by John Grisham

A Mystery/Thriller, 1996 by Delta, 464 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• Nicholas isn’t sympathetic. He’s the kind of character you get the impression you’re “supposed” to like, but he rubbed me the wrong way. In fact, none of the characters really comes across as someone you can root for, which makes this feel like a very depressing book. 
• There is a LOT going on in this book. While that’s not a bad thing in its own, it’s worth mentioning. You have to focus on the multitude of characters, their actions, and how everything sort of links together. This is not a mindless read. Call that a content warning, I suppose.
• Speaking of content warnings: corruption, bribery, cancer, drinking 
• The stock market stuff felt like it didn’t match with the story or the lesson. It wasn’t necessary. 

What I Did Like:

• A fun sense of mystery. There are things that are kept from you throughout the book, only some of which you realize are being kept from you. These make for a fun read as you try and figure out what is missing. 
• I’m no expert in the legal system but I’ll say this book reads as if it was vetted by people who ARE. Nothing is inherently wrong with the procedure and, in fact, it makes a point to tell you when something is OUT of procedure as a plot point. That’s good research and I can appreciate that. 
• Great stick it to the man sort of story. Big corrupt corporation combined with lots of corrupt players makes for an interesting story. It is written in such a way as to make the reader almost feel like the only good guy in the story, like you profit from this. The fact that this was written in our past and the reader can note changes from procedures actually supports this feeling.

Who Should Read This One:

• Fans of courtroom drama. This is sort of an original for a reason. It’s thrilling, intense, and well researched. 

My Rating: 4 Stars