The Shocking Inside Story of Violence - and Remorse

Mike finally comes clean! He protected OJ illegally for many years knowing the truth that OJ "did it". The stashing of OJ's personal and sports items was certainly very illegal. The book again shows that juries do get it wrong at times when a good attorney lies and missleads.

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With that said; this was a very interesting book. It filled in a lot of blanks (about the case) for me and made a strong case for his (OJ's) guilt. Having been in a toxic relationships myself I can understand the feelings expressed and the actions taken. All in all it is sad and a total waste of the lives involved.

I always knew he was guilty, but its amazing that his friends went to the lengths they did to protect a murderer. Most disheartening was the information on the children.

I would not have bought the book if the author hadn't said that some of the proceeds were going to charity.

Excellent, excellent book!!!! Well written. Could not put it down. I guess by writing this book, it was his way of finding peace and forgiveness with the choices he made. But, geez, absolutely disgusting and very disturbing in that he (and OJ's inner circle of friends) let a murderer go free.

Was very refreshing seeing something written from the viewpoint we all know is true. I giv much credit to Mike Gilbert for being brave enough to speak out and think it is a very good thing all proceeds will be going to charity. Best of luck to Mike Gilbert, Know what goes around will come around for OJ. (Even more than it has already!)

It is obvious that the writer was torn with guilt. He did not help Simpson commit the murder, but he did help bankroll the defense. Defense lawyers are scummy. OJ is a narcissist. Money makes people blind.

I've always been convinced of Simpson's guilt. However, like most people, I've always wondered why those bloody gloves didn't fit when, in the courtroom, Simpson was told to put them on. Now I know the reason.
Simpson told Gilbert, his then confidant and business agent, that for whatever reason he did not wish to put the gloves on in court. In response, Gilbert reminded Simpson that whenever Simpson failed to take his arthritis medication for a few days it would result in his hands (especially his knuckles) swelling to twice their normal size. Apparently, Simpson took Gilbert's advice.
Gilbert's book has the ring of truth to it. As an insider who is not bound by the attorney/client privilege, Gilbert is able to fill in a number of details that were previously unknown. If you have an interest in this case, this book is definitely worth reading.

If you are interested in a very interesting and detailed critique of how badly the prosecution of this case was handled by the District Attorneys, I highly recommend Vincent Bugliosi's book, entitled "OUTRAGE". (Note: Bugliosi is the former Los Angeles D.A. who prosecuted Charles Manson.)

At first I thought this was just another waste of money. It seemed like there was a shadow of a confession and nothing more outside of a story of greed. I kept reading and I am glad I did. Over the years I have heard it said he could not have done that because a father would not set his kids up for such a horrific scene. My Mind often drifted between maybe he thought they were gone that night to O.J. just being selfish O.J. In any event, I can say now, I am glad he was acquitted. It was like he was let out to watch what he cared about the most be taken from his hands, his material possessions. After losing everything and becoming nothing he was sent back to where he belonged thirteen years later, on the exact day of his acquittal. It is hard no not think Ron and Nicole had a hand in that. Most of us cringed at the thought he was set free, but I believe we did not see the big picture. By the time I finished the book, I felt as if I had a sense of closure and a sense of justice. The worst kind of hell a person can live in, is the one they create for themselves.

I have read almost everthing written about the O.J. Simpson trial, but did not know this guy existed until I saw the NEWEST O.J. documentary that aired on ESPN. I thought he was quite humble in the documentary, but soon realized his own arrogance and narcissism and psychopathy after reading his book. He inserts himself, into the legal team, into O.J.s inner circle, (as one of the most "important 4 people of O.J's inner circle), even inserts himself into the OJ's latest arrest in Las Vegas. They say "psychopaths find each other" and "you are who you hang with", friend wise. I understand why he was "friends" with O.J. While I did learn things about O.J. Simpson that I did not know, it wasnt anything I would be proud of "reporting" if I were this guy. He takes credit for arranging O.J.'s sex tape fiasco, in order the generate money for Simpson. I thought it was ironic that O.J. had reservations about making a "sex tape". I would think if you committed the murder of two innocent souls, then a "sex tape" would be no big deal. Seems even O.J. had more scrupels and morals and boundaries than this guy. I get the feeling the author is wanting notarietary by reporting "smut" that really serves no purpose after the trial. He seems to come across as "having a come to Jesus moment" and wanting redemption, but only he and O.J. knew of their own smut, as he is/was really a nobody, riding off the coat tails of the O.J. Simpson connection and obviously, still is. He tells his readers that "I am very good at manipulation and conning people", and "I am the reason the gloves didnt fit O.J. at the trial, because I told O.J. to stop taking his arthritis medicine so O.J.'s hands would swell". Wow. Not something I would want the world to know about, but thats me. He comes across as a "braggart", who really has no story worth knowing about to tell. Why he would tell the world what he did for O.J. is beyond me. I guess he has his own agenda and reasons for wanting his own psychopathy known to the world. I did lose the respect I had for him when he was in the documentary. His writing is "high school", at best....which makes sense, because they say "paychopaths get stuck "personality wise" at age 18". If you enjoy reading the National Enquirer or tabloids, then you may enjoy this book.

