Praise for Cry Rape: One
Woman’s Harrowing Quest for Justice, by Bill Lueders, University of
Wisconsin Press
"In a textbook example of how not
to investigate rape, Patty was disbelieved, humiliated, and treated like a
criminal while promising leads were ignored. Her fight for justice is an
important and inspiring story, as well as a warning that old ways of thought
about women persist in surprising places. As full of twists and turns as a
mystery novel, and as tightly written, Cry Rape lays bare the underside
of one of our nation’s most liberal and attractive cities." —Katha
Pollitt, columnist for The Nation
"Cry Rape provides a chilling
example of how tunnel vision can lead even well-meaning police officers into
forming conclusions that are flat-out wrong, how powerful interrogation
techniques can lead innocent people to confess to crimes they did not commit,
and how DNA can correct mistakes for the lucky few." —Barry Scheck, The
Innocence Project
"When others doubted Patty’s story and attacked
her credibility, Bill Lueders continued digging and reporting, which ultimately
helped this victim find justice. His account of the case is a thoroughly
researched page-turner." —Bill Christofferson, author of The Man from
Clear Lake
"Well-developed cast of characters and
vivid dialogue…will captivate and outrage readers." —Kirkus Reviews
"Riveting. [Lueders’] achievement is
large—the book is not a polemic, the tone is not angry, but the systemic
fallibility Cry Rape reveals is frightening." —Doug Moe, The
Capital Times
"I don’t think it’s just an important
book for this community. I think every single person who works for the criminal
justice system – every single person – should be reading this book. [I]t’s an
excellent expose of how people with the best intentions can be very, very wrong
and how there are ways to stop that…." —Cheri Maples, former Madison
police captain
“This is a powerful example of how an investigative reporter can
right injustices and expose the need for further reform. [A] compelling book,
as suspenseful and harrowing as the best mystery novels. …Patty herself emerges
as a remarkable heroine: legally blind, scraping by on a paltry income, she
keeps fighting to be heard. This works as investigative journalism, heroic
tale, and exquisitely paced mystery.” —Connie
Fletcher, American Library Association
“Lueders spells out how Patty
suffered from incompetence and bias at every level of law enforcement. [A]
shocking revelation of the abuse rape victims are sometimes subjected to by the
very people who should be seeking justice for them.” —Publishers Weekly
“In fascinating and often graphic detail, Lueders…takes readers on
Patty’s gut-wrenching ride to vindication.” —Madison Magazine, October 2006
“Bill Lueders
shows what it really takes to be an investigative journalist. Endless energy to keep on battering at the wall of
denial and cover-up until he exposes
the truth. Few have the patience and the skill. Lueders has, and he's written
an important, exciting book.” — Alexander Cockburn
“Cry Rape is an engrossing tale…all the more powerful for its detached outrage. Mostly, Lueders lets the facts speak for themselves. ...To those of us who fervently believe that good journalism can better the world, Cry Rape is a shining example of reporting at its best.” —Jason Shepard, The Capital Times
“As an investigative reporter who
writes frequently about wrongful convictions, …I thought I'd lost the capacity
for surprise when it came to a malfunctioning criminal justice system. But Cry
Rape, about a case in Madison, surprised me.” —Steve Weinberg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“A must
read, a powerful indictment of how tunnel vision can lead police officers and
prosecutors even to turn against crime victims in a desperate attempt to
protect the system.” —Steven
Drizin, legal director, Center on Wrongful Convictions,
Northwestern University School of Law
“If I was teaching Criminology 101, I would
use this book.” —Former Madison Police Chief David Couper
“A gripping mystery… a meticulous
dissection of a police investigation gone wrong … an urgent read for anyone
concerned about how police treat victims of sensitive crimes and how
institutions defend their own.” —Linda
Lutton, Chicago Reader
“Cry Rape is a Herculean piece of reportage that… reads like
first-rate fiction.” —Michael
Popke, Shepherd-Express
“Lueders tells this nightmare tale with good old hard-nosed reporting,
piling up the details and the case against the Madison and Dane County
authorities in straightforward, no-frills language. …He may tell you more than
you want to know about the horrors Patty endured – but that’s proof of how well
he’s done his job.” —Jim Hazard, Milwaukee Magazine
“This is one of the best chronicles of how torturous
the justice system can be to women who have been forced into sexual acts
against their will. …Not only is this book worth buying; it is also worth
reading several times.” —Teri
King, Feminist Review
"Very rarely do true crime books tackle women's victimization in such a
strikingly feminist way – especially when the author is male. ...A quite
compelling expose of the justice system's reluctance to admit its capacity for
error and the bewildered working-class woman who gets caught in the middle."—Diane
Anderson-Marshall, Curve magazine