A Prosecutor's Story

In A Prosecutor’s Story, Prof. Cook shares his experiences as a trial lawyer and reluctant politician. Along the way, he imparts unique insights into the inner workings of our criminal justice system – highlighting its virtues and its shortcomings. Sometimes proud, sometimes cynical, and often snarky, he gives the reader a true picture of what it’s like to be a prosecutor in America.

Did a 4-year-old boy witness the brutal stabbing and near decapitation of his young, beautiful mother? Did a cheating wife hire someone to kill her husband and then have to marry her lover to keep his mouth shut? How was a schoolteacher able to molest students at three different elementary schools before finally being stopped? Who shot an elderly man multiple times, drug his body into the bushes, and bashed in his skull with the butt of the gun? And why did it take 23 years to achieve justice for this man’s family?

These and other questions are answered in A Prosecutor’s Story – the real-life stories of a Georgia District Attorney.

In A Prosecutor's Story, Cook provides the reader with an insider's view of the Criminal Justice System. The reader will be treated to previously undisclosed details relating to over 40 of Cook’s most challenging cases (including murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, child molestation, and voter fraud). 

Alan A. Cook was a criminal prosecutor for the state of Georgia from 1987-2001. He served as the elected District Attorney for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit from 1990-2000. During his years as a prosecutor, he tried over 120 jury trials ranging from murder cases (including 6 death penalty cases) to minor traffic offenses. After leaving active prosecution, Cook joined the University of Georgia School of Law faculty and taught Criminal Law & Procedure to aspiring prosecutors for 18 years before retiring in 2019.

Cook is the author of two previous books, the most recent being a comprehensive training manual for new Georgia prosecutors titled: Cook's Field Guide to Prosecution in Georgia which is now in its second edition. Professor Cook received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1981 and his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1984.