Book Description

From a New York Times–bestselling author: An account of the murder case and coerced confession that led to the birth of Miranda rights—“Unfailingly riveting” (Vincent Bugliosi). It was a muggy summer day in 1963 when Janice Wylie and Emily Hoffert were murdered in their apartment on New York City’s Upper East Side. Months passed before police arrested George Whitmore Jr., and he confessed to the crime. But his incarceration would entail a host of shocking law enforcement missteps and cover-ups. In this insider account, attorney and New York Times–bestselling author Robert K. Tanenbaum delivers a page-turning, real-life thriller about this historic case—from the brutal crime to the wrenching conviction, which forever reformed the American justice system. Echoes of My Soul chronicles both the infamous “Career Girls Murders” and the aftermath that ultimately led to the Supreme Court’s Miranda decision, as well as the abolition of the death penalty in New York State. This is “the most powerful story of American justice in our time”—a true account of two brutal murders, the innocent man convicted of the crime, and the young DA who refused to give up until justice was served (Linda Fairstein). “Thrilling and insightful.” —Publishers Weekly “Many of the elements of the narrative are inherently fascinating: the circumstances of the crimes in Manhattan and Brooklyn, the police investigations, the prosecutors’ deliberations and the courtroom dramatics . . . A nonfiction murder mystery, an intriguing saga.” —Kirkus Reviews