Main Book Review Page

MICHAEL JACKSON CONSPIRACY
 

A dedicated Michael Jackson fan, who has read Michael Jackson Conspiracy, has written a striking book review, which has been called "informed." 

The fan, who is known by the initials TSCM among many Michael Jackson fan sites, wrote a separate message to Aphrodite Jones, which is excerpted here.  The excerpt describes the impact Michael Jackson Conspiracy has had within the Michael Jackson fan community.

"The review I wrote has been viewed around 3,400 times across the four communities I posted it to and has subsequently been translated and posted on foreign sites, as far away as Greece.  More than a few have confirmed through their responses that they would be ordering your book ASAP, even some of those who were decidedly against ordering it decided to order it anyways after reading my review.  So hopefully my review has helped a little to spread the word about Michael Jackson Conspiracy!"
— TSCM

The complete book review follows.

Book Review by TSCM

MICHAEL JACKSON CONSPIRACY
 

"Michael Jackson Conspiracy deals almost exclusively with direct trial testimony and material as entered into court evidence during the 2003-2005 criminal investigation of Michael Jackson.  The book chronologically takes its readers on an unparalleled journey through all major developments of the Michael Jackson case - from the initial raid on Neverland back in November 2003, to pre-trial events and occurrences, to jury selection and trial testimony, right down to the final verdict on June 13th, 2005.

"Aphrodite Jones makes extensive use of quotations as taken directly from official courtroom transcripts to illustrate what in fact went on in court.  In addition, Aphrodite is able to inject physical descriptions about the key players and atmospherics surrounding the trial, which is impossible to visualize by reading the court-produced transcripts alone.  Furthermore, in the book Aphrodite thanks the jury foreperson (Paul Rodriguez) and veteran trial observer Iris Crawford for their "invaluable" trial observations, which undoubtedly adds to the validity and accuracy of her book's content.  And to top it off, the main man himself Thomas Mesereau fully approves of this book and has even written the foreword to it.

"Mixed in with actual trial testimony, Aphrodite Jones also offers insight into some of the items which were entered into evidence but never fully described in transcripts or reports.  This includes various audio and video exhibits including the Arvizo's praise-heavy interviews about Michael Jackson, Neverland Ranch footage from before officers raided it, and the videos produced as Michael was caring for a then ill Gavin Arvizo.  Also included are the 2003 Extrajet "Passenger Profile" sheets used for Michael Jackson and his children, which I found rather amusing - "cute" as many will say (KFC, anyone?) especially in the midst of what was some very serious and infuriating issues.

"Michael Jackson Conspiracy also includes numerous pages of quotes and summaries taken from the Martin Bashir outtakes, a lot of which was never aired on television and never discussed by the media.  This information offers a fascinating and at times emotional glimpse into Michael's candid discussions and beliefs, as he pours his heart out to Martin Bashir.  The outtakes illustrate just how distorted and untruthful Martin Bashir was; what he said to Michael's face and what was aired on television couldn't possibly be any further apart.

"There are approximately 20 pages of exhibit photographs and another section of general witness/character photographs.  The exhibit pictures even include those of Janet and Gavin Arvizo as they pose in preparation of filing their admittedly false claims against J.C. Penney for battery and sexual abuse, after Gavin was caught shoplifting (bruises and arm brace intact).

"As mentioned previously, the book follows the sequence of events in the order that they occurred, straying ever-so-slightly from time-to-time. Approximately 5/6 of the book centers on the prosecution's case and witnesses, but given the fact that the defense scored so many of their points while cross-examining the prosecution's own witnesses, this seems perfectly natural and I wouldn't want it any other way.

In my opinion, Aphrodite did an incredible job at summarizing most of the major witnesses for both sides while also pointing out the most critical and obvious lies and contradictions as told on the stand by so many of the prosecution witnesses.  With approximately 290 pages of text (~320 pages in total), it would obviously be impossible to discuss all of the witnesses at the trial.  Again, Aphrodite appropriately summarizes many of the most important trial witnesses and is sure to include quotes from most of the important testimonies, from both the defense and prosecution.  This also includes the 1108 Evidence witnesses.

"Ultimately, there is really not a whole lot said about the media bias in the Michael Jackson case, and there's even less "new" or "bombshell" material about it despite what the initial hype may have led people to believe.  Aphrodite Jones appears to play it safe by not calling out any reporter or network by name, and the handful of examples that she does use when briefly speaking of the media bias throughout the book typically seem overly generalized or predictable (i.e., "pajama day" and Jay Leno's late night jokes).  She does talk at different times about how the media would often fail to report key facts or slant their reports, but very few direct examples are ever given (there are no "Diane Dimond said this, but the transcript said this" kind of examples).  Even so, the media is hardly handled with kid gloves in Aphrodite's book and those who followed the trial at any length will have a good sense which reporter(s) are likely being discussed.

"In my opinion, Aphrodite Jones may have also moved a little too quickly through some portions of the trial.  The jury selection process and opening statements passed by with just several pages devoted to each.  The closing arguments were ignored almost entirely, and I feel that a little more time could have been spent zeroing in on Gavin and his siblings' testimony over Janet Arvizo's (whom by the first paragraph was already established as a fully non-credible, unstable witness).  For example, the cross-examination of Davellin was only mentioned as a brief aside, and while it was mentioned that she admitted to having lied under oath in the past nothing was said about her constant "I was very young, I can't remember" responses to the countless questions asked by Mesereau.  Still, an abundant supply of lies, contradictions and questionable answers including some rarely mentioned ones are still nicely presented with regards to Star and Gavin's testimony.

"There are also several details that I would have liked to have seen published, but they weren't for one reason or another.  For one, although the Chandler settlement is discussed several times and the reasoning makes perfect sense, it is never stated that it was actually Michael's insurance company that ultimately paid for the settlement.  Likewise, although the two "boy" books are mentioned a couple times and a picture of Michael's inscription from one is even shown in a picture, it was never directly mentioned that the other book the prosecutors kept trying to use was actually given to Michael (and signed) by a fan in the 80's.

In addition to Thomas Mesereau's foreword, there are several additional quotes from him throughout the book, (a couple of which are very interesting, like how much future profit the media reportedly lost the day Michael was acquitted).  Aphrodite also includes some brief quotes and information from the jury foreman.  Apart from that however, the book focuses entirely on trial transcripts and official evidence to create its content, which is not a bad thing just don't expect to see many stories that were never presented in court.

One final note I'd like to mention is that the title for each chapter is made up entirely of lyrics from Michael's songs, which typically have little resemblance to the content of the chapter.  There is no Table of Contents and no index to quickly locate a certain witness' testimony, so when reading it you may wish to write down any important page numbers for future reference.

"In the end, I would still like to emphasize that this book is without a doubt the most accurate summary of what really went on in court ever published.  It is definitely a positive read, primarily as a result of the actual court transcripts being quoted rather than the typical tabloid innuendo.  Factually, I'd estimate that the book is at least 98% accurate as compared to the real case, there are just a few trivial discrepancies in the non-quoted portions such as Aphrodite stating that Janet had "planned to escape from Neverland in a hot-air balloon" when in reality, Janet was fearful that "the Germans" were going to "make her disappear" via such a balloon (i.e., ship her off to Brazil).

"All-in-all, I feel that this is an -excellent reference- and a -great trial refresher- as to why Michael Jackson was found -not guilty- on all charges against him.  I would -highly recommend- this book to everyone, fans and non-fans alike!

"8.8 / 10 (My review is based on an uncorrected proof of Michael Jackson Conspiracy. These statements have not yet been cross-checked with a finalized copy - slight discrepancies may exist.)"
— TSCM