Book Nerds Across America: John Grisham

Showing posts with label John Grisham. Show all posts

Friday, December 29, 2023

Book Review: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Goodreads Overview:

Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game against Denver, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock and, of course, was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams.

But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback–for the mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player–any former NFL player–at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers–at least until a better offer comes along–and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma, has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian. To say that Italy holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.

Jacque's Review:

I am a fan of Grisham's legal thrillers and have slowly but surely been catching up on his books. I read every one of his books when they were first released starting with A Time to Kill through The Runaway Jury. After my college graduation, I didn't have much time for reading and now I am playing catch up.

Playing for Pizza is very different from Grisham's other books. It is not a legal thriller, but a story about an NFL quarterback who isn't quite ready to choose an alternate career path. His NFL career is essentially over after he single handedly threw the game away and landed himself in the hospital with his third concussion. Nobody will hire him, so his agent suggests he play in Italy for a while to let things die down in America. He is offered a free place to stay, the use of a car, and $20,000 a year to become the starting quarterback for the Parma Panthers. The team consists of players who work day jobs to pay the bills, but have a passion and love for the game. They want nothing more than to win their equivalent to the super bowl and believe Rick Dockery is just the player to help them achieve their goal.

I listened to the audio version of the book and found it to be entertaining, but not up to the standard of his other books. I usually rate Grisham's books in the 4–5-star range, but this was a 3-star book for me. I enjoyed the story, but there wasn't anything exceptional about it. I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next like I am with most of his books. I am happy that I read it, but I will choose a legal thriller for my next Grisham book.

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Book Review: The Associate by John Grisham

Goodreads Overview:

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father's small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn't want, even if it's a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains, from drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist Baxter Tate to quiet former math teacher Dale who shares Kyle's cubicle at the law firm, The Associate is vintage Grisham.

Jacque's Review:

Back in the early years of John Grisham's career, I read all of his books as soon as they were released. A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, etc. were all instant successes. I got behind when I was in college and shortly thereafter, but I have been trying to read at least one a year.

The Associate had the classic Grisham feel. Kyle is just out of law school and wants to take a lower paying job where he can give back to the community. His father is a small-town lawyer that specializes in helping his friends and neighbors while making a living on his own terms. When Kyle accepts a high paying job in New York City, it is unexpected and out of character. Working countless hours with the sole purpose of billing clients exorbitant amounts of money, just so the rich can get richer, was never his goal. He can't tell his father why he had a sudden change of heart, so he relies on a college friend to help him with the delicate situation he finds himself in.

Kyle is being blackmailed to steal confidential information from the firm, which would get him disbarred and could land him in jail if he gets caught. He is being followed, his apartment and phones have been bugged, and he has no choice but to seek legal counsel and confide in someone to get help. He contacts Roy Benedict, a criminal lawyer and former FBI operative. Together they must work out a plan that will get the blackmailers off his back while keeping his career and reputation intact.

If you are a fan of Grisham's early work, I would highly recommend this book. It was a sit on the edge of your seat thriller that will keep you engaged from start to finish.

Friday, August 27, 2021

Book Review: The Innocent Man by John Grisham

Goodreads Overview:

In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the Big Leagues, Ron stumbled, his dreams broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then, on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron’s home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation led nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evidence, it led to Ron Williamson. The washed-up small-town hero was charged, tried, and sentenced to death—in a trial littered with lying witnesses and tainted evidence that would shatter a man’s already broken life…and let a true killer go free. Impeccably researched, grippingly told, filled with eleventh-hour drama, John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction reads like a page-turning legal thriller. It is a book that will terrify anyone who believes in the presumption of innocence—a book no American can afford to miss.

Jacque's Review:

I read all of John Grisham's books as they were released from A Time to Kill through the Runaway Jury. Then I was too busy with college and eventually work and got really far behind. In fact, I didn't even know he had a nonfiction book until I was talking to my brother and he mentioned that he had just finished reading The Innocent Man and it was his favorite Grisham book yet.

This book is about two men who are accused and convicted of a murder they did not commit. The police refused to look at evidence that would have exonerated them and based their entire case on lying witnesses and trumped up evidence. It was absolutely shocking that with DNA evidence these men even went to trial let alone were convicted.

The story reads like one of Grisham's fiction novels and I was immediately engrossed in the story. Ron Williamson was a star baseball player with hopes of playing in the major leagues. He played for several seasons in the minors, but never hit it big. He struggled with depression and bi-polar disorder and required medication and treatment to stay balanced, which he didn't always take. He also enjoyed partying and drinking, which didn't help his situation. He got into some trouble here and there, which made him an easy target for the police when their investigation came up empty. Dennis Fritz was simply guilty by association.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for these two men. They insisted they were innocent and the legal system completely failed them. The corruption in the District Attorney's office and with the investigators working the case was appalling. It is scary to think that this can really happen to innocent people.

