Witness Popular Books
Witness Biography & Facts
In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jury, before an administrative tribunal, before a deposition officer, or in a variety of other legal proceedings. A subpoena is a legal document that commands a person to appear at a proceeding. It is used to compel the testimony of a witness in a trial. Usually, it can be issued by a judge or by the lawyer representing the plaintiff or the defendant in a civil trial or by the prosecutor or the defense attorney in a criminal proceeding, or by a government agency. In many jurisdictions, it is compulsory to comply with the subpoena and either take an oath or solemnly affirm to testify truthfully under penalty of perjury. Although informally a witness includes whoever perceived the event, in law, a witness is different from an informant. A confidential informant is someone who claimed to have witnessed an event or have hearsay information, but whose identity is being withheld from at least one party (typically the criminal defendant). The information from the confidential informant may have been used by a police officer or other official acting as a hearsay witness to obtain a search warrant. Types A percipient witness (or eyewitness) is one with knowledge obtained through their own senses (e.g., visual perception, hearing, smell, touch). That perception might be either with the unaided human sense or with the aid of an instrument, such as microscope or stethoscope. A hearsay witness is one who testifies about what someone else said or wrote. In most court proceedings there are many limitations on when hearsay evidence is admissible. Such limitations do not apply to grand jury investigations, many administrative proceedings, and may not apply to declarations used in support of an arrest or search warrant. Also some types of statements are not deemed to be hearsay and are not subject to such limitations. An expert witness is one who allegedly has specialized knowledge relevant to the matter of interest, which knowledge purportedly helps to either make sense of other evidence, including other testimony, documentary evidence or physical evidence (e.g., a fingerprint). An expert witness may or may not also be a percipient witness, as in a doctor or may or may not have treated the victim of an accident or crime. A character witness testifies about the personality of a defendant if it helps to solve the crime in question. A crown witness is one who incriminates former accomplices in a crime who following receive either a lower sentence, immunity or also a protection of themselves or/and their family by the court. After they have provided the court with their testimony they often enter into a witness protection program. A secret witness or anonymous witness is one whose identity is kept secret by the court. Calling a witness In a court proceeding, a witness may be called (requested to testify) by either the prosecution or the defense. The side that calls the witness first asks questions in what is called direct examination. The opposing side then may ask their own questions in what is called cross-examination. In some cases, redirect examination may be used by the side that called the witness but usually only to contradict specific testimony from the cross-examination. Recalling a witness means calling a witness, who has already given testimony in a proceeding, to give further testimony. A court may give leave to a party to recall a witness only to give evidence about a matter adduced by another party if the second party's testimony contradicts evidence given by the original witness on direct examination. Testimony Witnesses are usually permitted to testify only what they experienced first-hand. In most cases, they may not testify about something they were told (hearsay). That restriction does not apply to expert witnesses, but they may testify only in the area of their expertise. Reliability Although eyewitness testimony is often assumed to be more reliable than circumstantial evidence, studies have established that individual, separate witness testimony is often flawed. Mistaken eyewitness identification may result from such factors as faulty observation and recollection, or bias, or may involve a witness's knowingly giving false testimony. If several people witness a crime, it is possible to look for commonalities in their testimony, which are more likely to represent events as they occurred, although differences are to be expected and don't of themselves indicate dishonesty. Witness identification will help investigators get an idea of what a criminal suspect looks like, but eyewitness recollection include mistaken or misleading elements. One study involved an experiment, in which subjects acted as jurors in a criminal case. Jurors heard a description of a robbery-murder, a prosecution argument, and then an argument for the defense. Some jurors heard only circumstantial evidence; others heard from a clerk who claimed to identify the defendant. In the former case, 18% percent found the defendant guilty, but in the latter case, 72% found the defendant guilty (Loftus 1988). Police lineups in which the eyewitness picks out a suspect from a group of people in the police station are often grossly suggestive, and they give the false impression that the witness remembered the suspect. In another study, students watched a staged crime. An hour later they looked through photos. A week later they were asked to pick the suspect out of lineups. 8% of the people in the lineups were mistakenly identified as criminals. 20% of the innocent people whose photographs were included were mistakenly identified. Weapon focus effects in which the presence of a weapon impairs memory for surrounding details is also an issue. Another study looked at 65 cases of "erroneous criminal convictions of innocent people." In 45% of the cases, eyewitness mistakes were responsible. The formal study of eyewitness memory is usually undertaken within the broader category of cognitive processes, the different ways in which we make sense of the world around us. That is done by employing the mental skills at one's disposal like thinking, perception, memory, awareness, reasoning, and judgment. Although cognitive processes can be only inferred and cannot be seen directly, they all have very important practical implications within a legal context. If one were to accept that the way people think, perceive, reason, and judge is not always perfect, it becomes easier to understand why cognitive processes and the factors influencing the processes are studied by psychologists in matters of law, one being the grave implications that this imperfection can have within the criminal justice system. The study of witness memory has dominated the realm of investigation. As Huff and Ratt.... Discover the Witness popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Witness books.
