Scoundrels to the Hoosegow
Veteran prosecuting attorney Morley Swingle shares more than thirty stories drawn from his real-life career, re-creating, with verve and wit, villains, cops, lawyers, and scoundrels. In cases both tragic and hilarious, he offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it is truly like to be a prosecutor, taking readers from crime scenes to courtrooms. Not since Robert Traver (author of Anatomy of a Murder) wrote Small Town D.A. has an American prosecutor penned such a candid, revealing, and funny account of the job.
“Morley Swingle’s Scoundrels to the Hoosegow is not only consistently fascinating, but there is much to be learned from it about life in and out of an American courtroom. I highly recommend this engrossing book to the general reader and, in particular, to members of the prosecutorial profession.”
— Vincent Bugliosi, Author of Helter Skelter
“Morley Swingle is a rarity among lawyers, and almost unique among prosecutors: a man who loves the books as much as the courtroom, and who writes as well as he dissects witnesses on the stand. Swingle presents the life of a country prosecutor with verve and wit. Scoundrels is a highly enjoyable romp through crime and punishment. If Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities captured the essence of criminal practice in a major metropolis, then Scoundrels surely captures the essence of that practice in small town and rural America.”
— Robert H. Dierker, Jr., Retired Circuit Court Judge
“Morley Swingle, a career prosecutor with a fine sense of humor and an appreciation of the English language, has produced an often funny, sometimes moving, but always interesting account of his 25 years as a prosecutor. The reader will gain an understanding of the importance of the prosecutor in our criminal justice system and the nature of decisions a prosecutor must make. Such an understanding is easy to acquire when the presentation is spiced with humor. The reader will also learn that Missouri has its share — maybe more than its share — of weird and sometimes dangerous scoundrels.”
— Edward H. Hunvald, Former Professor of Law, University of Missouri
“Through true tales from his career, Morley Swingle offers an insightful look into the life of a small-town prosecutor. From the bright lights of Oprah to the gritty details of crimes, Swingle deftly details both the comic foibles of lawbreakers and the sometimes-tragic consequences of their criminal behavior. Along the way, the reader gains an appreciative feel for the wide range of issues prosecutors must address and the often-difficult decisions they must make.”
— Gary P. Toohey, Editor, Journal of the Missouri Bar
“Swingle has tried more than 150 cases in his twenty years as a prosecutor in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He has collected his favorite “war stories” into this marvelous compendium of bad guys, good guys, and nearly everyone in between. The author is a terrific writer and an even better entertainer.”
— Foreword Reviews