Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Oscar Pistorius trial books review – the case that mesmerised the world
Tim Lewis weighs up the evidence from three accounts of a gripping trial
Oscar Pistorius in court in Pretoria: ‘What really charged our imaginations was that Pistorius alone knew whether he actually meant to kill Steenkamp.’ Photograph: Herman Verwey/AP
There has never been a criminal trial like it. From the moment Oscar Pistorius, the sci-fi athlete, shot and killed his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on the morning of Valentine’s Day in 2013, it became irresistible rolling news. For the first time in South African history, a trial would be shown, from opening statements to verdict, on live TV. A cable channel soon offered 24-hour coverage and analysis. And, unlike the OJ Simpson case in 1995, social media stepped in with round-the-clock bloviating by everyone from experts to Donald Trump. June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother, remembers that as Pistorius took the witness stand there was rapt silence in the courtroom; the only sound was journalists tapping on their screens.Tim Lewis weighs up the evidence from three accounts of a gripping trial
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