Two Truths and a Lie

A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice

De: Ellen McGarrahan

Narrado por: Cassandra Campbell

EDGAR AWARD FINALIST • A private investigator revisits the case that has haunted her for decades and sets out on a deeply personal quest to sort truth from lies.

CLUE AWARD FINALIST • “[A] haunting memoir, which also unfolds as a gripping true-crime narrative . . . This is a powerful, unsettling story, told with bracing honesty and skill.”—The Washington Post

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice • One of Marie Claire’s Ten Best True Crime Books of the Year

Ellen McGarrahan was a young journalist for The Miami Herald in 1990 when she witnessed the botched execution of convicted killer Jesse Tafero: flames and smoke and three jolts of the electric chair. When evidence later emerged casting doubt on Tafero’s guilt, McGarrahan found herself haunted by his fiery death. Had she witnessed the execution of an innocent man?

Decades later, McGarrahan, now a successful private investigator, is still gripped by the mystery and infamy of the Tafero case, and decides she must investigate it herself. Her quest will take her around the world and deep into the harrowing heart of obsession, and as questions of guilt and innocence become more complex, McGarrahan discovers she is not alone in her need for closure. For whenever a human life is taken by violence, the reckoning is long and difficult for all.

A rare and vivid account of a private investigator’s real life and a classic true-crime tale, Two Truths and a Lie is ultimately a profound meditation on truth, grief, complicity, and justice.

Crime truth and justice

I live near Starke and recall the execution but not the case. The author gives and in-depth look at the Florida drug and crime world, the justice system and the difficulty in finding truth.
Well done. Voices are hard in audible books. It would be perfect but not feasible to have different voices, so it is never the fault of the reader.

Very Enthralling

Can't imagine what it must be like to carry the burden of witnessing this execution all these years. The author and narrator did good work. It was like peeling an onion to go back after all these years to get the different perspectives on the people and events. What you find is not what you started out wanting to know.

Very well written

Compelling story and very well written. Highly recommend to other true crime fans out there.

Interesting story but..

Jesse and Sunny’s is a powerful story and I was really looking forward to reading more about it. However, while I respect the author’s dedication and work, I did not like the delivery of this book. There’s too many detail that make it hard to keep up. At times, it is a bit redundant. Didn’t like the pace/change of voices the narrator tried to do so it was hard for me to keep listening (for an audiobook it’s amazing how the narration can affect if you keep listening or not)

Reporters view of an actual event

I found the story interesting and didnt realize until I was almost done with the book that it was based on true events.
I think had I known from the beginning it was based on real events I would have been very frustrated with the author and some people involved; especially Sunny Jacobs. I think the book is in desperate need of an editor. It become very redundant towards the end and I found myself skipping ahead to get to the end. I found myself frustrated by the end both with the author who must have the most patient spouse in the world and with the public that is so easily duped by true story shows that depict people like Sunny Jacobs as innocent,