In 1979, a journalist met a murderer, MacDonald, and decided to write the story of his crime, claiming that it would work in his defence. However, the resulting story was an indictment of the crime and the mind of its perpatrator. This book tells of the lawsuit which followed in 1984. The suit was filed by MacDonald against the writer. The underlying narrative of betrayed love was told so convincingly that at the trial five out of six jurors were persuaded that a man who was serving three consecutive life sentences for the murder of his wife and two small children was deserving of more sympathy than the writer.