Rating: 
Summary: A thin read
Review: I am an avid reader of John Grisham. Several of his books do an excellent job building characters, plot, background, and provide a good descriptions of the time and place the story takes place. The "Painted House" and "A Time to Kill" are examples of such books. Unfortunately, this one is another "Cookie Cutter" book by John Grisham. He has the template for a great book. It glosses over places where details would make the book more intriguing. This book with 150 more pages of plot and character development and developement would have made it an outstanding read.
Rating:
Summary: Continuation of the Current Grisham Trend
Review: Recent law-based books by Grisham have focused on unsympathetic characters and shady legal practices. From reading the reviews I was hoping for a story similar to the rainmaker. Unfortunately, I faced another novel in the vein of The Summons The Brethren and The Partner.He has written better.
Rating:
Summary: Great Taste . . . Less Filling
Review: It's always the guys with multi-millions who write little parables purporting to show how . . . money isn't everything. Puuullleassee!
Rating:
Summary: If it were a movie, I'd say "wait for the video"
Review: I love Grisham's books mainly because they are interesting and not too deep. I liked this book because it taught me about torts which I previously knew nothing about. Otherwise the story is pretty weak, nothing unpredictable happens, the guy starts at the bottom, gets to the top, then falls to the bottom and becomes "humble". That's pretty much it. I wouldn't say it was a waste of time reading it but it sure wasn't worth paying for the hardback. Wait for paperback or borrow the book from someone.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite a disappointment
Review: I have read all of Grisham's books, and I'm generally a big fan. This one, however, had few redeeming features. The lead character was weak, and not very likable. The plot was contrived and full of holes. The romance was tepid at best. It felt like Grisham had an ax to grind against class action suits and the lawyers who file them. He got so caught up in this that he never got around to character development or telling a good story. Save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Sprint to the End
Review: Here we go again, or there we went > WHOOSH! Another sprint-to-the-end novel, a character with "Clay" feet, a boring bimbo, friends who are too good for him. I'm glad I got it from the library. In the last few years, authors who have given me years of enjoyment have apparently tired of their craft, and I wonder why they keep writing. Can it still be the money? Still? With The Summons I thought Grisham was "back," or at least heading in that direction, but guess not. I feel like a fair-weather fan, but I think I'm entitled.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Superb Novel From John Grisham
Review: Mention the name "John Grisham" to most readers and the image of a courtroom populated by two lawyers, one honest and one corrupt, quickly comes to mind. That image may not, however, be completely correct. Since his appearance as a novelist in 1991, Grisham has annually produced a best-selling work. In those efforts, he wanders in and out of the courtroom and spends a great deal of time away from the law. While his major characters are often attorneys, they frequently find themselves in predicaments that bear only an incidental connection to the legal profession. Previous Grisham efforts such as THE FIRM, THE BRETHREN and, to a degree, THE PELICAN BRIEF and THE SUMMONS, represent plot lines in which the main characters could easily be non-lawyers without significant impact on the narrative. Whether one considers Grisham a courtroom or mystery writer, it is clear in his writing that, as a former practicing attorney, he has much to offer about the strengths and failings of the American legal system. In his books, Grisham has taken to task politically motivated prosecutors, the flawed juvenile justice system, the health insurance and tobacco industries and insurance defense attorneys. Last year, in THE SUMMONS, Grisham had some unkind words for those members of the legal profession often pejoratively referred to as "trial lawyers". Now, in THE KING OF TORTS, Grisham returns to this subject and sets his sights on that particular aspect of trial law very much in discussion today --- the field of mass tort litigation. THE KING OF TORTS follows the winning Grisham formula. Early in the novel, an insignificant crime of violence introduces us to Jarrett Clay Carter II. Young Carter is an overworked, underpaid and under-appreciated public defender in the District of Columbia. He is appointed to represent Tequila Watson, a career drug offender charged with the murder of Ramon "Pumpkin" Pumphrey. Like many of Grisham's young lawyer heroes, Clay Carter is at the juncture of his life when he has begun to question his status in the legal system. THE KING OF TORTS is the Faustian tale of Carter's meteoric rise to the top of the field of mass tort litigation. Shortly after his appointment to represent Watson, Max Pace, a man of mystery and intrigue, visits Carter. He offers the young attorney the opportunity to initiate litigation against a drug manufacturer who has negligently produced a product that causes people to kill. Although Clay Carter has countless questions and concerns, Pace's simple answer is always to remind him of the millions of dollars