome? is just about a perfect book. . . . I wish every politician would spend an evening with this book.” —James Fallows

When Princeton historian D. Graham Burnett answered his jury duty summons, he expected to spend a few days catching up on his reading in the court waiting room. Instead, he finds himself thrust into a high-pressure role as the jury foreman in a Manhattan trial. There he comes face to face with a stunning act of violence, a maze of conflicting evidence, and a parade of bizarre witnesses. But it is later, behind the closed door of the jury room, that he encounters the essence of the jury experience — he and eleven citizens from radically different backgrounds must hammer consensus out of confusion and strong disagreement. By the time he hands over the jury’s verdict, Burnett has undergone real transformation, not just in his attitude toward the legal system, but in his understanding of himself and his peers. Offering a compelling courtroom drama and an intimate and sometimes humorous portrait of a fractious jury, A Trial by Jury is also a finely nuanced examination of law and justice, personal responsibility and civic duty, and the dynamics of power and authority between twelve equal people.

When suburban dad Carl Dubler was selected for a jury, he should have found it easy to judge someone. A lifetime in the church gave him a clear sense of right and wrong, with little room for nuance. But this was for real. Permanent. The man before him was on trial for his life. Carl could choose mercy and offend those who clamored for justice. Or he could choose full justice-death-and offend those who said there had already been enough killing. Carl imagined God looking down at him with a wry smile and asking, "How do you like doing my job?" Playing God in Chair Twelve: A Juror's Faith-Changing Journey is the riveting true story of a notorious double-murder, a life-or-death judgment, and the faith journey that followed. Carl's thought-provoking story reveals what happens when ordinary people must decide between justice and mercy, life and death.

A history of the cartoonists and illustrators from the Connecticut School, written by the son of the artist behind the popular strips "Prince Valiant" and "Big Ben Bolt, " explores the achievements and pop-culture influence of these artists in the aftermath of World War II.

The authors review legal developments and behavioural science research concerning the effects of religion on legal practice, decision-making processes of various actors and trial outcomes. Chapters address jury selection and bias, attorneys' use of religion in legal movements, judges' religious belief, and much more.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Scopes Trial and the battle over evolution and creation in America's schools In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the twentieth century's most contentious courtroom dramas, pitting William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes, represented by Clarence Darrow and the ACLU, in a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education. That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day-in cities and states throughout the country. Edward Larson's classic Summer for the Gods -- winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History -- is the single most authoritative account of this pivotal event. An afterword assesses the state of the battle between creationism and evolution, and points the way to how it might potentially be resolved.

Given unprecedented insider access, author Allen D. Hertzke charts the rise of the new faith-based movement for global human rights and tells the compelling story of the personalities and forces, clashes and compromises, strategies and protests that shape it. In doing so, Hertzke shows that by raising issues_such as global religious persecution, Sudanese atrocities, North Korean gulags, and sex trafficking_the movement is impacting foreign policy around the world.