Rating: 
Summary: Not his best work
Review: The protagonist of this book is Willie Traynor, a young man fresh from college who, with the help of his wealthy grandmother, purchases a newspaper, The Ford County Times, in Mississippi. It is 1970 and all is quiet until a local woman is raped and murdered. Now a trial is set to begin with a member of the notorious Padgitt family. The jurors are selected, one of them being the first black female to serve and also a dear friend of Mr. Traynor. The trial is heavily covered in the paper, increasing the sales to Willie's delight. When the convicted, Danny Padgitt, is senctenced to life in prison, the town relaxes...except for those that understand that a life sentence doesn't necessarily mean he will remain in prison for life.1 Tension mounts years later when he is released on parole and deaths occurr once again in the town.Mr. Grisham is back to writing about the courts and laws, the things I love to read by him. But this book doesn't stick to just the courts. It's more of a mixture between his action packed earlier books (such as The Firm) and his later, low-keyed home town books (such as A Painted House). He spends a great amount of time exploring the lives of various characters, sometimes giving more detail than needed. I found myself becoming bored in spots, wishing for more excitement with Danny Padgitt.
Rating: 
Summary: Now my favorite Grisham novell
Review: I have really loved most of John Grisham's books (though he has had some real stinkers) but this book is now my favorite from John Grisham. There are a lot of similarities between this book and To Kill a Mockingbird. It is a story that took place several decades ago in the Deep South back when black segregation was unfortunately prevalent. It is a story with a court trial that will show you the character of many residents of Clanton... but the court trial is not what makes this book amazing (dislike a lot of Grisham novels). Like To Kill a Mockingbird, the most interesting things about this book are the characters and their reaction to the court trial. The biggest strength of this novel is the character development. You see how the protagonist, Willie Traynor, grows from a new resident working for a small newspaper to somebody who owns the local newspapers and finds a good fit in a town who generally will not trust you unless they trusted your grandfather. You fall in love with many of the characters in this book, including Miss Callie, a black woman with a mountain of faith in God and a strong desire to see her family grow up with as many opportunities in life as possible. She is almost too good to be true, which is her only fault. I would recommend this to anybody looking for a good character book. The town is rich with a cast of lively resident and the story was nearly impossible to set down. I really loved this book and I think you would, too!!
Rating: 
Summary: HIs best since "A Time to Kill"
Review: John Grisham is probably best known for his many formulaeic legal thrillers. Some are better than others but they became too predictable. Some became his vehicles for commenting on society and social values and sacrificed the story to make a point (i.e. "The Chamber). His most recent book, "The Last Juror" takes us back to the Grisham we saw in "A Time to Kill" which I believe is is best novel. Through extensive character development, we get to know Willie Traynor, Harry Rex, Miss Callie and the other inhabitants of Clanton. Seen through the eyes of Willie, we become immersed in their lives as the biggest murder of the county occurs. The trial, the subsequent years, the release of the murder and the revenge killings happen to people we have grown to know and care about. It becomes a page-turner because we want to know about these people and their lives. The ending is fairly predictable but it is a satisfying tale and well worth a few hours of your time. It is a well written book and much more believable than many of his high-speed "legal thrillers" that leave you breathless but forgetting the story not long after you are done. The well-developed characters and the sense of place(a small Mississippi town in the 70's) are what make this book unforgettable.
Rating: 
Summary: sleepy time
Review: I must admit that I fell asleep often while reading this book... which is rare because John Grisham usually keeps me up all night with his usual page turners. I thought this would be a come back after "Bleachers", which bored me to tears, but I was sadly mistaken. Can we please see more of the old "John Grisham" next time?
Rating: 
Summary: What was he thinking?
Review: I was extremely disappointed with the entire book. I forced myself to finish it, hoping it might get better. I found myself skipping entire paragraphs and missing nothing in the process. The characters are all completely forgettable, and so is the story. The end was predictable, and any moron could have guessed why the jurors were being eliminated.
Please don't write another book, Mr. Grisham.
