I was required to read this book fora political science class regarding the law and let me just say that "required readings" intimidate me as an active reader. I love being motivated to read but not forced; however, despite my unwillingness to start the book, I had a hard time putting it down. Thought-provoking, insightful, and tear jerking, I was rooting for the defense and Roger Coleman the entire time. I am aware of the recent DNA findings conducted in 2006 or soo that declared his guilt, but I don't know, something doesn't sit right. What's done is done, but I can't help but wonder.....

Either way, if you're a true crime fan, I recommend this. Additionally, if you're required to read this in a course have no fear. What an intriguing true story from start to finish. Best to the families involved in this horrible crime, no matter the guilty party.

It really made me think about the death penalty and what it meant in terms of justice. Is killing someone really the best way to achieve the "peace" that justice brings? I still believe in some cases, the death penalty is more than necessary, but this book made me second guess a court's idea of what an "innocent man" is and what a "guilty man" is. I highly recommend the book to people who like true crime stories and are interested in the death penalty.

Well written with occasionally significant bias from the author on points which should have made him doubt Coleman’s innocence. The book is increasingly intriguing given the DNA update from 2006.

Interesting story that was clearly written before Governor Warner authorized DNA testing. I thought the proceedings and appeal process in Virginia were fascinating and highlights current problems with the Virginia criminal justice system.

A thoughtful and very thorough look at a man set for execution who never stops claiming that he is innocent. The dedication and work on stopping his execution by a team of lawyers who believe him is amazing. I recommend this book to all that are interested in what happens after the trial of a capital crime.

Let me begin my review noting that I (re)read this book in 2024 - 43 years after Wanda Fay McCoy was sexually assaulted and murdered, 32 years after Roger Keith Coleman was executed, and 18 years after retested DNA evidence conclusively proved that he did in fact murder his teenage sister-in-law despite his unwavering claims of innocence.

It's clear from the beginning of May God Have Mercy that the author believes Roger is innocent and this book is an attempt to posthumously continue Roger's false narrative of innocence. Just as those who believed in Roger's innocence claimed the police and prosecutors had tunnel vision, created false narratives, and ignored or fabricated evidence/witness testimonies, John C. Tucker, Jim McCloskey and Kitty Behan (who I'll refer to as "Roger's team) fell into the same psychological entrapment of bias towards Roger. While not 100% conclusive, the DNA evidence tested as a part of Roger's trial in the 80s concluded that Roger was a part of the 0.2% of the population who could have the combination of blood type and alleles found on Wanda's body. The state DNA examiner found two sets of DNA, which his team says proved his innocence, instead of maybe the fact that Roger had an accomplice. Roger had a history of sexual depravity. This book made no effort to interview the victims of Roger's earlier crimes and at times, glossed over or entirely left out pieces of evidence against Roger. Roger's team discounted eye witnesses from Roger's earlier sexual crimes, yet hailed their own eye witnesses "proving" Roger's innocence as completely honest and accurate with no flaws or reasons to lie. This book at times went too far and came off as conspiratorial. Roger's team should have known he wasn't innocent when he made the outlandish claim that a female prison guard was sent by the State to have sex with him in order to collect his DNA and frame him ... almost as if Roger knew his DNA would be positively identified if more sophisticated testing was done. Kitty Behan proved overzealous and completely inappropriate in her pursuit to fight for the perceived justice of Roger Coleman. So inappropriate in fact that she and the law firm she was working for were sued by Wanda's neighbor, who they stated as fact was the real killer of Wanda McCoy with less than impressive evidence. Kitty's commitment to her client went far beyond what is appropriate for an attorney/client relationship. Roger's team ponders how in the world someone as intellectual, calm and soft-spoken as Roger Coleman could have committed such a heinous crime, never stopping to think that just maybe someone such as Roger could use his intellect to leave little trace of his crime and then manipulate those around him in to believing his claims of innocence. I could go on and on. An unintended interesting aspect of this novel is showing just how hypocritical human beings can be. There appears to be little self-reflection from Roger's team throughout their journey. This book proves that no one - not even top attorneys - are prone from extreme biases, manipulation, and hypocrisy. Despite his claims, Roger was never a victim - a young woman with her entire life ahead of her and a loving family was. Wanda Fay McCoy was sexually assaulted and murdered by someone I can only assume she loved and trusted. Her story and life felt lost in this novel.

That being said, despite Roger Coleman being a lying manipulator and murdered, this book is a fantastic representation of just how complex and difficult capital cases are. I first read this book my freshman year of college for a criminal justice class. The point of reading the book was not necessarily to discuss the ethics of the death penalty or Roger's innocence, but rather showing the process of a capital case from crime to death and everything in between. John C. Tucker's attention to detail was impressive. He made the complexities of this capital case easy to follow. This was a made-for-television story, it had everything: small coal mining town in Appalachia, SCOTUS review, claims of innocence, an anonymous letter, suspicious deaths, corrupt police, appeals, and so much more. The author need not dramatize any aspect of this case. Just because DNA evidence conclusively proved that Roger was guilty, it does not mean that he necessarily got a fair trial. He had subpar representation at his trial and the state actors were unscrupulous and had questionable motives. This case shows how police departments and state prosecutors can be one track minded and ignore or under investigate other leads. I will say, after my first reading of the book, I too believed that there was a good chance of Roger being innocent. Wanda's neighbors should have been subject to the same level of investigation as Roger - unless the author conveniently left out the police's investigation of the neighbors, of course!

Overall, this book is a fascinating read. All humans - police, prosecutors, defense attorneys, coal miners in Appalachia, everyone - are fallible and subject to the same biases and hypocrisies that we often accuse others of having. This book should not be taken at face value, which I think is one of the lessons I'm leaving the second reading with. I really hope that all those on Roger's team have found a way to make peace with this time in their lives. I can only image how used, manipulated and guilty they felt for many years after learning of his conclusive guilt. They all really convinced themselves of Roger's innocence, just as I suspect Roger blocked out the murder and convinced himself of the same. It's quite astonishing how if this same murder occurred within the past 20 years, there would be no question of Roger's guilt. I imagine that I'll go back to reread this book more times throughout my life.

The most riveting, gut wrenching, emotional book I've ever read. By far, my all time favorite. The beginning has a lot of characters and some have the same name so it can be a bit tricky to follow, for this reason there is a separate guide to help. The last half is an emotional roller coaster ride. Once you get the beginning all established and the roller coaster starts, clear your schedule because you'll stay up all night to finish. I'm so grateful John C Tucker knew that this story needed to be told. It definitely did and he was the man for the job. A clear, understandable voice to such an important true story that will leave you feeling the same fire and passion for this story you know the author still has.