"The Litigators" by John Grisham is About Different Types of Attorneys

The Litigators by John Grisham was a very amusing and entertaining read for me.  This book gives insight into a variety of different types of lawyers.  David Zinc is the main character, an attorney in a huge prestigious law firm who is stuck in a very boring job and decides to just quit and go somewhere else.  He just leaves one day, no notice and no message, goes to a bar where he drinks all day and finally stumbles into a small 2-partner ambulance chasing law firm, Finley & Figg.  They hire him that day and he finds he enjoys the work.  He actually gets to help clients!  Plus, a dog lives at the office and there is Rochelle, the receptionist who actually runs the place.  The lawyers are sleezy and located in a bad part of town, but David likes his new job and has no regrets.

I really enjoyed the second half of this book when David gets to be part of a trial in Federal Court against lawyers from his old firm.  This trial is hilarious, had me laughing out loud in some parts. I liked David Zinc right from the start.  He was a nice guy and proved that as the book moved along.  The ending was great! I think anyone who enjoys Grisham books about attorneys would enjoy this one.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review of 5/31/20:
In The Litigators by John Grisham, David Zinc works in a big-time law firm.  One day the stress of his job--long hours and plenty of work gets to him and he just quits!  He joins a small law firm run by just two guys.  Will David find peace of mind again and will he be happy?

This is not the author's best work, but there was just enough that I had to stay with it and see how it all turned out.  I give it 4 stars on the strength of David and parts of the story line I really enjoyed.
(4 stars)

Teaser from page 8:  "Sure," David mumbled as he managed to move forward.  The door slid open, the bell chimed again.  He was out of the elevator, looking around nervously as if he'd never before seen the place.  In fact, he'd left it only ten hours earlier.

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"The Guardians" by John Grisham

The Guardians by John Grisham is about a small non-profit called Guardian Ministries dedicated to freeing wrongfully convicted prisoners. Cullen Post, a lawyer and an Episcopal minister, is the founder. He works with three others and gets into some dangerous situations. The main case in this book is him trying to free Quincy Morgan who was convicted of murdering a lawyer.

I thought this book was pretty good but it moved slowly. Much of the book involved searching for new evidence in a cold case and getting the witnesses to admit they lied in court 22 years ago. It seems the judicial system could be improved simply by doing away with swearing witnesses in to tell the truth. It is misleading to do that, because some lie anyway but the jury is under the impression since they swore to tell the truth, they do. That is not the case. (Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 3: There is an appeal bouncing around somewhere in the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, and when it lands on the desk of the right law clerk within the hour this execution will be stayed. Duke will return to the horrors of solitary confinement and live to die another day.


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"The Accomplice (Theodore Boone series)" by John Grisham for teens

The Accomplice by John Grisham is a contemporary teen fiction story of Tony, a 16-yr.-old and his brother, Woody, a 13-yr.-old who are charged with being accomplices to armed robbery! Both are actually innocent, which the reader knows from the start. They made a poor decision one night and were arrested and put in jail. This story gives some insight into the youth court system and also shows how things are not always fair. Theodore Boone, who aspires to be a judge or lawyer one day, helps his friend, Woody, and is instrumental in helping raise bail for him.

This is geared to teens and may help them see the importance of school and making good decisions. I enjoyed it because Theo Boone is a good kid and a main character. It’s a quick, easy read.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 25: From the back seat, Woody heard the words he would never forget. A cop said loudly, “Stop right there, kid.”


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"Gray Mountain" by John Grisham

Gray Mountain by John Grisham is about a lawyer, Samantha, who loses her cushy job in New York City at a big firm and goes to Brady, Virginia to work as an intern at a legal aid clinic with no pay for a year.  Her job in New York mainly involved proofreading documents for business transactions but when she joins the Legal Aid Clinic, she feels like a real lawyer, actually making a difference in people’s lives.  When she meets the Gray brothers, nephews of Mattie, the owner of the legal aid clinic, she finds herself unknowing pulled into a dangerous situation as Donovan Gray, an attorney who likes big cases against coal mining companies, takes a personal interest in her.  Samantha eventually must choose what world she wants to work in.  Will she remain to follow-up on her meaningful cases and continue to become a litigator fighting for the poor people who really need her help or go back to the corporate scene where she is paid the big bucks and given a cushy office? 

I liked this book and learned a lot about strip mining and the plight of coal miners who contract black lung disease.  It paints a pretty dark picture of how hard it is for the miners to get the benefits they deserve.  I found the cases Samantha was involved in during her time at the legal aid clinic interesting because they made her feel more like a social worker than a lawyer.  This novel has very little court scenes because it focuses more on the leg work involved in preparing for trial.  

