Although neither quite a biography nor a history of public corruption, there is much to learn from Michael Hightower’s book, both about former federal prosecutor Bill Price and about various corrupt practices within the Sooner State. The two are not always good bedfellows—a reader wanting one is likely to be annoyed with portions of the other, especially because the biography too often slips into hagiography. But Hightower attempts linkage whenever he can, and he manages an overall pleasant read about topics of lasting statewide importance.

There are, sadly, flaws, and one is paramount: the book disregards what is perhaps the singular best aspect of American criminal justice—the voice of the people acting as jury. Consider...