In 2010, Grisham’s book A Time To Kill introduced attorney Jake Brigance, later made into a pretty good movie with Matthew McConaughey perfectly cast as Jake. Then in 2013, Jake returned in Sycamore Row, where Jake once again worked his magic in the courtroom. Now, we have the third installment in the JB series, and it sounded promising. 

Jake is the court-appointed attorney for a sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a sherrif’s deputy. Many people in the town of Clanton want s quick trial and swift justice in the form of the death penalty, but Jake believes that, although the boy fired the gun and the deputy died, there is no way he deserves to go to the gas chamber. 

Unlike the other stories in the series, this one doesn’t feature racism as the central issue (both the gunman and the victim are white). But the book is filled with backroom deals, scheming Southern good old boys who are used to deciding what happens to whom in their small town, and enough hatred to make your head swim. Issues of domestic violence and abortion are part of the story, and the whole thing moves along nicely for about 80% of the book. Then it seemed like maybe Grisham just felt like he was tired, so he wrapped up two parts of the storyline quickly and I didn’t care for either one AT ALL. Three stars.