Secrets of the Killing State

The Untold Story of Lethal Injection

By: Corinna Barrett Lain

Narrated by: Elizabeth Miller

In the popular imagination, lethal injection is a slight pinch and a swift nodding off to forever-sleep. It is performed by well-qualified medical professionals. It is regulated and carefully conducted. And it usually provides a "humane" death. In reality, however, not one of those things is true.

Secrets of the Killing State pulls back the curtain on this clandestine punishment practice, presenting a view of lethal injection that states have worked hard to hide. Botched executions are a part of this story, but they are just the tip of the iceberg.

The story of lethal injection is a story of gross incompetence, law breaking, torturous deaths, and a stunning indifference to the way in which human beings die at the hands of the state. These are the secrets of the killing state―all that we know from litigation files, scientific studies, investigative journalism, autopsy reports, interviews, and scholarship across a number of fields. Death penalty expert Corinna Barrett Lain uses this groundbreaking journey into the dark reality of lethal injection to shine a light on the American death penalty more broadly and show that the state at its most powerful moment is also the state at its worst.

©2025 New York University (P)2025 Highbridge Audio

Just the facts

Research based story telling. A new perspective on the death penalty process. We can do better America.

Why do states have the death penalty?

The author brought to light the extremes states will go to execute someone, including breaking the law.

Required reading

should be required reading for all cold blooded killers waiting their turn for the needle on death row

Not worth your time or money

Ideas could have been presented in 20 minutes, boring, repetitive,
Poorly written. Title should have revealed the content