Summary | Author | Reviews | Discussion Questions
Anatomy of a Murder
Robert Traver, 1958
448 pp.
In Brief
A gripping legal thriller, Anatomy of a Murder is based on a true the story of the sensational trial of a young soldier accused of murdering a town's well-known tavern owner. In the novel, fictional defense attorney Paul Biegler agrees to defend Frederick Manion—a seemingly impossible task: Manion admits to the killing and there is no shortage of eye-witnesses willing to testify against him. The story becomes Biegler's as underdog in a tough contest against a high-powered prosecutorial team. Biegler must find a way to legally justify the act in such a way as to overcome the natural sympathies and consciences of the jury. It seems an insurmountable challenge—until Biegler begins to dig beneath the surface and uncovers startling facts have not yet come to light. The truth is far more complex than anyone imagined.
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First published by St. Martin's in 1958, Robert Traver's Anatomy of a Murder immediately became the number-one bestseller in America, and was subsequently turned into the successful and now classic Otto Preminger film. For the twenty-fifth birthday of a work that is not only the most popular courtroom drama in American fiction, but one of the most popular novels of our time, St. Martin's is proud to introduce this special anniversary edition, with a new introduction by the author.
A gripping tale of deceit, murder, and a sensational trial, Anatomy of a Murder is unmatched in the authenticity of its settings, events, and characters. This new edition should delight both loyal fans of the past and an entire new generation of readers. (From the publisher's 25th anniversary edition.)
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About the Author
• Real Name—John D. Voelker
• Birth—June 19, 1903
• Where—Ishpeming, Michigan, USA
• Death—March 19, 1991
• Education—University of Michigan Law School
• Occupation—lawyer, prosecutor, justice of Michigan
Supreme Court
Robert Traver is the pen name for John D. Voelker (1903–1991), an attorney, county prosecutor, judge, and author. Voelker based his most famous work, Anatomy of a Murder, on a homicide and trial that originated in Big Bay, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the early morning of July 31, 1952. He was the defense attorney for Coleman A. Peterson, a Lieutenant in the Army, who was charged with murdering Maurice Chenoweth. The alleged motive behind this murder was that Chenoweth raped Peterson's wife the prior evening after she accepted a ride from him. Voelker successfully defended Peterson who was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Voelker was born in Ishpeming, Michigan and spent most of his life there. He graduated from the University of Michigan law school in 1928 and practiced law for a time in Chicago, Illinois before tiring of city life and returning to Ishpeming to enter private practice. Later, he was elected to the office of Marquette County prosecutor. In 1957, he was appointed the 74th justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, and was subsequently re-elected to that position. Voelker retired from the court in 1959 in order to write full-time after the success of his novel Anatomy of a Murder and to fish at his beloved Frenchman's Pond.
Under the pen name Robert Traver, Voelker published a number of novels and short stories with legal themes, all with the small-town Upper Peninsula setting he was most familiar with. He chose to write under a different pen name in order to assure others that his agenda as a writer and a prosecutor were completely separate. He also published three books on fishing which are regarded as classics of the genre. (From Wikipedia.)
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Critics Say. . .
Rarely have I been so entertained as I have been by this strange novel, and for the life of me I can't tell why..... Traver is a bit naive about writing, putting in all sorts of extraneous things that don't really bear on his story, overlapping the distinguishing marks of his characters, and being careless about their insides.... Nevertheless, ...it held me as few books have, I couldn't put it down. The style is simple, colloquial English, beautifully adapted to its task, and often pungently effective.
James Cain - New York Times, 1958
Readers Say. . .
(Occasionally, when there are few professional reviews, we offer helpful comments by readers.)
Terrific legal thriller: This reprinting of a terrific 1950s legal thriller that some insist established the sub-genre (Christie aside) holds up nicely five decades after its initial publishing and movie were made. The story line focuses for much of the first half on the insightful plot of the defense team investigation and building its plea, but though interesting is slow as readers see first hand the strategy and discourse they take; the latter half is the trial with both sides verbose as they make points. Though incredibly perceptive with what happens on a highly charged murder case, talking is not as exciting as performing. Still the tale retains its discerning insider's look at the legal process.
Harriet Klausner - a reviewer, 07/27/05
A murder trial is a fascinating pageant: The writing in "Anatomy of a Murder" is ornate and old-fashioned by modern standards, but it is also literate and laced with delicious homespun humor as well as fascinating legal arcana. The lawyers resemble boxers who strike blows and are hit in return. Although each man is occasionally bloodied, no one manages to deliver a knockout punch.
A central question posed in this book is one that can never be answered: How sound is a criminal justice system in which charismatic lawyers can bend the truth and manipulate juries? Courtroom dramas are popular because they present humanity at its most elemental, with attorney/gladiators fighting valiantly to win, and willing to do or say anything to achieve victory. Robert Traver wisely recognized the inherent drama that a work of fiction set in a courtroom during a controversial murder trial can generate. "Anatomy of a Murder" was written almost half a century ago and it contained subject matter that was extremely daring for its time. It remains an immensely entertaining and satisfying novel that will fascinate fans of quality courtroom thrillers.
E. Bukowsky - a librarian, reviewer, reader, 10/27/05
The Book That Sets The Standard For "Legal Thrillers: What is at issue...is the question of Manion's culpability; was his killing of Quill justified...? Travers leaves that question dangling in the minds of his reader, diverting our attention, rather, to the practice of criminal law and trial strategies.... Relative issues of guilt vs. innocence quickly take a backseat to questions of "gamesmanship" in the trial as Biegler fights to introduce evidence that the prosecution fights equally hard to suppress. "Truth" quickly becomes a secondary issue -- if an issue at all.
Paul Dana - a reviewer, 03/27/02
A dated potboiler: A bestseller in its day (the 1950s), this novel is of interest now mainly as a period piece and as the source for the celebrated Otto Preminger film. "Robert Traver" was the pen name of a former prosecutor and judge who wanted to write a novel that showed what *really* happens in a murder trial. He more or less succeeded in the accuracy department, but otherwise this novel is a fairly routine potboiler, with a touch of sex and violence, a wrongly slandered maiden whom only the hero appreciates, an alcoholic mentor who helps the hero behind the scenes, a scrappy secretary who never gets paid on time, etc.
John P. - a reviewer, 08/23/01
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Book Club Discussion Questions
Anatomy of despair: no publisher questions are available from for this book.
Not to worry. Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• Discussion Questions
• Read-Think-Talk About a Book
Also consider these discussion points:
1. Manion's culpability—if you were on the jury how would you vote?
2. Insanity pleas—are we rational or irrational beings? To what degree are we responsible for our actions? Are there extenuating circumstances?
3. The central irony of the work—how the justice system seems to subvert truth. How is truth skewed in this novel? Is justice achieved? Is Traver's portrayal realistic—or simply poetic license ? If realistic, what are the real life implications? (For a good understanding of irony, check out LitCourse 8)
4. Whom did you root for and why? Do you feel Travers manipulates his readers?
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