in legal fees that will soon be deposited in the accounts of the new law firm that Carter will control. That answer is sufficient. In the span of several months, Carter becomes the beneficiary of nearly $100 million in fees. Such an achievement is most ironic when one considers that never during the course of his spectacular achievement does Carter even enter a courtroom. Indeed, his only venture inside a courthouse during the course of this novel occurs when Carter watches one of his fellow attorneys attempt to win a case that will produce millions of dollars in fees for Carter and his firm. In his meteoric rise, Clay Carter becomes a member of an exclusive club of trial attorneys who engage in mass tort litigation, often referred to as class actions. In these types of cases, thousands of injured parties are grouped together to bring their claims. Oftentimes, small claims in the range of $25,000 to $50,000 are bundled together. The main beneficiaries of such activity are the attorneys who generate large legal fees from settlements in thousands of cases without being forced to handle each case on an individual basis. Attorneys in this field often obtain clients by advertisements in newspapers, radio and television. Because successful mass tort lawyers obtain their cash awards from huge corporations, the entire subject has become a high stakes political contest between the business and legal communities. The major character in THE KING OF TORTS is not Clay Carter. Rather, the attorneys who engage in mass tort litigation are the prime targets for Grisham's wrath. As they fly around the country ferreting out clients like bloodhounds hunting down criminals, Grisham enjoys poking fun at their numerous foibles. They are far more interested in fancy private jets, beautiful women, vintage wine and high-class living than in securing justice. John Grisham, a man who practiced law for several years before commencing his writing career, does not find such characters to be an asset to the legal profession. THE KING OF TORTS is a prime example of the adage that, in novels, "Plot trumps the truth." In order to make the novel work, Grisham must compress a great deal of action into a short amount of time. Anyone with a minimal knowledge of the workings of the American legal system knows that what John Grisham has written is hyperbolic. But Grisham has written with a message. The debate in America today over "tort reform" and the "malpractice crisis" is continuing and clamorous. Although it is a work of fiction, THE KING OF TORTS can help enhance the quality of that debate. Anyone interested in the issue, or just interested in another appealing novel, will enjoy John Grisham's latest effort. --- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
Rating:
Summary: not worth my time or money
Review: I love John Grisham's books, but this one is honestly NOT good. At first the story caught my interest, but as the chapters slowly slide into each other and as money and greed come to the main character, educated readers already know what is going to happen. There is usually a twist toward the end of Grisham's books and you can foresee even what that will be. This novel got so boring that I finally skipped to the end of the book (which I have never done with one of Grisham's books before). Sure enough, all my guesses were correct. I am very disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Good but Lacks Attention to Detail
Review: This is the third Grisham book I have read. The first was The Firm and the second was A Time to Kill. I started one other book by Grisham, but put it down for the same reason most people start a book and don't finish it (the one with the old man is in prison on death row). A Time to Kill was my favorite and it was difficult to put down. The Firm was also hard to put aside, and its perfect description of Memphis, TN and Destin, FL was appealing since many southerners know these places well. I felt that I knew every corner Grisham was descirbing. In The King of Torts, the character is easy to follow and so is his message concerning the abuses of Tort law (unfortunately to the point that the end is predictable), but it seems that Grisham isn't nearly as descriptive of DC, Flagstaff, and of the islands that Clay visits as he has was of places in earlier books. I can appreciate all of the places Grisham has described since I have been to most of them, but again the lack of decription did not take me there! I don't know if Grisham's lack of detail to specific places, but rather more of them, is his effort (or his publisher's) to appeal to a greater number of readers, but I long for Grisham's ability to be descriptive ( I don't care if he is describes MoFo, Japan :)) and for him to write with the intensity and unpredictability that he did before he began churning out books. He is one hell of a writer but it seems that numbers have blurred his vision. Read the book, just don't expect it to compare to the books mentioned above!
Rating:
Summary: Solid read, worth the time but not an instant classic
Review: Grisham continues to bring me back for each new story, yet not blow me away when they come. This one was a good solid read, which I admit I looked forward to getting back into each night, yet when complete I wasn't totally impressed. While I still encourage Grisham lovers to invest in this new story, I long for the day that he truly comes back and hits us between the eyes...
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