Books – Two From John Grisham

Rogue Lawyer (2015) and Sycamore Row (2013) by John Grisham – I can’t tell you if John Grisham is a great writer.  There is no argument that he is a great storyteller.  On this blog there is no higher praise possible.  His books routinely make their way to the top of the bestseller lists and more than a few of them have been made into movies.  So when I need some good old fashioned great storytelling, Grisham is on my “go-to” list.

In “Rogue Lawyer” and “Sycamore Row” you have two lawyers that couldn’t be more different, yet who share a core concept.  They are not afraid to take on clients that no one else wants.  As a result, both of them have paid a heavy personal price.

Grisham returns to the characters that launched his very first novel, “A Time to Kill”.  While it was not the instant hit that the novels that followed have been, it did eventually get the recognition it deserved.  In that story, Jake Brigance defended a black defendent in the face of overwhelming negative opinion.  The Klan burned his house to the ground to try and influence him.  In this novel, Jake is still struggling financially from that loss.  What he needs is another “big case”.  What lands on his desk is the estate of a local man that Jake never met.  The man killed himself, naming Jake as the attorney for his estate.  That estate turns out to be much larger than anyone knew, and comes with a variety of strings.  Brigance will have to hold of a disinherited family, find a missing brother, and right a decades old wrong.

Where Brigance occasionally tilts at windmills, Sebastian Rudd has made it his career and lifestyle.  The rogue lawyer of the title, his office is an armored van, and his “home” is an ever changing series of hotel rooms.  Rudd’s clients are not nice people as a rule, but he believes that even they deserve a good lawyer and a shot at justice.  Rudd puts that idea ahead of the rules and ethics.  It also means his life is never dull.  “Rogue Lawyer” is a little different from most of Grisham’s novels but maintains the kind of detail and storytelling we have come to expect.

Why Read the Books – Great storytelling and Grisham’s unblinking look at the less polished side of the legal profession.  There’s a reason why he is the top writer of courtroom thrillers in the world.

Rating – **** Recommended (both books)