Best Seller Witness Books of 2024
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Silent Witness
Richard North PattersonFrom the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Richard North Patterson comes Silent Witness, an "intense courtroom drama... as startling as the bang of a gavel.” (...
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The Ideal Man
Julie GarwoodA woman’s life and love are compromised in this pulsepounding thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood.Dr. Ellie Sullivan has witnessed the shooting of an F...
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One Good Turn
Kate AtkinsonOn a beautiful summer day, crowds lined up outside a theater witness a sudden act of extreme road rage: a tap on a fender triggers a nearly homicidal attack. Jackson Brodie, excop,...
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The Missing Witness
Allison Brennan"This latest installment will likely satisfy Quinn and Costa’s loyal followers and attract those curious about the interplay between public policy, law enforcement, and politics." ...
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Blood Flag
Steve MartiniDefending a client accused of killing her father, attorney Paul Madriani is drawn into a treacherous conspiracy dating to World War II in this enthralling installment in the New Yo...
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Dumb Witness
Agatha ChristieIn Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness, Hercule Poirot investigates the very suspicious death of an elderly spinster who, fearing the very worst, had written to the great detective prio...
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False Witness
Karin SlaughterINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"There's deception, sabotage, violence, family secrets . . . all the stuff you could want from a fictional pageturner." theSkimm Recommen...
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The Enemy Inside
Steve MartiniDefending an innocent young man, defense attorney Paul Madriani uncovers a morass of corruption and greed that leads to the highest levels of political power in this electrifying t...
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Night Fall
Nelson DeMilleNew York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille does it again with Elite Antiterrorist Task Force Agents John Corey and Kate Mayfield discovering corruption deep in the FBI and th...
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The Witness
W. E. B. GriffinThe robbery ended in murder, the killers claimed to be terrorists, and the only cooperative witness feared for his life. Police officer Matt Payne knew the dangers of his professio...
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The Witnesses
James Patterson & Brendan DuBoisThis family has a very dark secretbut even with a retired NYPD cop next door, they can't hide from danger forever . . . The Sanderson family has been forced into hiding after one o...
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Witness
Amber Frey1 corinthians 10:13, niv"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are t...
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Silent Witness
Tom WattsGet ready for a new female hero to take the stage...A profoundly detailed and thoroughly entertaining story...ReaderHarriet MacAllister has been called to help. A brilliant female ...
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Blue Heaven
C. J. BoxBlue Heaven is the breakout novel from C. J. Box, the awardwinning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Joe Pickett series. A twelveyearold girl and her younger brother are...
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Gone
James Patterson & Michael LedwidgeA crime lord has declared war on America. Only Detective Michael Bennett knows why.Manuel Perrine doesn't fear anyone or anything. A charismatic, ruthless strongman, he slaughters ...
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Witness
Jamel BrinkleyA Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Los Angeles Times, Oprah Daily, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, Electric LiteratureShortlisted for the Kirkus Prize and Lon...
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Witness
Joe ParrinoOn the warwracked world of Margentum, Captain Danel Prestoff and the Brindelweld Ninth Imperial Guard stand against traitors, heretics and… something else. Something alien. Somethi...
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The Only Witness
Pamela BeasonWinner of the Chanticleer Book Reviews Grand PrizeA missing baby. A teenage mother suspected of murder. A jaded detective whose reputation is on the line. A signing gorilla de...
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Naked in Death
J. D. RobbIn a world of danger and deception, she walks the linebetween seductive passion and scandalous murder... Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. I...
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With No One As Witness
Elizabeth George“Delicately textured. . . achingly compassionate. . . gripping. . . . It’s one of George’s best, and that’s saying something.” Seattle TimesThe #1 New York Times bestsell...
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Dark Witness, a Josie Bates Thriller
Rebecca ForsterAs the edge of winter slices through fall, Josie Bates and Archer reluctantly abandon a trail that has gone cold in their search for Hannah Sheraton and Billy Zuni, teenagers on th...
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The Camel Club
David BaldacciAfter witnessing a shocking murder, four conspiracy theorists team up with a Secret Service agent to uncover the government corruption that threatens to cause an international terr...
