"Bad Acts and Guilty Minds" by Leo Katz is a unique book in the field of criminal law jurisprudence. Lightly written, it presents new approaches to solving old problems. It is refreshing in it's ability to tear past superficial reason and present rationale based on basic fairness and reason.
The University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0-226-42592-4
According to common law, each crime consists of two parts, one physical and one mental, the actus reus and the mens rea, the "bad act" and the "guilty mind" --in the case of murder, the act of killing and the malice aforethought.