(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)
Outside The Law follows the life of Bruce Davidson, a decorated Marine, police officer, lawyer, and family man, as he heads down a destructive path of depression, alcoholism, divorce, and financial collapse, before finally turning to a life of crime on the run.
I felt that the writing in the beginning of the book was a little slow and a bit clunky as it told the story of Mr. Davidson’s early life and formative years. But I stayed with it, and as far as I am concerned, the writing flowed better, and the story became far more interesting as it went along.
The writers do a valiant – if transparent, job of trying to make Mr. Davidson appear sympathetic to the reader. As someone who has taught writing in a prison, I understand the temptation to do so and have witnessed it many times in the writings of my students. But I also understand that no one has walked in Mr. Davidson’s shoes, and that as human beings we should endeavor to give others the benefit of the doubt when possible.
My favorite part of the book was in the second half after Mr. Davidson’s fall from grace. I am always intrigued by the concept of “a life on the Run” and the fact that Mr. Davidson not only traversed the country robbing banks along the way, but that he took the opportunity to sightsee as went. The Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, and the Corn Palace are just a few of the stops he made all while arguably taking the most notorious road trip of all time.
My one huge issue with the book – and one that I personally reached out to one of the authors to point out (I never received a reply from my voice mail to Paul Ogden) was a glaring mistake regarding the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979. The book incorrectly states that the Iranian students held the US hostages in Baghdad, as opposed to correctly stating, Tehran. It’s a significant error, and one that I really wished the authors had not made, as this was otherwise an enjoyable book.