This was a complete waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Juror is Low-fat, Salt-free Grisham
Review: "The Last Juror" - what a disappointment. It started out as such a promising grabber - only to fizzle into a frustrating bore. The character development was lame and where the heck was the plot? When reading Grisham's earlier books, I loved being "taken away"; after reading this book, I just feel "taken". As a Legal Aid lawyer, and having lived in a small southern city, I applaud Mr. Grisham's adroit handling of complex racial and social issues in previous books. In "The Last Juror", the character development and plot did not go far enough to either deal effectively with issues or entertain. I'd like to see Grisham take the same characters and write a sequel that has some bite. Please, Mr. Grisham, give us something rich and complex that we can sink our teeth into and then savor long after reading that last page.
Rating:
Summary: Better than most
Review: This book, while not your typical Grisham (what is now that he's changed styles often?), is by far better than most other reads out on the market today. Our book club thinks long and hard before taking on a new book, and the three we've read recently (LITTLE CHILDREN, Jackson Tippett McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, and THE LAST JUROR) are all excellent and worth every cent. No, THE LAST JUROR isn't a page turner, but then it's not supposed to be. If you enjoyed some of Grisham's non-legal book, you'll definitely like this one.
Rating:
Summary: Where has John Gone??
Review: Don't waste your money buying this book. It plodded along with no plot that I could find. Some reviews made it sound like the old John Grisham but this book failed miserably.
Rating:
Summary: Another solid Grisham offering
Review: "The Last Juror" is the latest novel out of the Grisham factory of legal thrillers. This one is set back in Ford County, the setting of his first novel "A Time to Kill", but we also see Clanton, which I believe was the town from "The Chamber". I have not been very impressed with Grisham's work when he has strayed away from the legal world, but this novel is a step back in that direction. To be perfectly honest, Grisham puts one foot back into the legal matters that he has made his career on, but his other foot is in the day to day style of story he told in "A Painted House." This was an excellent blend of Grisham's two literary worlds. The setting is 1970's Mississippi. Willie Traynor. Willie is a young reporter for the local newspaper, who, in an interesting set of circumstances, is able to buy the newspaper and become the new owner of the local paper. For perhaps the first time in one of Grisham's legal novels, the protagonist is not someone who is directly connected to the law. The future of the paper does not look good. It was failing quickly (thus Willie was able to purchase the paper), and it doesn't look like Willie has much chance to significantly increase the number of readers...at least not until the brutal rape and murder (committed in front of the victim's children) with the suspect being part of a family with a deservedly poor reputation. Willie begins reporting every aspect of the case and the trial (and does not hide his bias), sales of the paper begins to soar. We are taken through the trial (and years later when what happened becomes an issue again) through the eyes of Willie Traynor. Willie began as an outsider to Clanton, but as time passes he becomes an accepted (if colorful) member of Ford County. I have always liked Grisham's legal books, and this one is no different. While Grisham may never be nominated for the highest literary awards, his books are fast paced and entertaining and fun to read. That's important, to read something that you enjoy, and I have enjoyed nearly ever book Grisham has put out. They are similar and follow a formula, but Grisham is good enough (and is maturing as a writer) that for the brief amount of time that it takes to read his book, we are brought into Grisham's world.
Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air
Review: While the on-the-surface synopsis of The Last Juror may indicate it to be just another in a long line of murder mystery and courtroom thriller, it is anything but. And...this is a good thing. While certain elements of the novel tend to be formulaic, there exists, however, a refreshing vibrancy that emanates from the wistful idealism of our hero protagonist Willie Traynor and his anything but unlikable friend and confidant Miss Callie. For Grisham fans, it is a return to the idyllic fictional Mississippi town of Clanton in Ford County set in the 1970s -- last visited in A Time To Kill. Also reprising their roles are the enigmatic divorce lawyer Harry Rex and the slimy and slippery Lucien Wilbanks. What makes this book unique and refreshing is that it is not a mere "legal thriller" recounting a courtroom drama ad nauseam. Told from a callow journalist's point of view, it serves to break the mold of sorts. We are taken along for the bumpy, yet highly enjoyable ride as Willie Traynor opines with admirable conviction in his editorials for his newly acquired Clanton Times on topics ranging from Vietnam, Bargain Center, the Padgitt trial, etc. Traynor's idealism and courage of conviction are contagious and make the book worth reading alone. Grisham's well-placed humor, able characterization, & seemingly effortless insertion of multidimensional supporting characters such as Sam, Lucien, Margaret, & Baggy also add to the story immensely. Good stuff.
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