I very different view regarding OJ and the murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. This was a good read and gave insight into the OJ camp during the murders, trial, and the time before the Las Vegas arrest.

I sincerely wish I had not purchased this book. I regret putting one penny into Mike Gilbert's pockets. From his own writings we see how complicit he was. He practically brags about stripping the Simpson house before the Golmans could collect on their judgement against Simpson. The brags about how Simpson's real jersey is still hidden "somewhere very safe"

It is completely disingenuous for Gilbert to try to make him myself look like a changed man. He is still a money/fame whore trying to wring a little more cash out of the whole sordid affair. The man and the book are beneath contempt.

And that is why I wish I had not bought it.

Pretty good insight on OJ and his mindset and what really happened that night.
My only complaint is the author's self indulgences and the fact that he now wants to have a beer and be friends with all the people he helped screw over for OJ.

Nothing too surprising here. It does give you insight to what a real sleaze bag OJ is. You would have to put the author in that category too because he admitted he knew all along OJ did it. Can't imagine how either one of them can look in the mirror. It's amazing how people like that find each other.

All the people that surrounded Simpson and later voiced their true feelings and spoke out deserve credit it couldn't be easy .As for OJ let's hope he knows now that Karmic retribution is very real as a parent that has had a c

Mike Gilbert spent almost two decades as O.J. Simpson’s sports agent, business advisor and confidant. He wrote in the Prologue to this 2008 book, “I am not interested in anybody’s forgiveness, but I do want to tell the real story… I want you to see us as real people, no matter how you may judge us by the end of the book… There were four of us in the innermost O.J. circle: Skip Taft, Cathy Rada, Al Cowlings, and me---the lawyer, the personal assistant, the best friend, and the agent. During the trial we were inseparable, but the pain and stress dissolved our bonds and now there’s just a resigned silence… We loved him. That does not change the bottom line. HE DID IT. Of that I am 100 percent certain… I believe O.J. came as close as he will ever come to publicly confessing last year, in his bizarre tell-all book If I Did It. But he couldn’t go through with it. I see my book partly as the final chapter of his book---a way to finish what he started.” (Pg. 1-2)

He continues, “I should tell you straight off that my loyalty to O.J. was not purely emotional or personal---it was also professional. We continued doing the business we’d done before the murders--- primarily the business of sports memorabilia, of signing items and selling them---all the way up to my final break with him, two years ago. We did this throughout his incarceration, up until the day of the verdict… I never lied to him, never told him I didn’t think he did it. Over time, I became more and more disillusioned with him, and disgusted with myself, for everything I did to help him hide, move, and lie about his most valuable possessions, to hide his assets, to shelter his money… But I know he did it. He told me as much. But I’ll return to that later… (Pg. 3-4)

He admits, “I know what you’re thinking: ‘What about you, Mike Gilbert? By writing this book, have you not also become a Judas?’ Yes, I have. I have countless stories of how and when people started ‘betraying’ O.J. I was always very scornful of such people, but now I am one of them. And now, finally, I understand why they did it. It is something you are driven to, in an attempt to reconcile your actions with your conscience---to return to planet Earth from an exile so terrible you can’t imagine it unless you’re been through it.” (Pg. 46)

