Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: From the previews, I was expecting something along the lines of "The Rainmaker". Little man fighting a huge corporation. It turned out differently. The plot is pretty simple, the main character starts out with an almost minimum wage salary, makes millions, then loses it. Everything else is just filler. THis book had the potential for a WHOLE lot more.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit like "The Firm"
Review: Another standard Grisham novel, but more satisfying than his recent books. This one reminds me of "The Firm"--a poor lawyer tempted by corrupt money; lengthy descriptions of the good life he finds once he gets to the top; the feds attempt to rain on his parade; he disappears with the girl at the end. The first case which makes our hero the "King of Torts" can be seen coming from a mile away, but the twist which "dethrones" him is a nice surpise.
Rating:
Summary: NOT GRISHAMS BEST WORK
Review: WESTART WITH OUR MAIN CHARACTER CLAY CARTER WHO WORKS FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDERS OFFICE IN WASHINGTON D.C. WHEN THE JUDGE GIVES HIM TH CASE OF TEQUILA WATSON WHO IS CHARGED WITH MURDER.THE MURDER SEEMS RANDOM BUT AS THE STORY MOVES ON YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS IS NOT THE CASE.AT THIS POINT MR. CARTER IS APPROACHED WITH A BUSINESS PROPASITON TO BECOME A TORT ATTORNEY ( CLASS ACTION ATTORNEY) WITH THE POTENTIAL TO GO FROM A POOR PUBLIC DEFENDER TO A VERY RICH ATTORNEY AND POSSABILY THE KING OF TORTS. I WAIT ALL YEAR FOR THE NEW GRISHAM BOOK AND COULD NOT WAIT FOR THIS ONE BUT WAS ALITTLE DISAPPOINTED THIS DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE A BUILD UP TO A GRAND CONCLUSION.IT WAS A PRETTY STEADY READ BUT I FELT GRISHAMS TESTAMENT OR THE PARTNER WERE BETTER BOOKS. HOPE THE NEXT ONE IS BETTER
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Grisham
Review: The book is typical Grisham and an easy read...
It appears that Mr. Grisham has abandoned his roots as the Plaintiff's attorney for the "average Joe" in small southern town, "Oxford, Miss," and that he is now more comfortable being in bed with big business and the insurance industry. The book pure fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic work of prose - suspenseful & captivating.
Review: I always enjoy reading one of John Grisham's books and King of Torts was no different. I like how John exposes the behind the scenes world of 'class action' law suits; the frantic pace to run scare ads getting consumers to call the lawyers 800 number, rushing thru medical testing, posturing with other tort lawyers to win mega-million paychecks while their clients get a paltry settlement.
I especially enjoyed the bit of romance thrown into the story, although it's obvious Grisham loves to write about the law not love! An unexpected twist at the end . . . couldn't put this book down until I finished it all. Well Done!
Rating: 
Summary: A Fun, If Ultimately Unfulfilling Novel
Review: I've read all John Grisham's works, but after being disappointed by The Testament, The Brethren, and The Summons, I promised myself that I'd wait for his next book to hit the bargain racks. However, I'd heard good things about The King of Torts, so I picked it up the day it was released. I was pleased to find that it was more simlar to his earlier work. Now, this book is in no way as good as The Firm or A Time to Kill, but it certainly is worth the read.My biggest complaint with Grisham's recent work is twofold. His latest books have been neither entertaining enough to sustain interest and forgettable enough so that it's tough to remember reading them. The King of Torts addresses both of these complaints nicely. The main character, Clay Carter, is interesting and developed enough so that the reader looks forward to seeing what happens to him. The surrounding cast, though less developed, is still a decent compilation. The other tort lawyers, especially Patton French, are great. Max Pace (anyone remember The Simpson's episode where Homer renamed himself Max Powers) is an interesting guy, though he seems a bit contrived. The plot moves along incredibly well. I began the novel at 10pm with the intention of reading 100 pages or so. I finished it in one sitting. It's really entertaing when Carter, a poor PD, gets the opportunity to earn a quick couple of million and show up his girlfriend's stodgy parents. The only negative that I found in the novel was the lack of a satisfying ending. I would have liked to have had more information on what happened with the individuals who were harmed, the other tort lawyers, and even Clay himself. I really wanted to know more detail on what happened in the Arizona case. I almost felt like Grisham figured that he needed to wrap up the book to meet a deadline or cut the page count short. Despite the fact that I could have used a little more detail at the end, I liked this book. Grisham is one of our best known authors and the expectations readers have of him are high. It was nice to read one of his books that held my attention from start to finish, and I'll now look forward to his next offering. Also recommended: David Ellis's Line of Vision, an excellent courtroom thriller.
