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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
2 1/2 stars
Revisiting the characters from A Time to Kill was a good idea in my opinion, and the first half of this book gives the reader a lot of the same kind of racial and moral tension that made the first Jake Brigance book enjoyable. Several characters from that first book are back, and it is interesting to see what has happened to them since the Carl Lee Hailey verdict (this book takes place 3 years after the first). The plot of this story is once again a racially centered one, however nothing as violent as the first. Although there are several moments in the story where I actually said to myself, "oooh, that's gonna make the sh*t hit the fan!", there was still a lack of tension in the storyline. About halfway through, the momentum seems to slow down and things start getting a bit predictable. By the end, you are feeling just like the main characters, you just want it to be over.
Revisiting the characters from A Time to Kill was a good idea in my opinion, and the first half of this book gives the reader a lot of the same kind of racial and moral tension that made the first Jake Brigance book enjoyable. Several characters from that first book are back, and it is interesting to see what has happened to them since the Carl Lee Hailey verdict (this book takes place 3 years after the first). The plot of this story is once again a racially centered one, however nothing as violent as the first. Although there are several moments in the story where I actually said to myself, "oooh, that's gonna make the sh*t hit the fan!", there was still a lack of tension in the storyline. About halfway through, the momentum seems to slow down and things start getting a bit predictable. By the end, you are feeling just like the main characters, you just want it to be over.
What a brilliant read again by John Grisham. Read four of his books now and they have all been captivating reads. This one was slightly slow to get going and I thought the ending of the story would pan out similar to how it did quite early on. Which is quite rare for me. But I guess that’s just how a decent person would settle such a massive argument and difference of opinion. Lettie Lang at the end of the book reminds us of what is important in life and what will make different people happy and to feel fulfilled. I’m already looking forward to reading another Mr Grisham book.
Finally, Finally, FINALLY! THIS is the John Grisham I remember reading in the early 90s (my god, has it been that long??). Jake Brigance is back (well, I'm a little late to the party as this came out in 2013 but still..) after his big case in "A Time to Kill." This time, he finds himself sent a will by a man who has hung himself. What's interesting about the will? It's handwritten by the deceased and explicitly cuts out his family and leaves 90% of his estate to his black housekeeper.
Twists and turns (I'll admit, I saw a couple of them coming) keep this novel going at high speed until the very end.
THIS is the John Grisham I love.
A wonderful story and great characters (Harry Rex and Lucien in particular made me smile) and well told by the narrator as I listened via audio.
Thank you Mr. Grisham for an outstanding novel that sits now as highly esteemed on my bookshelf (albeit virtual) as A Time to Kill, and The Firm.
Twists and turns (I'll admit, I saw a couple of them coming) keep this novel going at high speed until the very end.
THIS is the John Grisham I love.
A wonderful story and great characters (Harry Rex and Lucien in particular made me smile) and well told by the narrator as I listened via audio.
Thank you Mr. Grisham for an outstanding novel that sits now as highly esteemed on my bookshelf (albeit virtual) as A Time to Kill, and The Firm.
Much Better than A Time to Kill, with a twister plot line and some real thoughtful questions. Still found Jake a bit unsympathetic and useless (at the end of the day, he wins another case thanks to sheer luck and brilliant colleagues...)
One reason I've been reading so many novels by John Grisham is that I find the plot twists & turns intriguing. And while I did like this book, I could see where it was going by the time I got about 1/3 of the way into the story. That doesn't necessarily detract from the story but it was disappointing at the time and then again at the end when I realized my prediction was accurate. So I docked it 1 star for that reason.
The idea behind the story is that a wealthy man commits suicide once his cancer has been diagnosed as terminal. He writes a hand-written will that leaves everything to his black housekeeper and he explicitly cuts off his relatives. Naturally his children decide to contest the handwritten will. The main question is Why? Why would he have done this after he'd already prepared a proper will that would minimize the tax hit to his children and grandchildren? And THAT is what the novel is all about. The book also explains the intricacies of estate law which, apparently, doesn't differ much from one state to the next.
I will leave it to future readers to find out for themselves how the jury decides who will inherit the money and why he took this action.
The idea behind the story is that a wealthy man commits suicide once his cancer has been diagnosed as terminal. He writes a hand-written will that leaves everything to his black housekeeper and he explicitly cuts off his relatives. Naturally his children decide to contest the handwritten will. The main question is Why? Why would he have done this after he'd already prepared a proper will that would minimize the tax hit to his children and grandchildren? And THAT is what the novel is all about. The book also explains the intricacies of estate law which, apparently, doesn't differ much from one state to the next.
I will leave it to future readers to find out for themselves how the jury decides who will inherit the money and why he took this action.
Another great Grisham novel in the style that he gained fame with, a legal drama. It's the traditional good versus evil story with good prevailing. Really enjoyed it
Well-written and believable follow-up to Time to Kill.