He asserts, “In truth, out of all the cops involved in the case, Mark Fuhrman was by far the best. Without the evidence Fuhrman found and collected on the night of the murders… there would not have been a trial… He found the blood on the white Bronco while the other cops were simply standing around waiting for backup. The guy was awake, alert---overall an excellent detective. Marcia Clark and Chris Darden always blamed Fuhrman for their losing the case, but without him they wouldn’t have even had a case. The truth of the matter is that Clark and Darden lost the case, not Mark Fuhrman.” (Pg. 79)

He confesses, “This brings me to one of the things I did that I think warrants the bad rap I will take as somebody who helped O.J. get away with murder… Here was where I had my best, and worst, idea of the entire trial---O.J. and the glove. It was a few days before he was going to be asked to try on the gloves in front of the jury, and O.J. was visibly upset. ‘I don’t want to put them on, Mike,’ he said… As usual, I tried to think of a solution. That was when I had the idea. I said, ‘O.J., what happens when you don’t take your arthritis medicine?’ He looked at me, puzzled. ‘My hands hurt like h___.’ ‘What else happens?’ … ‘They swell up.’ O.J. stared at me blankly, still not seeing where I was heading him. ‘Exactly,’ I said, hoping he would catch my drift. O.J. looked at me and I could see the penny drop. ‘O.J.,’ I said very quietly. ‘Why don’t you stop taking your arthritis medicine?’ That was all that needed to be said. O.J. understood. There had been a few times when we were traveling together when he forgot his arthritis medicine and his hands, especially his knuckles, would get huge from swelling. We didn’t discuss it any further. I’m not even sure he ever told his attorneys about our discussion---I don’t think they knew…” (Pg. 80-82)

He notes, “In the years since Nicole was murdered, I have not once heard O.J. express grief over her death or empathy for her suffering or horror over what happened to her. But I did hear O.J. tell jokes about Nicole’s death… That’s not what you’d expect to hear from a man talking about the love of his life. But the true love of O.J.’s life was O.J.” (Pg. 103)

He recounts, “O.J. had always denied that he was involved with the murders, and his denials were always rooted in his claim that he had not even been at the scene of the crime. This was false, A.C. told me, indirectly at first, but then directly… [Gilbert said to Cowlings] ‘Mike Pullers told me, that you told him, that O.J. told you he went there that night but didn’t bring a knife.’ A.C. came clean right away, and confirmed what I had heard from Mike Pullers. ‘Yeah, he said he went over there, but that he didn’t take a knife.’ We knew he was guilty, and my own sense of guilt burst out. ‘So then why is it okay?’ I asked. ‘Why do we stay with him? Why do we continue to defend him?’ I remember A.C.’s words very clearly. He said, pretty forcefully, ‘What good would it do? Mike, it’s like this. The kids already don’t have a mom. If we help put O.J. in jail for the rest of his life, then they don’t have a dad… he’ll be in prison and they’ll know that he murdered their mother. We can’t do that to them.’ … there was another reason we stuck with O.J. We all knew he wasn’t a crazed killer, like a Charles Manson type. We knew that everything had aligned that night for this catastrophe to occur, and that it would never happen again.” (Pg. 122-123)

Soon after, when Gilbert was alone with Simpson, he said, “O.J. … what happened that night?’… ‘I believe you were there… I don’t believe it was your intention. I don’t know if you know you did it, if you think you did it, but yes, I believe that … you did it.’ … He looked at me with no expression, no emotion, no nothing. Then he said, ‘Mike, I did go there that night, but I didn’t take a knife.’ … ‘O.J., you told A.C. that Nicole opened the door with a knife in HER hand.’ He sat quietly…. Then he continued… ‘If she hadn’t opened that door with a knife in her hand, Mike, she’d still be alive.’ We didn’t say any more. Nothing more needed to be said.” (Pg. 123-124)

In the final chapter, he reflects, “I still don’t judge O.J. solely by what he did on June 2, 1994… after the trial, I was prepared to give O.J. another chance. But in the thousands of days that have followed since, O.J. has thrown away that second chance, and revealed himself to be something I didn’t want to see. I started to see it during the criminal trial---what type of father he really was, what type of friend he really was, the way he increasingly only cared about his own welfare and the impression he could make on people. I am judging him now on the sum total of his daily life---the way he treated Nicole, the way he treats his kids, his friends, and his girlfriend, who was recently hospitalized, bleeding from the brain and with head-to-toe bruises. Of COURSE O.J. had nothing to do with it. Haven’t you heard? She ‘fell’ at a gas station.” (Pg. 183)

