Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Examining murder from an insider’s perspective, Matt Murphy—a former senior deputy district attorney and current ABC News Legal Analyst—discusses cases from his career, how they strained his personal life, and how he found peace seeking justice for victims and their families.
Part taxonomy of murder, part prosecutor’s handbook, and part personal memoir, The Book of Murder goes through a dozen cases and his recollections of his twenty-six years in the Orange County DA’s office (seventeen in the Homicide Unit). Refreshingly honest about the toll such work takes on one’s private life, Murphy weaves his personal narrative throughout his casework in a way that humanizes the people entrusted with the duty of seeking justice on behalf of the public. As he does so, he lays bare the decision-making a prosecutor goes through in building a case to ensure justice is met while telling captivating tale after captivating tale of the world’s worst crime.
See how a prosecutor looks at—and lives with—the very worst crime. The insider’s perspective that Murphy gives on the notorious cases of Skylar Deleon, Rodney Alcala, “Dirty John” Meehan, and many others is a vital read for true-crime fans everywhere.
It’s a fact that people have a strange fascination with murder cases, whether it’s at the crime scene level where investigators gather clues or in the courtroom where justice is sought.
Matt Murphy recounts some of the cases he covered during his more than two decades in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The end result, The Book of Murder, provides an insider’s account of murder investigations.
In a career marked with sleepless nights and canceled plans, Murphy emphasizes the impact murder has on those seeking justice. However, he also points out the lessons accompanying each case.
Whether it’s a crime of passion or opportunity, Murphy delivers multiple examples from the prosecutor’s perspective. The challenges of not having a body to dealing with the national media are only some of the difficulties.
The Book of Murder serves up a front-row seat for true crime fans wanting to know the rest of the story.
MATT MURPHY is a former Homicide prosecutor and current legal analyst for ABC News. He spent more than two decades assigned to the Sexual Assault and Homicide Units of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, where he tried some of the most compelling murder cases in America. During his long tenure in Homicide, he prosecuted cold cases, famous serial killers, no-body murders, and many more.
Now in private practice, he regularly appears as a legal analyst on national television shows, including 20/20, Good Morning America, and various programs on Hulu. He is a mainstay on iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and her evening news program, where he offers his insight on murder cases across the country. Matt volunteers his time helping survivors of sexual assault navigate the confusing and often-overwhelming criminal justice system. A native of Southern California, he is an avid surfer, shark diver, and novice painter. When not in the courtroom, he can often be found on, under, or in the waves near his beloved home of Manhattan Beach.
