Rating: 
Summary: Good story
Review: It was a good story and creative presentation, but the character portrayal and depth missed the mark a bit imo.If you loved A Painted House...you'll be disappointed if you look for more of it here. Willie Traynor is a good (albeit fairly smug) storyteller, and is a long ways from the genius portrayal of Luke Chandler. Its still worth the read tho, my sister really loved it and said she couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham does ok with this one
Review: Grisham is a pretty good novelist, and I've read some other stuff, but I was a little disappointed with this one. It seems to drag on a bit and the ending is a bit predictable.
wwr@virginia.edu
Rating: 
Summary: A culmination
Review: Set in a small Mississippi town in the 70s, this latest Grisham novel is a culmination of everything that has come before. We often complain when our favorite authors get in a rut, producing the same story over and over, then we complain when they change styles. But the most interesting aspect of THE LAST JUROR is the fact that Grisham has managed to combine the best of his legal thrillers with the down-home feel of other books like SKIPPING CHRISTMAS or A PAINTED HOUSE. THE PELICAN BRIEF, this book is not, but then that wasn't what Grisham intended. Instead, it is a more literary attempt to meld his styles and it works wonderfully. Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD and POMPEII
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good
Review: I found this book to be entertaining, but not nearly worthy of some of Grisham's earlier works....still worth at least checking out of the library.....a good read....
Rating:
Summary: John Grisham batting a thousand.
Review: In 1970 a woman gets brutally raped and murdered. He is sentenced to life in prison instead of the death penalty. At the end of his trial he threatens the jury that he will get them back. One year later there is a massive shooting in the Ford County. Everyone thinks that it is one of the Padgitts but is it. After four years in prison he is seen in another city with a parole officer. Why is he let out of prison after only four years?
This book is set in Mississippi.
It is like a lot of other John Grisham books but it doesn't have a lot of Lawyers in it. John Grisham makes this sound like a real life story that could happen at any time. He keeps the suspense going throughout the whole book with something different in each chapter.
Every book of John Grisham's that I have read I just can't stop reading it and this book does not change that either. I hope John Grisham keeps writing and makes the books better and better.
Rating: 
Summary: Where is John Grisham?
Review: Will the real John Grisham stand up please! This makes 3 in a row...surely he is on vacation and this is written by someone else. Where is the wonderful detailed stories of the past.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham story-telling talents on best display, with a twist!
Review: We've sometimes complained one doesn't know what to expect from Grisham: long-winded drama ("Chamber"); gripping suspense ("Pelican Brief"); humor and whimsy ("Skipping Christmas"); or just plain yarn-spinning ("Painted House"). To us, he nearly perfectly combines all these elements in "Last Juror". Really two-thirds of the book is a charming and often funny account of how recent college graduate Willie Traynor buys the Mississippi small-town weekly, the "Clanton Times" (setting for "Time to Kill"), ingratiates himself with the residents, including those on both sides of the tracks (white and black), and both creates a winning business and brings new life to the otherwise fairly sleepy little burg. When a sensational rape-murder occurs, ostensibly by a member of a reclusive family that owns their own nearby island, on which they pursue any number of illegal businesses, Traynor gets into the fray with headlines and editorials. When the Padgitt kid is convicted, but eight years or so later gets paroled, and jurors start to die (as threatened by the convict at the trial), the intensity of current affairs reaches new heights as the remaining jurors, one a steadfast personal friend of Traynor, fear for their lives. The ultimate outcome was a huge surprise. And the death of Traynor's black friend at the end is nothing short of evocative and emotional -- and more than one crocodile tear ran down our face at the conclusion. So while we are never quite sure what to expect from our prolific popular novelist, and while we often find fault with his boring dialogue or weakening plots, we shall be among the lavish praise-givers for this fine book. It touches almost all our senses and feelings, and leaves us highly satisfied and entertained. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: What Were You Thinking?
Review: I had such high hopes for "The Last Juror". This novel started off with a bang and then fizzled very quickly. This was like reading a road map but without a destination. Having "The Last Juror" as the title was very misleading because I was expecting all types of twists and turns indicative of previous Grisham novels, instead I ended up just grateful that I checked this out of the library. I cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone buy this book. Please help your local library's circulation numbers and check it out. It seems that Mr. Grisham's characters are as tired as he is. Maybe he doesn't want to play the suspense game anymore. If that's the case Mr. Grisham please stop writing novels under the cloak of legal suspense and call it a wrap.
Rating:
Summary: The Well is Bone Dry
Review: I have read 12 of Grisham's 17 novels. He truly gave the best of himself at the beginning of his writing career and has been on a downhill slide ever since. He used to write books that I literally could not put down. I had to force myself to finish this book. It had none of the page-turning, pulse-pounding suspense of his earlier books. It was just...boring. On top of that I found it to be sloppy, too. There were times when he told us (again) what he had just told us 2 pages earlier. Whoever edited this book also missed several mistakes (Miss Callie would have counted!) Want good Grisham? Go back and just reread his older stuff because he's obviously not going to give us anything new that comes anywhere near his earlier books. If you're dead set of reading this, check it out from the library. Don't waste money on it.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham explores new avenues
Review: Master storyteller has tried to view at the legal proceedings with a journalist's (who is an outright opportunist, albeit with some moral standing) perspective. The descriptions of the events in the courtroom are pretty repetitive. A nasty defence lawyer with no ethical groundings, a domineering judge who's supportive to the victim, a diverse and vacillating jury and a small town setting. Sounds familier?
But all said and done, there are very few individuals who can spin a story around a single disturbing event. Although this time, the most critical ingredient of Grisham's tales is lacking. Strong characters. Be it The Rainmaker, The Firm or even the offbeat A Painted House, they all had very well defined characters who all had a role to play in the climax of the story. This is where the book falls short of expectations. Perhaps the element of suspense would have saved the day. But the suspense builds up in parts and looses momentum midway before picking up little bit in the end. A uniform thread of suspense would have held the diverse events together.
Maybe something better is coming our way from Grisham next time!
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