The book is a wealth of well-presented information, accessible and intriguing to those with limited legal knowledge as well as more experienced litigators. The text is well organized, with crucial points made lucidly and restated at the end of each chapter. The author clearly shows how the volume's many examples can serve as templates for readers' own work. He does an excellent job of breaking down the cross-examination transcripts into their component parts and explaining how each piece contributes to the lawyer's overall case and how each question succeeds or fails. The book also steers readers through the substantial preparation involved in delivering a triumphant cross-examination rather than simply focusing on courtroom drama . . . . Each chapter delivers actionable tips attorneys can incorporate into their own practices. Read is knowledgeable about courtroom techniques and has done substantial research into the cases he addresses, resulting in a trove of topical information. . . . The winning prose makes the book an enjoyable read as well as an instructive one.

In this brilliant analysis of spectacular trial successes, Shane Read persuasively focuses on the pivotal role of a unifying theme, a carefully crafted bottom-line message, rooted in virtue and woven creatively into a compelling story. From that indispensable foundation, the trial lawyer’s entire house — particularly the all-important role of effective cross-examination — is built. No courtroom ‘house builder’ of our time is more skilled than Mark Lanier, the living embodiment of the author’s ‘how to’ guidance, who repeatedly strides across the pages of this eminently readable, extraordinarily practical book. Not every lawyer can realistically aspire to be the Mozart or Poet Laureate of trial practice, but following the author’s stirring examples of Mark Lanier’s dazzling performances will help every trial lawyer reach his or her own pinnacle of litigation success with both persuasive power and complete integrity.

Winning at Cross-Examination is so full of so many wonderful things that it is almost impossible to do justice to it with simple descriptions. . . . . The scholarship and analysis of the many legal writings and articles on the subject of cross-examination are very insightful and are presented in a very well organized and thoughtful way. No matter whether an attorney practices civil or criminal law, this book is a tremendous and indispensable resource.

Shane Read has done it again. Building on his model of teaching through great examples, he as has assembled the perfect ‘how to’ guide.

Finally, someone has challenged some of the long standing myths of cross- examination and brought the art into the 21st Century.