Before becoming a writer, John Grisham was a lawyer specialising in criminal defence and personal injury litigation. He wrote his first novel, A Time to Kill, after hearing the testimony of a 12 year old rape victim at trial, and since then has published over 20 books and been hailed as 'master of the legal thriller'.
As with previous posts, I have selected three books to focus on…this has proven to be a very difficult task given that there are so many incredible ones to choose from, but I have decided upon The Rainmaker, The Chamber, and, The Confession.
"I'm alone and outgunned, scared and inexperienced, but I'm right."
John Grisham, The Rainmaker
When we meet Rudy Baylor, he is a law student preparing to sit the bar exam. As part of his studies, Rudy undertakes pro bono work at a local community centre where he meets Dot and Buddy Black, who go on to become one of Rudy's first clients and are set to have a massive impact on his future.
Dot and Buddy have a terminally ill son, Donny Ray, who has leukemia and could have been saved with a bone marrow transplant, his twin brother having provided a match. Prior to Donny Ray's diagnosis, the family had taken out a life insurance policy with a company called Great Benefit; a large, wealthy insurance firm.
Their claim for a bone marrow transplant is denied a number of times, ultimately resulting in the death of Donny Ray. Great Benefit treat the family with complete disrespect, sending out company correspondence that describes them as being 'stupid, stupid, stupid' which will no doubt provoke a strong reaction with the reader, as it does with me each time I read it!
A legal battle ensues, with newly qualified Rudy leading the case for the Black family, with the help of sidekicks Deck Shifflet and Bruiser Stone, who use less than conventional methods to assist Rudy in practising the law.
Throughout The Rainmaker, Grisham highlights the injustices that people can suffer due to their perceived social standing, however with determination and support can make a difference, fighting back against those who feel they are invincible.
"Look at me…A wretched old man in a red monkey suit. A convicted murderer about to be gassed like an animal."
John Grisham, The Chamber
Sam Cayhall is a man on death row for the murder of two Jewish children who died when their father's law firm was bombed 20 years earlier. Sam is not a nice man; he is bitter, bigoted and racist, having been a dedicated member of the Ku Klux Klan for many years before his confinement. After many years of appeals, Sam's time is nearly up and the gas chamber is ever increasingly becoming a reality.
Here we meet Adam Hall; a a newly qualified lawyer starting out at Chicago law firm, Kravitz and Bane, and desperate to be involved in taking on Sam's case. The reason for this is tied to his family history, and much of the book focuses on their developing relationship, as well Sam's impending execution.
It is clear early on that Grisham has written this book with his own views on capital punishment very much at the forefront of his mind, highlighting the impact of death row not only on those convicted, but also on those around them. The way in which Grisham develops the characters, particularly Sam, has a profound effect on the reader, and will leave you thinking about their story long after it ends. I know it certainly has that effect on me, and it is a book I have returned to many times.
"Look at me…A wretched old man in a red monkey suit. A convicted murderer about to be gassed like an animal."John Grisham, The Chamber
Sam Cayhall is a man on death row for the murder of two Jewish children who died when their father's law firm was bombed 20 years earlier. Sam is not a nice man; he is bitter, bigoted and racist, having been a dedicated member of the Ku Klux Klan for many years before his confinement. After many years of appeals, Sam's time is nearly up and the gas chamber is ever increasingly becoming a reality.
Here we meet Adam Hall; a a newly qualified lawyer starting out at Chicago law firm, Kravitz and Bane, and desperate to be involved in taking on Sam's case. The reason for this is tied to his family history, and much of the book focuses on their developing relationship, as well Sam's impending execution.
It is clear early on that Grisham has written this book with his own views on capital punishment very much at the forefront of his mind, highlighting the impact of death row not only on those convicted, but also on those around them. The way in which Grisham develops the characters, particularly Sam, has a profound effect on the reader, and will leave you thinking about their story long after it ends. I know it certainly has that effect on me, and it is a book I have returned to many times.
"Death row is a nightmare to serial killers and axe murderers. For an innocent man, it's a life of mental torture that the human spirit is not equipped to survive."
John Grisham, The Confession
Donte Brumm has been on death row for nine years, and is now four days away from his execution. We learn from the offset that Brumm is innocent and has spent most of his adult life incarcerated for a murder that he didn't commit. In fact, we know that Travis Boyette is the man who has committed the crime; he murdered a high school cheerleader, hid the body where no one would find it, and sat back and watched an innocent man be convicted and sentenced to the death penalty.
However, now Boyette has discovered that he has a brain tumour and is close to death himself, therefore choosing to confess his crime to a pastor, starting a race against time to prevent the imminent execution of an innocent man.
The Confession is heartbreaking and thought provoking, at times very frustrating, but if nothing else it will force you to consider the issue of capital punishment and the system upon which it is built, providing a somewhat alarming insight into the American legal system.
Given that this book focuses so heavily on the death penalty, with Grisham's views strongly conveyed as they were in The Chamber, you may wonder why I chose to feature such similar books from Grisham's wide ranging back catalogue. The truth is that both are very important to me, and having read The Chamber at a relatively young age it made me question whether I would want to live in a country that felt it was right to kill.
If you have read any of the books mentioned above, I would love to hear your thoughts on them. If not, I hope that this blog has encouraged you to give one a try.
More information on John Grisham and his books can be found at www.jgrisham.com.
Donte Brumm has been on death row for nine years, and is now four days away from his execution. We learn from the offset that Brumm is innocent and has spent most of his adult life incarcerated for a murder that he didn't commit. In fact, we know that Travis Boyette is the man who has committed the crime; he murdered a high school cheerleader, hid the body where no one would find it, and sat back and watched an innocent man be convicted and sentenced to the death penalty.
However, now Boyette has discovered that he has a brain tumour and is close to death himself, therefore choosing to confess his crime to a pastor, starting a race against time to prevent the imminent execution of an innocent man.
The Confession is heartbreaking and thought provoking, at times very frustrating, but if nothing else it will force you to consider the issue of capital punishment and the system upon which it is built, providing a somewhat alarming insight into the American legal system.
Given that this book focuses so heavily on the death penalty, with Grisham's views strongly conveyed as they were in The Chamber, you may wonder why I chose to feature such similar books from Grisham's wide ranging back catalogue. The truth is that both are very important to me, and having read The Chamber at a relatively young age it made me question whether I would want to live in a country that felt it was right to kill.
If you have read any of the books mentioned above, I would love to hear your thoughts on them. If not, I hope that this blog has encouraged you to give one a try.
More information on John Grisham and his books can be found at www.jgrisham.com.
