Can that really happen? I hope only in Ford County

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Tim Whitham

I just finished another John Grisham novel, Ford County. It is a series of short stories, which is unusual for John Grisham, but was thoroughly entertaining.

His unique way of weaving the legal and life issues together is what sets his writing apart from many others. In this series he dealt with the death penalty, taking advantage of the elderly (with the assistance of an attorney), a one night crime spree and the social issues of AIDS. I have to admit while it was an easy read, he still made you think.

I could see where some of these stories were either the basis of his novels or were in the same line of thinking that spawned them.

The book is one of this newest and an excellent one to pick up.

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The Appeal

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Tim Whitham

If you enjoy reading a good book and you don’t mind a good legal thriller (even if you’re a lawyer) then John Grisham’s book, The Appeal, is an excellent choice. As a litigation attorney, I enjoy how Grisham does an excellent job in pitting the insurance / business side against the trial lawyer’s bar in this book. While he admits to using some creative license for his story, the characterizations and plot carry the day.

Grisham has a knack for building several characters at the same time and adds a lot of depth to the story line of his books. (There I go again sounding like my English teacher).

 

The real crux of the book is the election of Mississippi Supreme Court Justices. This as it turns out is Grisham’s main motive in writing the book. (See author’s notes at the end). He weaves a conspiracy theory that the election can be bought and the decisions of the Justices can be handled to give one side (big business) the advantage over the other (trial attorneys). This as it turns out is why he (Grisham) would like the issue of electing our judges revisited.

 

If you have never read Grisham before – start now. His use of fiction to bring out the “friction” in our legal system is tremendous.

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