Dan Flanigan’s An American Tragedy was not only a fantastic read but a firm commentary on American society today. Similar to Arthur Miller’s famous The Crucible, An American Tragedy reaches into past phenomenons to mirror those of the present, like fear-mongering and blind mob mentality, to name a few. Complementing the story’s relevance is Flanigan’s clear courtroom knowledge. It’s real, it’s intense, and it’s in full force. The courtroom proceedings are displayed in depth and the plot remains accessible to audiences unfamiliar with the material. It also stays realistic and attention-gripping; if anything, the long court procedures allow the readers to feel the tense, impending dread alongside the characters. Additionally, the crushing reality of the plot is fantastically put, with headlines breaking up each chapter. Miss Ginny and Marvin Smith’s (accused of assisting Miss Ginny) incarcerations are disturbingly common for the time (with forensic sciences and DNA testing in the early stages) with a strong reliance on easily swayed witness testimony being of great consideration in courtrooms. Style-wise, An American Tragedy is quite enjoyable. O’Keefe’s internal commentary rarely fails to be entertaining and the character-to-character interactions characterize the relationships of the cast well. The dialogue varies from quick-witted jabs between friends to cold, snide exchanges between the defense and the prosecution when appropriate. Halfway through reading this, I ended up in the rabbit hole of The Innocence Project (reading online and watching the Netflix docu-series), and it gave me some hope for those who find themselves in the shoes of Miss Ginny and Mr. Smith. If you have a general interest in false incarcerations and courtroom thrillers, I HIGHLY recommend this book. And, if you don’t, I suggest you give it a try – you may find that it's totally up your alley!