Depp v Heard

The Unreal Story

By: Nick Wallis

Narrated by: Nick Wallis

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Is Johnny Depp a monstrous wife-beater or the victim of Amber Heard's abuse?

Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story is the definitive account of Depp and Heard's disastrous relationship and their epic legal battles, written by the only journalist to cover both trials in the UK and US.

Using court documents, witness testimony, and contemporaneous evidence, Nick Wallis has pieced together all the violence, drug-taking, and wild extravagance to reconstruct who did what, where, and when. Nick explains why a UK court decided the abuse allegations against Johnny Depp were substantially true and why a jury in Virginia decided Amber Heard was lying.

The book dives into the online culture war which enveloped this story and investigates some of its more bizarre elements—the poo in the marital bed, the Australian dog-smuggling fiasco, and the night Johnny Depp lost part of his finger. Depp v Heard: The Unreal Story is written in the same thrilling style as Nick's first book, The Great Post Office Scandal; it asks challenging questions about the realities of abuse and how lurid allegations are refracted through the media and the courts.

If you took an interest in either trial and want to know what really happened on the private planes, island retreats, and luxury compounds, this book will guide you through every significant moment of the story, in unflinching detail, all the way to its dramatic conclusion.

©2023 Bath Publishing Limited (P)2023 Bath Publishing Limited

As unbiased a book about a contentious issue as I’ve ever read (or listened to)

I think the author should be commended for remaining about as neutral as us humans can be. As someone who found JD to be much more believable than AH I was at times feeling defensive over statements I deemed overly critical of JD. On the flip side I just read a 1-star review of this book because the author wasn’t sympathetic enough towards AH! (A completely unwarranted rating in my opinion.) You know Wallis is doing something right in his reporting when both sides sting a little!
My only criticism is I would’ve loved to hear his commentary on how inauthentic AH’s testimony came off. I think that may explain why the court room audience (who are further away from Ms. Heard) were so moved and uncomfortable with her more graphic testimony. Yet the jury and those of us watching the stream online (with a much closer view of AH) were unmoved and felt she was lying. Obviously not everyone watching the stream felt this way but there was definitely a lot more of the population that felt something was fishy about her testimony than not.
Overall an amazing book that leaves me wanting to check out his other book about the post office scandal!

Nothing new here folks, just move along.

I was hoping someone was finally going to talk about some of the underlying issues in the Depp and Heard marriage. Some of the issue that ran amok in their marriage went unanswered in the trail that I think begs highlighting. I'm a little disappointed that didn't happen here. There were so many themes that people ignored that cry out for discussion. For instance, why would Heard with a career and resources stay in an abusive marriage if indeed it was abusive? Is this common in abusive relationships? Did she think the abuse was a onetime event and maybe if she hadn't of provoked him it would get better? Did she wonder who would believe her if she went public? What are the odds of two people who came from abusive upbrings end up in abusive marriages? If they were in an abusive relationship, would it have been possible for this couple to get professional help with an unbiased therapist given their celebrity status? What about the alcohol and drug use as well as the financial stressors placed on this couple's marriage, wouldn't that have been significant risk factors for domestic violence? One important question that begs answering is, as a nation, are we convinced abuse only happens in lower classes, and not in upscale marriages?

If there was love in the marriage, did the marriage stand a chance? Did the people that worked for Depp enabled his addiction? Were there too many people in the marriage that worked for Depp were vying and competing with his wife? Were there people in their past relationships that wanted the marriage to end up as a sideliner and now a footnote? Isn't it hard to know what these two people would have been like, if they were given a fair chance? Sadly, the choices they made, given the paranoia, bizarre, unpredictable and violent behavior that drugs can have on people, we will never know.

From the hate coming from Depp supporters

I thought this book could be more sympathetic toward Heard than it actually was.

The author comes across as brash. Bro-ish. Blasé.