Drug abuse writer accused of exaggerating crime record

A writer whose memoir about drug abuse became a massive bestseller in the US after Oprah Winfrey chose it for her book club has been accused of exaggerating his criminal record in the work.

James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces, a graphic description of his troubled past, was the second biggest selling title in America last year after shifting 1.77 million copies, and is currently top of the nonfiction paperback list.