The Murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless

An Honest Sheriff and the Exoneration of an Innocent Man

Non-Fiction - True Crime
308 Pages
Reviewed on 12/28/2023
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

The Murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless by Stephen R. Snodgrass is the story of An Honest Sheriff and the Exoneration of an Innocent Man. In 1992, 19-year-old Mischelle Lawless was found dead in her car in a small town in Missouri. Despite having an ironclad alibi, Josh Kezer was arrested and charged with murder, and he spent 16 years in prison, even though he could prove he was in a different state. When a deputy who attended the murder scene was elected as Scott County Sheriff, he reopened the case and continued to search for the real murderer. His investigations uncovered a tangled web of corruption and manipulation and the fact that if something could go wrong in the justice system, it did in this case. Witnesses were coached, previously recanted false testimony was used, evidence withheld, and so much more, all leading to the conviction of an innocent man. This book attempts to unravel that web and put right those serious wrongs.

The Murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless by Stephen R. Snodgrass is a work of art. It is clear that the author has done some serious research into this, partly through in-depth interviews with Josh Kezer, and has produced an excellent account of what happened and what went wrong. The book offers detailed accounts of how one person could weave that tangled web of corruption, deception, and manipulation, drawing others into it and having them do his bidding, all resulting in an innocent man losing 16 years and very nearly his life. The real killers are yet to be charged. This is a story of courage, of the people who fought to save Josh and how they kept their faith, no matter what came their way. This is an absolute must-read, not just for those who like true crime but for anyone who cares about justice being done.