Rating: 
Summary: By far the best in awhile
Review: This is so much better than the last few of John Grisham's books. I loved all the characters, especially Miss Callie. This is a must read for Grisham fans and those who aren't yet. Very, very good.
Rating: 
Summary: Who are you and what have you done with Grisham?
Review: I was disappointed with Grisham's latest book, The Last Juror. The book slowly plodded along with no real direction. Not much a story: 25-year-old Willie buys a small-town newspaper and writes about the townsfolk. A man, Padgitt, kills and rapes a woman. Man is not sentenced to death penalty because of a hung jury. Newspaper sales go up. Willie befriends an older black woman, writes about her family, has lunch with her every Thursday. 10 years later, Padgitt is released from jail. Willie sells the newspaper. Black woman dies of heart attack. The end. Come on!!! This book was awful.Like most readers, I read for fun. This book was not fun. What happened to the Grisham who wrote simple-minded, super-fast reads such as The Rainmaker, The Client and The Firm?
Rating: 
Summary: Hm...
Review: 2* Hm... Mr Grisham has set the action of three of his 14 legal thrillers in the small town of Clanton in Ford County, in "rural Southern Mississippi". The first one was "A Time to Kill" (1989), the action of which takes place in the mid-'80's; the second one, "The Summons" (2002); this one (2004) sees its events over a span of 9 years (1970-79), thus preceding those of the other two novels. We find again some of the characters portrayed in the first book: Lucien Wilbanks, still in legal practice as a wily trial lawyer before his disbarment which, towards the end of the book, is however imminent (by the way, where's Jack Brigance?! from what we knew, he already ought to be Lucien's associate at this time);; Harry Rex Vonner, the overweight, mean divorce lawyer, sloppily dressed and looking, but smart and likeable; Claude, the owner of one of the local eateries, barking at customers to finish their meal in 20 minutes so as to accommodate others (the Coffee Shop and the Tea Shoppe, apparently, aren't opened yet); in the third and final part, Judge Omar Noose and the prosecuting magistrate, Rufus Buckley (appointed, we learn here, in 1975). Sheriff Ozzie Walls is not yet in office, and the position is occupied first by a corrupt man, then by an indifferent (as far as characterizations go) one. The scene is the same: the town's square with its courthouse, presumably with General Clanton's (the town's founder and namesake) statue but minus the old men sitting there, spitting out tobacco juice on the lawn; and the nearby Parchman state penitentiary. The book is in three parts: the first one concerns the gruesome rape and murder of the mother of two children, the trial and conviction of the proven criminal, with a sentence to two consecutive life terms in jail; the third one sees his being paroled out (at the second try) after only 9 years of imprisonment, thanks to a distorted presentation of the facts of the crime and of the record of the trial to an incredibly gullible parole board, probably under the thumb (with a financial "consideration", of course) of the wealthy and wicked family of the convicted man. As soon as the latter is out of jail, serial killings of three former jurors begin and, of course, the direction of suspicions is obvious, because of the threat he had hurled at the jury before it entered its room to deliberate. The second part is a liaison in time. This division takes away the gripping continuity of "A Time to Kill". The trial scenes are not as compelling. The white/black racial issue is again present, but it was better presented there, as well as the characterizations; and the evolution of the events much more gripping in its continuation. Callie Ruffin is a nice attempt at characterization, but she looks useless in the context of the plot. A Time to Kill, and The Firm, were for this reader "no-put-down" books; this one needed 4 or 5 dragged-on, reading sessions. The final twist is not convincing. The impression is that Mr Grisham must have found himself in a hurry to deliver the manuscript to the publisher by the deadline.
Rating:
Summary: An old-fashioned Grisham book
Review: John Grisham returns to the formula which made him famous in his latest book, "The Last Juror". He uses a combination of setting (Mississippi in the newly-desegregating 70's) unforgettable characters, and a plot which has enough twists to keep the reader interested and guessing. In this book a young man named Willie Traynor has talked his wealthy grandmother into buying him a small-town newspaper with a shrinking circulation. He manages to expand the paper's readership by including human interest stories and just enough controversy to keep the Letters to the Editor column full. When there is a brutal rape and murder, everyone knows that is is Danny Padgitt of the notorious Padgitt Family who did it. The dying woman had his name on her lips and Danny had her blood on his clothes. The Padgitts are extremely powerful people in the community and Willie and his friends doubt that he will be convicted. After the trial Danny threatens all of the jurors, and Mississippi laws (which Grisham admits to exaggerating) allow him to be released from prison much sooner than the town of Clanton expects. Grisham delves into race relations, crooked politics, bad laws, and our all-too-human tendency to judge people without knowing all of the facts. This book has a bit over everything and should be a winner with old and new Grisham fans.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, But not his best work
Review: This book is plainly a good read when nothing else is available. It is OK, but do not expect the "action" that was present in earlier novels by Mr. Grisham. I felt as though the book lacked something but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Please!
Review: Not another one again! I just don't understand Mr Grisham's maniacal obssesion with juries. Who knows how many lawyer and jury books the guy has written? All I know is this: I'm sick and tired of reading about these dumb juries! The Runaway Jury was the only thing that was anywhere near decent that Grisham has poured from his stinking pen. Why does he think the average Joe is interested in judicial matters. I, for one, am not.
Rating:
Summary: Best Jury Award.
Review: This is one of the best books one get to read of John Grisham and any author one can think of.The way he presented the story was lucid ,simple and always keeps you engrossed.
This is one of the best book one can nread in the recent times. GOOD WORK JOHN .
KEEP GOING.
Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as charged as the first clanton novel
Review: This is a much watered down Clanton adventure. I really enjoyed the characters of Willie Traynor and Miss Callie, and this was really more a story of their relationship than anything. The Padgit fiasco was definately interesting, but the ending is less than spectacular. A good book by Grisham, though definately not his best.
Rating:
Summary: PLEASE
Review: Help me finish this boring book. Stuck on page 200 or so and page after page of some boring town election. He cant create suspense, he can barely stay awake writing his own books. How did anyone finish this book?
Rating: 
Summary: Small Town Life Unveiled
Review: Willie Traynor is a recent college grad who comes to Clanton, Mississippi and goes to work for a small town paper called The Ford County Times. Soon after he arrives, the paper goes bankrupt and Willie steps in and buys the paper. Thus begins a trip through the 1970's through the eyes of Traynor as he works to develop his paper and integrate himself into the everyday life of Clanton. Grisham uses the murder of a young, single mother as a theme around which the novel is built; however, it is not the murder that is at the center of the novel, but the relationships between the characters and life in Clanton. Throughout the novel, Grisham effortlessly develops his characters from young Willie Traynor, a young man with a desire to succeed, to Ms. Callie, an elderly woman that he befriends. The characters are well-developed and it is easy to develop real feeling about these people as if they truly existed. These are definitely not the one-dimensional characters in some of the previous novels. They have lives and show emotions throughout the story. Grisham also does an excellent job in his description of small town life. While reading, you can actually picture yourself on the streets of Clanton or smell the food that Ms. Callie has prepared for Willie for one of their weekly lunches. The plot line of the murder and then subsequent trial of Danny Padgitt serves as a backdrop to move the story along and allow for the passage of time. The trial, his incarceration and eventual parole serve to show that there is a seemy underbelly even in small towns where corruption can run rampant. Overall, Grisham does an excellent job in creating a story that is enjoyable and creating characters that one can care about. This novel is a must read for all Grisham fans and especially for those who may not have been thrilled with his latest endeavors. Grisham is back!
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