(Karen's review, 3 stars)

 

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"A Time to Kill" by John Grisham

A Time To Kill by John Grisham tells the story of two men who brutalize a ten-year-old black girl in the deep south in the USA.  When the father learns of this, he decides to deal out his own brand of justice and shoots the two men in cold blood before they go to trial.  When his trial takes place, he and his white lawyer are in a battle for both of their lives.

I know this book has been out for years but somehow I missed it.  I'm glad I read it now though--it's very good!  The trial and all that surrounded it was outstanding.  As usual for John Grisham, the writing is top-notch.  If you haven't read this one yet, you should because it is well worth it.
(Gerard's Review)

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"The Litigators" by John Grisham

What a great read The Litigators by John Grisham is! A small law firm, Finley and Figg, unexpectedly gets a new person in David Zinc, who quit a huge law firm to join them. When they get a really big case that could make them millions, the fun begins. The trial is very interesting! The writing, as usual for Grisham, is excellent. John Grisham is on top of his game with this book. It's both funny and sad. Don't miss it!
(Gerard's review)

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"Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham is about a modern day scrooge that wanted to skip everything to do with Christmas except the church stuff but wound up doing everything the last minute to please his daughter who came home unexpectedly with a fiancé.  This is a quick light read. 
 
 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Confession" by John Grisham

The Confession by John Grisham is a novel about a small town in Texas where a man is facing execution for murder. Another man comes forward to a minister and admits to the killing. I found this book to be well worth reading. It sort of dragged at the end, but the characters are well developed and I enjoyed reading it even though I was not “wowed” by it.
(Gerard's review)
 
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"The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham is about Darby Shaw, a law student who does some research into a possible suspect who had two Supreme Court Justices assassinated.  She finds herself on the run when her brief makes it all the way to the FBI, CIA and the President.  There is a lot of killing in this book and Darby realizes she is in danger.  This is a real thriller because Darby doesn’t know who to trust.  She finally trusts Gray, an investigative reporter at the Washington Post who admires her and together they work at getting evidence.  It’s quite an elaborate story. 

I liked it because Darby was so smart when she was running for her life.  It was hard to believe she was able to outfox professional hit men, but at the same time, it was fun to see her doing it.  It has quite a bit of action which helped hold my interest.  It’s not my favorite Grisham book, but it is pretty good.

"Bleachers" by John Grisham

Bleachers by John Grisham is a good book about a high school football coach’s impact on town and players. It was all about the coach but coach was never actually in the story—dying and the players came back to the town for the funeral and all talked about him with each other.  I liked it all right but not as much as his legal thrillers.
(Karen's review 12/03)

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"Street Lawyer" by John Grisham

I liked Street Lawyer by John Grisham because I work for attorneys so found the main character to be interesting and quite realistic. I was pulling for him throughout the book and admired him for giving up his cushy job at the big law firm to help out the homeless and down and out people. It made me rethink my priorities some and realize how bad off some people are. This is the first Grisham book I ever read and liked it very much.  I highly recommend this.
(Karen's review)

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"The Testament" by John Grisham

I found The Testament by John Grisham to be interesting because it dealt with a contested will. The man who died was very rich but wanted to make sure his ex-wives and children who weren't nice people didn't get their hands on it. He left it to a missionary in Brazil and the story was about finding her to give her the fortune.
 (Karen's review 10/01)

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"The Brethren" by John Grisham

The Brethren by John Grisham is a well written, somewhat humorous and fascinating story about judges.  It started out very good but I didn't care of the homosexuality in it and I hated the ending.  It left a very bad taste in my mouth.  
(Karen's review 1/01)

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"The Appeal" by John Grisham

The Appeal by John Grisham is a very good novel about the corruption of our justice system and how politics influence verdicts. It is certainly thought provoking and forces us to really question if we know for what and for whom we are voting. It was very interesting to see how devious and manipulative powerful people can be and how easily decent people can be duped and used when they focus on money and pride.

There are many different characters, but really only the main ones were well developed. I really liked the plaintiff's attorneys, Wes and Mary Grace Peyton from start to finish. I also liked Judge Sheila McCarthy from the start and felt sorry for her when the political campaign by her opponents could portray her as something she wasn't. It was enlightening to see how much money played a role in the election of the candidates. Again, if this is true, and I'm afraid it is, our country is in serious trouble!