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Enough
Cassidy Hutchinson#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERCassidy Hutchinson’s desk was mere steps from the most controversial president in recent American history. Now, she provides a riveting account of her e...
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Prime Witness
Steve MartiniA legal thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of the Paul Madriani series. It started with a series of bizarre double murders. It led to the arrest of one prim...
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Witness
Ruth GruberWith her perfect memory (and plenty of zip), ninetyfiveyearold Ruth Gruber–adventurer, international correspondent, photographer, maker of (and witness to) history, responsible for...
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The Witness
Grace Livingston Hill LutzThe story begins in a dormitory where a group of boys attack one boy. Their original aim was to make him swear. He was a religious boy and this difference provoked the boys into th...
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Witness
Whittaker Chambers#1 New York Times bestseller for 13 consecutive weeks!"As long as humanity speaks of virtue and dreams of freedom, the life and writings of Whittaker Chambers will ennoble and insp...
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Hostile Witness, a Josie Bates Thriller
Rebecca ForsterWhen sixteenyearold Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, a California Supreme Court justice, her distraught mother turns to once infamous defense atto...
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The Fifth Witness
Michael ConnellyIn this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller, after taking on a foreclosure case, defense attorney Mickey Haller fights to prove his client’s innocencebut first he must...
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Witness to a Trial
John GrishamA startling and original courtroom drama from New York Times #1 Best Seller John Grisham that is the prequel to his newest legal thriller, The Whistler. An Original EShort. A judge...
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Just One Kiss
Susan MalleryHe won’t hesitate to put his life on the line…but will he ever risk his heart?Falling for Justice Garrett was a high point in Patience McGraw’s otherwise awkward adolescence. Even ...
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An Impartial Witness
Charles Todd“Todd’s novels are known for compelling plotting with a thoughtful whodunit aspect, rich characterization, evocative prose, and haunting atmosphere.”Richmond TimesDispatch“Readers ...
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Silent Witness
Rebecca ForsterJosie Bates is pulled back into the world of highstakes law when her excop lover, Archer, is accused of murdering his disable stepson a son Josie never knew he had. Racing against...
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Justice
Karen RobardsNew York Times bestselling author Karen Robards is back with an exhilarating romantic thriller that will leave readers breathless.Feisty criminal attorney Jessica Ford has done her...
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Witness
Meghan O'Flynn“Sharp and engrossing, Witness is pure suspense…an exploration of dark family secrets that reminds us that no lie is without consequence.” ~Bestselling Author Kristen Mae How far...
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Started Early, Took My Dog
Kate AtkinsonTracy Waterhouse leads a quiet, ordered life as a retired police detective a life that takes a surprising turn when she encounters Kelly Cross, a habitual offender, dragging a you...
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The Assassin
Clive Cussler & Justin ScottDetective Isaac Bell tracks a killer across the nation’s oilfields in this adventure in the #1 New York Times–bestselling historical series. As Van Dorn private d...
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The Witness
Nora RobertsIn her stunning 200th novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts proves why no one is better “when it comes to flawlessly fusing highstakes suspense with redhot roman...
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Witness in Death
J. D. RobbWriting as J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts presents the tenth book in the New York Times bestselling series. When a celebrity is killed right before her eyes, New York detective Eve Dallas...
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The Last Witness
W. E. B. Griffin & William E. Butterworth IVThe last person Philadelphia homicide detective Matt Payne expected to hear from again was Texas Ranger Jim Byrth, with whom he’d broken a Mexican human trafficking ring. But Byrth...
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The Perfect Witness
Iris JohansenFrom the New York Times bestselling author of the Eve Duncan novels comes Iris Johansen's The Perfect Witness. She had the perfect life.She had the perfect cover.She was the perfe...
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Gone with the Wind
Margaret MitchellSince its original publication in 1936, Gone With the Windwinner of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the bestselling novels of all timehas been heralded by readers everywhere as The G...
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The Butler
Wil HaygoodThis mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film, The Butler traces the Civil Rights Movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century American history through the...
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The Fire Witness
Lars Kepler#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A terrifying new thriller in the the internationally bestselling Killer Instinct series: Detective Joona Linna finds himself on a collision course...
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Remains of Innocence
J. A. JanceSheriff Joanna Brady must solve two perplexing cases that may be tied together in New York Times bestselling author J. A. Jance’s thrilling tale of suspense that brings to life Ari...
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The Witness for the Prosecution
Agatha ChristieWhen wealthy spinster Emily French is found murdered, suspicion falls on Leonard Vole, the man to whom she hastily bequeathed her riches before she died. Leonard assures the invest...