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?

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.

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.

The first novel in Mickey Spillane's classic detective series starring hard-boiled private eye Mike Hammer. I, the Jury is a double-strength shot of sex, violence, and action that is vintage Spillane all the way. It's a tough-guy mystery to please even the most bloodthirsty of fans.

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.