Rating:
Summary: The King Doesn't Get His Crown Back Just Yet.
Review: John Grisham began his writing career with a bang, publishing one great legal thriller after the next, a feat that brought him to the top of the publishing world very quickly. But in the last few years, his legal thrillers have been less than steller. Aside from his sweet, heartwarming A Painted House (which, ironically enough, was not a legal thriller), Grisham's novels have been on the boring side. Now, he returns with his yearly offering, a fun little novel called The King of Torts, a novel that brings him once step closer to regaining his title of King of the legal thriller. In the book, we find a young public defendent named Clay, who is given the opportunity to earn 15 million dollars with just a few months's work. Soon enough, he is thrown into the world of mass litigation, where lawyers sue big corportations with thousands of claims. The millions start pouring in and Clay soon finds himself at the top of his game. But what goes up must come down, a thing Clay does not seem to know. Halfway through the story, Clay realizes that he's in way over his head. In Clay, Grisham creates a character you will both love and hate. His rise to success his fun to watch, but his downfall is much more interesting. It's the part in between that's problematic. Because, while Clay is on top, he becomes so obssessed with money and fame that he becomes a character you will despise. It's hard to like someone who's complaining about life when they own a yacht, a million dollar house, a penthouse in the south, and their own 45$ million jet. So when his downfall arrives, it's hard to feel sympathy for Clay. The story is predictable, yet fun to read. Maybe the book would have been better had Clay been faced with harder, more problematic challenges and situations. As it is now, The King of Torts is a fund read that doesn't require much involvement from its readers. A good beach novel, but not much more than that.
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Morality Tale
Review: It's always hard to read a book that has a lead character with few redeeming qualities, and the King of Torts is no exception. While the story is fascinating in its details about tort law, class action suits, and class action lawyers, who come out rather like comic book characters, it is not particularly gripping, as Clay Carter's roller coaster ride is completely predictable right to the end. This is a modern morality tale about money, greed, and power, and a very average one at that. Don't skip reading it, but don't expect a lot either.
Rating:
Summary: So-so...
Review: I wouldnt really vcall this a bad book.. but it is in line with Grisham's recent books. It certainly does not live up to the greatness of his previous novels. The characters were all a little undeveloped and the story line was a little blah at time. Overall I would reccomend this book, but Grisham is fading....
Rating:
Summary: Great Grisham
Review: I was really impressed by Grisham's King of Torts. I have liked almost all of Grisham's books, The Summons probably being my least favorite, but I thought Grisham really rebounded well here and wrote a great book. As for all the negative reviews you see on this site, why are there people who have read all of Grisham's books, but hate all of them? Something doesn't make sense to me there. Boo you! As for me, I have enjoyed a number of Grisham's later books, The Brethren and the Street Lawyer I thought were awesome, and you can put The King of Torts on that list. Look, there may be parts of this book that are a little stretched or unrealistic, but the pages fly like an eagle in this one. It's a great story with a character you really care about. I could see myself being Clay Carter. A lot of people won't like the ending to the book, but it's one you sleep on and agree with I think. I loved the King of Torts, and I look forward to reading the Juror. No, Grisham may not be William Faulkner, or take his works to an emotional or artistic high. But he's a darn good writer, and one of the best storytellers we've got. In the King of Torts, Grisham delivers.
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