He narrates Simpson’s relationship with his girlfriend, Christie Prody [“a young woman with insatiable appetites for drugs, sex, threesomes, and trouble”; pg. 167]; his relationship with his daughter Sydney [“O.J.’s relationship with Sydney was more than sad. The two of them would get into foul-mouthed shouting matches that were embarrassing to watch”; pg. 170]. He also recounts his role in the September 13, 2007 incident where Simpson burst into a Las Vegas room, trying to recover various items he felt belonged to him. [Gilbert is the “Mike” Simpson referred to when he shouted, ‘I know f_____g Mike took it!’ Gilbert DID rent storage space in California that had some memorabilia in it, but he was not in the room Simpson broke into. See Busted: The Inside Story of the World of Sports Memorabilia, O.J. Simpson, and the Vegas Arrests for more about this incident.]

This is not a “pleasant” book to read; one feels somewhat soiled and sordid afterward. But for those wanting information on the trial, and---more importantly---its aftermath, this book will be “must reading.”

Nice account of how Mike Gilbert interacted with the luckiest murderer or our time. Mike did what he had to in order to keep his business going, but his conscience eventually won out. Good for you, Mike. OJ is a murdering villain, the object of peoples affection, even when he was running, trying to get away with a gun and money. All the bulls*** aside, Mike gives what seems to be an accurate version of what transpired that night and during the trial. Mike continued to be mesmerized by the OJ bullcrap, but it eventually wore off.

I bought this Mike Gilbert Book because I had heard or read that the proceeds were going to charity. I saw that the charity was for the March of Dimes and was not all of the profits from this book. Just a third. If Mike Gilbert feels as bad as he says he does in this tell all book he should have also devoted the other two thirds of the profits to the Nicole Brown Foundation set-up by Nicole's Sister Denise and any Foundation set up by the Goldman family. A simple "I regret what I did and I am truly sorry for my part in this case" then he should not profit one cent from the sale of this book. That would make me believe that he has truly repented and is not looking to fill his pockets with Nicole's and Ron Goldman's blood. Think about it Mike... if the gloves have fit the outcome would have been much different. And we have you to thank for that!

This book offers no information that the people don't already have. Gilbert is the fly sitting on OJs s***... he is the prime example of Demented human being.. money was his motivator... in his writings he refers to "WE" continuously.. putting himself in the company of the Dream team ... also corrupt for the dollar... Gilbert is a lowlife enabler protector for OJ.... all including Mike Gilbert have the blood of these victims on their hands and blackened souls.

Well written. As the reader can feel the struggle between truth and loyalty Mike Gilbert felt. Appreciated the apology to Fred Goldman and the Goldman family. I felt the apology was needed and to me appeared sincere. Recommend to everyone no matter which side of the isle you are on. Hope OJ read it himself to see the impact his choices made on others, but understand that OJ lacks the ability to consider others feelings.

Something to ponder...Mr. Gilbert stated in his book that Simpson told him: “If she hadn’t opened that door with a knife in her hand … she’d still be alive.” I thought the evidence showed that a knife was found on the kitchen counter in Nicole's condo. It was a kitchen knife, clean, no blood. So Is Mr. Gilbert saying there was a second knife? That OJ killed her with her own knife? I believe that if OJ confessed, and Gilbert was concerned about his safety that night, why would he keep this a secret for YEARS? For the love of money? Why would he protect a murderer? Doesnt make no sense.

Sad, pathetic, no moral compass, greed, no regard for the value of human life. These are just a few of the thoughts running through my mind. How dare you think for a second that the children of Nicole and the Goldman's should forgive you. You have regrets that will torture you for the rest of your life. That is your punishment and the burden you bear. Forgiveness comes by doing something positive for those people. All your clever ways to make money, you should be able to come up with something to give them their due. But no, undoubtedly it won't happen. Find the courage to do something positive. The proceeds for this book for example. How about giving back to those families and her children. After all, you helped him get away with murders that the world always knew he committed. Shame on you!