DOMINICK Dunne knows what he's writing about when he writes about trials involving the famous.

He sat through the trial of the man who killed his film actress daughter. His account of her death and the family's view of the murder case that followed forms the first chapter of his book, and stands as a damning indictment of the American system of justice for the rich and the famous.

Dunne then moves on to other trials that set the United States talking: the OJ Simpson case, Claus von Bulow's two trials, the Menendez brothers, to name a few.

But you learn little of what happened in court or the events that caused the trials. Dunne spends a lot of time dropping names and talking about the people involved in the cases as lawyers, witnesses or in a peripheral sense and what they said or did on various occasions outside the courtroom.

The impression is of a gossip column, concentrating on personalities rather than the examination of the justice system suggested by the front cover with its subtitle Crimes, Trials and Punishment.

The first chapter is the most interesting, giving a vivid picture of what it is like to be at the heart of a celebrity trial and how a victim's family can feel betrayed by the justice system.

If only it had stopped there. For those wanting to know more about OJ Simpson and other famous cases, this is not the right book. Those wishing to revel in an orgy of gossip will not be disappointed.

Updated: 09:43 Wednesday, June 19, 2002