Ron Fisk, although he was presented in a good light, I didn't like him because he went along with a plan he suspected was shady, even after seeking Godly wisdom and guidance. I was astounded at the way he voted once he became an Appellate Judge.

The only thing I really did not like about this book is that Christians are portrayed as being gullible, stupid and easily manipulated. Again, I hope this is fiction, but unfortunately, I'm afraid it's more truth than fiction. Great book!

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"The Summons" by John Grisham

In The Summons by John Grisham, a son found a lot of money in cabinet behind father’s couch that wasn’t mentioned in his will or included in his estate. The son didn’t want to share with brother and didn’t want to include it in the estate and have to pay half in taxes. This is a very interesting book with the theme of greed.  I liked it but don't want to say too much and spoil it for you.  It was a page turner for me and had my interest all the way through.

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"Playing For Pizza" by John Grisham

I guess I've been spoiled by Grisham.  "Playing For Pizza" by John Grisham disappointed me.  The football parts were okay, but the rest was not.  The only character I really cared about was the main one.  The other characters are not really brought out much.  I cannot recommend this book.
(Gerard's review)

Here is a little fun quiz that goes along with pizza so I thought I'd toss it in here just to break things up a little.

What are you like? You are conscientious You are real You are curious You are well grounded You are confident Your ideal pizza has: High quality cheese A killer sauce Lots of meat Interesting flavors Fresh toppings If you won a trip to an American city, you'd choose: New Orleans New York City San Francisco Chicago Los Angeles When you eat pizza, how many slices do you eat? Two slices Three slices Four slices Practically whole pie One slice The best pizza places are: Little hole in the wall restaurants Generous with the portions Locally run Simple and old fashioned Gourmet   I Am Tomatoes

You are kind hearted and open minded. You're always up for something new. You like to experiment. You are easy going, and you pride yourself on not being judgmental. You can see the good in almost every situation. You prefer to keep things light and fun. You don't like heavy topics or pessimistic people. You believe that there's so much to celebrate. You're happy to just celebrate being alive! Click the link below to take the quiz:

What Pizza Topping Are You?

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"Theodore Boone--Kid Lawyer" by John Grisham

Theodore Boone--Kid Lawyer by John Grisham is about a Theo, a 13-yr. old likable boy who wants to be either a lawyer or a judge one day.  It was a nice change of pace to read about a good kid from a stable family who makes good decisions and cares about other people.  Both Theo’s parents are attorneys who support their son.  Theo is fascinated with the courthouse and is excited when there is a murder trial.  He finds himself in a tough situation and actually turns to his parents for help.  This is not packed with suspense like Grisham’s other books. 

 

I would recommend this book for boys and anyone who likes reading about trials or is interested in court procedure.
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"The Innocent Man" by John Grisham

The Innocent Man by John Grisham is a very disturbing non-fiction book about our judicial system, a heinous crime and a wasted life. It showed how several innocent men were convicted of murder and that in reality, one is really guilty until proven innocent rather than the other way around. It is a very sad documentary about a talented high school athlete who really ruined his life with drinking, drugs and got framed for murder, and developed mental and physical illness. 

It's unbelievable how these innocent men spent 12 years in prison while the appeals courts kept upholding the verdict in spite of all the bungling and lack of evidence in the first trial. The main thing I learned from it is if you ever get brought in for questioning by the police, don't answer any questions without an attorney present, even if you are innocent and have nothing to hide! The fact that this really happened makes horrific. 

I recommend this to anyone interested in legal thrillers, the justice system, or prison life.
(Karen's review 3/09)

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"The Associate" by John Grisham

The Associate by John Grisham is definitely a page-turner that kept my interest all through but was a bit of a let down in the end.  Kyle, a first-year associate at a big New York law firm was being blackmailed to steal confidential information from the firm he worked for and struggled to find a way out.  It demonstrates how one's past can come back to haunt them.  I enjoyed this book even though the story line seemed far-fetched to me and there were several loose ends.  I recommend this to anyone who likes some suspense and enjoys reading about lawyers.  Since I work for a law firm, perhaps that's why I could relate to the main character and got into this book.  I found it to be entertaining.
(Karen's review 11/17/10)

A Good Book, BUT!  (20 stars)

This book is Grisham doing what he does best--telling a story about a lawyer who has an incident in his past and unsavory people who try to use that against him to get trade secrets.  The writing is superb and the story moves along very well.  It gets off to a great start and pulled me in right away.  The ending though left me at loose ends.  I didn't like it but when you read it, you can form your own opinion.  Other than the ending, it's very good!

(Gerard's Review 11/10/09)