Nancy Grace, Ruling for The Viewer

Vitriol is safe, it seems, so long as Grace dispenses it or agrees with it. She doesn't object when -- during an on-air discussion about Wilbanks, who's set to make money off her experiences as the runaway bride -- one guest speculates that Wilbanks might be a sociopath, and another labels Wilbanks a "despicable, pathetic, lousy excuse for a human being."

In an interview at CNN offices in Washington, Grace at first drips with southern charm. She's just had her makeup done -- her hair is poufed, her eyes are bright. She offers a two-handed shake and chats amiably about her book and her cowboy boots. She twice good-naturedly exclaims, "Oh, good Lord!" A producer brings her a Diet Coke.

"Just let me know if they find Natalee Holloway," she tells him.

But she appears to grow impatient for no reason -- when asked, for example, about fan mail, or about her late fiance, whom she often mentions on television and in public appearances. When this happens, she turns curt and even sarcastic, answering in short sentences or single syllables. She is asked if she feels her TV shows allow her to present the nuances of legal cases.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she says coldly. Then: "I think the truth is black-and-white."

She declares she has to go back into makeup. "I'm over," she says, and stands up.

Minutes later, you pass by a room with a big mirror and catch a glimpse of Nancy Grace, holding what appears to be a curling iron over her fluffy blond hair.

Good night, friend.