Overview

Before Valentine's Day of 2013, Pistorius was best known as an extraordinary athlete, the 'Blade Runner' who became the first amputee in history to compete in the Olympics. Everything changed after he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead in the early hours of 14 February. Overnight, the Olympian's status as a role model was replaced by tales of erratic behaviour and a violent dark side. His seven-month trial was broadcast live around the globe, its twists and turns captivating millions. Carlin, who followed the drama inside the courtroom, provides a vivid first-hand account of Pistorius's wrenching emotional breakdowns, the merciless interrogation to which he was submitted by the prosecutor, and the highly controversial judgment. Carlin paints a portrait of a complex personality, a man whose life story reveals extremes of courage and insecurity, ambition and vulnerability, generosity and dangerous hot-headedness. Not since the O. J. Simpson case has the world been so riveted by a champion's heroic rise and calamitous fall.

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9781782393269

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Reviews

The strength of Carlin's superb book is that it weaves many disparate strands into a humane and sensitive overview of a case that shocked the world... The detail is fascinating... Subtle and wise -- Matthew Syed The Times 'Book of the Week' Reads like a taut courtroom drama... Vivid, gripping and illuminating... For those in search of a full rendering of the case in all its complexity, Carlin goes a long way to delivering the goods. -- Justice Malala Sunday Times Impressively up-to-the-minute... The Pistorius case will continue to divide opinion and Carlin's book is unlikely to be the last word on the matter. But his evident fairness, cool objectivity and robust scepticism will make it a hard act to follow. -- Simon Shaw Mail on Sunday Carlin's account is framed by the progress of the Blade Runner's trial, but it's also a de facto biography that exposes his psychological incongruities Independent The strongest of the accounts... and the best at supplying a context for what unfolded... Carlin, a fine journalist, is clearly aware of the filmic potential of the tale... and his recreation of that Valentine's Day morning has the pace and energy of a movie script Observer The best account we are likely to get of the tragedy and its aftermath, with proper attention to the role of the remarkable judge -- Richard Williams Guardian, Best Sports Books of 2014

Author Information

John Carlin grew up in Argentina and in the UK and spent 1989-95 in South Africa as the Independent's correspondent there. He has also lived in Spain, Nicaragua, Mexico and Washington, writing for The Times, the Observer, the Sunday Times, the New York Times, among other papers, and working for the BBC. His previous books include, Playing the Enemy (2008), the basis of the film Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood, which earned Oscar nominations for both Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, and Knowing Mandela (2013).

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