Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful storytelling
Review: Small town Mississippi a few decades back. A secretive gangster family, corrupt politicians and a young widow just trying to get on with her life - until it is rudely terminated in gruesome rape and murder. A young man buys the local newspaper and propels himself into the soul of this yahoo paradise.
The prosecution of the accused is told through the newspaper editor's eyes. Along the way he is befriended by an African-American woman of remarkable character, who becomes the first black woman to serve on a jury.
The story is slow-paced, but thoroughly enjoyable. Several stories run concurrently, all of them seamlessly welded together into an enjoyable whole.
It's not a page-turner, but like a fine wine or good scotch, a book to be taken in leisurely sips. The characters are well developed and interesting people. The plot moves nicely and the ending leaves you questioning whether it's contrived or not. There's doubt because you know for yourself that crazier things have happened.
All in all, a fine read.Jerry
Rating: 
Summary: He just doesn't have the touch anymore...
Review: Really frustrating to spend all this time reading a book that juts goes nowhere. I just can't believe this was the same author who wrote the runaway jury, a time to kill and the firm. This book was basically like a "painted house" with a sprinkle of suspense. Disappointing!
Rating:
Summary: Great development, but no "mystery"
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Juror. Grisham successfully changes things up by writing in first person. The character development is great, with several endearing Southern personalities. The category of "mystery" would not be accurate for this book, though. While the ending was fairly predictable, I was so infatuated with the characters by the end of the book that I did not care.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham is getting old
Review: The ending is was a total let down.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham Was Never Better
Review: I have read almost all of John Grisham's novels and I have enjoyed them in varying degrees. Until I bought this book I had considered A Time To Kill to be his best, even though it was his first and even though others were best sellers. Grisham is a Son of Missisippi and he does his best writing when he return to his roots. Both of the novels I have just refered to are set in Ford County and the author knows that place like the back of his hand. The people are real, the town is real and by the time you finish the book you figure you could find your way around there,too. Willie Traynor is the narrator for this ride. He is a Yankee who went to Syracuse University, dropped out and found his way to The Ford County Times. It is a family owned weekly that has found it's niche by writing the best obituaries of all of its citizens that one can imagine,white or black. Including blacks is the idea of the current owner and as good as he is at writing obits, he is in no sense a businessman and the paper is forced into involuntary banckruptcy. Willie has a rich grandma who cares about him and he convinces her to loan him $50,000 to buy the paper. Thus, in his early 20's, Willie takes charge of the local weekly. Soon thereafter, a local woman is raped and murderd. The cirsumstances are terrifying and the accused is arrested with the victims blood on his shirt. The accused is a member of a local clan who live on an island just of the coast and whose lawless ways are well known. Willie gets very involved in the trial and it's coverage. Previously he has befriended a black woman who ends up on the jury. The accused is convicted, but spared the death penalty by the same jury and is sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Thats the good news. The bad news is that in Mississippi, life means 10 years. Th worse news is that somehow the consecutive terms have been made concurrent. This particular murderer has had the bad judgement to tell the jury that "If you convict me. I will kill you all." Neverthe less he will be up for parole in less than ten years. Nine year later, with the convicted felon out on parole, jurors start being killed and the town is in turmoil. That is as far as I go with the story line. You need to read the rest to see how it comes out. I deduced the outcome about 20 pages from the end and you may or may not, but the important thing to remember is that this is Grisham at his best. Talking about the people he knows about and a town he understands. In so doing he draws us all into a better understanding of each other. This is a truly wonderful story. I hope you read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Story - But not the one advertised
Review: When I decided to read this book about two weeks ago and bought it from my local B&N store - the main reason was the summary I read on the cover recanting what seemed to be an exciting tale of a defendant being spared his life yet seeking revenge on the jury that convicted then sentenced him to life in prison. What I found the real story to be is following a young gumshoe news reporter and his experiences with the people in a small southern town. Yes, it begins with a murder and there is a significant plot surrounding it - but don't be fooled into thinking this is a legal courtroom thriller by any stretch of the imagination. It more so narrates a small towns activities and how a community reacts to rather big events such as the previously mentioned murder trial mixing in their traditions with politics, people and work. And although I thought that the book's ending could have had a surprise or two instead of putt-putting to the end (which is the reason why this book for me gets 3 instead of 4 stars). (The only 5 star book i have read in the last few months was the Di Vinci Code). I would say that this was an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to those of you who would like a good general story about people - not necessarily about a courtroom drama
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Here's the problem: Long-time fans of Grisham have never really gotten over his (temporary) abandonment of the "thriller" genre. And those who liked A PAINTED HOUSE might not care for his courtroom stuff. But what most people don't realize is that regardless of his choice of genres, he's a brilliant writer with a lot to say. Okay, he's trying (quite successfully) to combine his styles and locations, but what's wrong with that? It works, and THE LAST JUROR is the culmination of years of successful Grisham writing. THE LAST JUROR is not a whiz-bang, car chase, like Brown's DA VINCI CODE, nor it is Southern literature, like McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD. Rather, it is a combination of everything that has gone before. The story is set in the South, like PAINTED HOUSE, yet it makes use of the courtroom, (think, THE FIRM). What more could his readers want? Overall I loved this book--it gave me the many sides of John Grisham and I can only hope he continues in this vein. Kudos, Mr.Grisham, for the best book yet.
Rating:
Summary: a wonderful mix of Grisham's styles
Review: William Traynor, a 23 year old, takes over a small Southern
town's newspaper with some financial help from a rich relative.
A brutal rape/murder by a member of a feared family who has previously been above the law begins a chain of events that lead William to some dangerous circumstances. William learns of Miss
Callie Ruffin, a black woman who has put 11 of her 12 children through college. Some of my favorite moments are when William visits Callie once a week and savors her wonderful home-cooked meals, the likes of which he has not experienced before. Miss
Callie becomes the first black juror in the town's history against the accused murderer. A trial ensues, a verdict rendered, etc. However, the strength of this novel is not the
courtroom scenes, but the depiction of William's strength as a
journalist and his relationship with Miss Callie. The book is
more "The Painted House" than "The Runaway Jury."
My favorite Grisham remains today "A Time to Kill." Very moving.
Rating:
Summary: Two books
Review: This is a tale of one town Clanton Mississippi but in a way it is two books. The first is a story of the Danny Padgett case and the young crusading newspaper editor who makes his smalltown weekly on the strength of his coverage of the trial. It is also a tale of race relations in rural Mississippi as change finally comes to Clanton. Unlike several of Grisham's latest legal tomes, the trial story rings with authenticity. I would have preferred greater development of the Padgett case, leaving the second story as an excellent subplot. Both stories would have been more meaningful. But make no mistake, while this is not A Time To Kill (also set in Clanton) it is his best legal thriller in many years. It could have been more thrilling, thats all.
Rating:
Summary: Polemic of the day
Review: The problem with being a fan of a bestselling author like Grisham is this: you read him because you know what to expect. Or at least you THINK you know what to expect. Here lies the problem with THE LAST JUROR. Those who liked THE FIRM and that genre probably skipped A PAINTED HOUSE, and vice versa. But in his latest book, Grisham has combined all of his styles into one big, mature, and new form. The result it more literary than his courtroom thrillers and a little faster than books like SKIPPING CHRISTMAS or PAINTED HOUSE. I'm sorry guys, but this latest effort is his best and should be read. Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
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