I haven't watched the Netflix series yet, but I look forward to seeing some of the live footage that is described in the book. I also hope to hear some of Grisham's thoughts on the case and the events that took place during the investigation and the trial. As a fiction author, I don't think Grisham could have written such an unbelievable series of events and made it sound believable. It is crazy to think this can really happen in a place where people are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Book Review: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Jacque's Review:

The Kranks' daughter, Blair, leaves for the Peace Corp. and for the first time ever, she will not be home for Christmas. Luther, an accountant, went through all of his receipts from the prior year and discovered exactly how much Christmas cost them last year...and what did they have to show for it? Why not spend half as much and enjoy a luxurious Caribbean cruise, since it is just the two of them this year?

It sounds like a great idea until word begins to spread. The neighbors are upset because their street likely will not win the decorating contest since one house will not have a giant Frosty on the roof. Various charities arrive and the Kranks have to tell them they are skipping Christmas this year. Friends are disappointed they will not be hosting their annual Christmas Eve Party. Coworkers can't believe they will not be at the office party. Even their pastor is disappointed to hear they will not be at the Christmas Eve service.

Everywhere they go they are reminded of the frivolousness of the season and Luther is pleased with his decision. His wife, on the other hand, is tired of all of the grief and wants to give in to a few requests, but Luther stands firm. No Christmas this year!!

Everything is going reasonably well until they receive a call from Blair on Christmas Eve. She is in Miami and will be home in a few hours to surprise them for Christmas. Of course, she is expecting a big holiday party, a tree, Frosty on the roof, and a wonderful Christmas meal. Will the Kranks be able to pull together a traditional Christmas in less than a day?

This was an entertaining and hilarious holiday story and definitely put the season into perspective. How much do people really spend on a holiday, which is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Jesus? Is it really worth all of the time, energy and effort we put into it every year? It isn't about the money or the gifts. It is about the tradition and spending time with friends and family. The Kranks learn this lesson in a rather amusing way and I'm sure will not try Skipping Christmas ever again.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Book Review: A Painted House by John Grisham

Goodreads Overview:

Until that September of 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie. But in the long, hot summer of his seventh year, two groups of migrant workers — and two very dangerous men — came through the Arkansas Delta to work the Chandler cotton farm. And suddenly mysteries are flooding Luke’s world.

A brutal murder leaves the town seething in gossip and suspicion. A beautiful young woman ignites forbidden passions. A fatherless baby is born ... and someone has begun furtively painting the bare clapboards of the Chandler farmhouse, slowly, painstakingly, bathing the run-down structure in gleaming white. And as young Luke watches the world around him, he unravels secrets that could shatter lives — and change his family and his town forever....

Jacque's Review:

Back in the early 90's I read most of Grisham's books as soon as they were released. I was in high school then and had plenty of time on my hands during the summer and on school breaks. I have been trying to catch up, which is an almost impossible feat since I'm in the same predicament with a number of authors and series, but I keep plugging away.

This book was very different from any of his other books that I have read. It did not involve a lawyer or some epic case that needed to be solved. Instead, we are taken to a small cotton farm in Arkansas. The story is told from the viewpoint of Luke Chandler, a seven-year-old boy who lives with his parents and grandparents. He dreams of one day playing baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and moving far away from the farm, where he spends long hours picking cotton six days a week. Sunday is a day for rest and worship.

Luke's sheltered lifestyle takes a real turn in the summer of 1952 when he witnesses not one, but two murders. As the number of secrets compound throughout the story, it almost becomes too much for him to bear. He begins acting differently and the adults get suspicious, but he knows he needs to keep quiet to protect himself and his family.

This wasn't my favorite Grisham book, but I did enjoy the story. He did a great job of taking us back to a time and place most readers have little experience with. There was plenty of drama, gossip, and scandal to keep the pages turning, but it wasn't the fast paced read I am used to from Grisham.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Review: The Partner by John Grisham

Jacque's Review:

I was a huge fan of John Grisham's legal thrillers back in high school, but I haven't read many since. I decided to pick up where I left off and read his 8th book, The Partner, which was released in 1997. I've heard that some of his never books aren't as good as the originals, but he certainly had his A game when he wrote this novel.

The Partner is about a young attorney in Biloxi, Mississippi named Patrick Lanigan who faked his death to start his life over. He was in a bad marriage and discovered the partners in his firm were planning on firing him before he could cash in on their corrupt scheme. He carefully gathered the evidence he needed before staging a car accident and sailing off into the sunset. The partners of the firm put on a good show at the time of his funeral, but were secretly grateful for their good fortune.

When the 90 million dollar settlement was wired into the firm's account it immediately went missing. The firm was supposed to receive 1/3 of the amount (30 million dollars) with the remainder being transferred to their client. Everyone began to question the circumstances surrounding Patrick's death and the search soon began.

When Patrick is found in Brazil four years later everyone thought he would finally be brought to justice and their stolen money wold be returned. Little did they know the depths of the research and planning he had done the year before he left as well as while he was on the run.

I was absolutely amazed by the level of detail. Everything is woven together seamlessly and I couldn't help but root for Patrick to come out unscathed. While his actions appeared to be inexcusable on the surface, he managed to have an explanation for everything. There was always a bigger fish in the sea with regards to every accusation and Patrick had every detail covered.

I was highly entertained and would definitely recommend this book. There was a shocking twist at the very end that I never would have anticipated. I guess Grisham didn't want to leave readers with a too good to be true feeling and decided to drop a bomb in the last chapter. Now I'm curious if there is more to Patrick's story in one of his future novels of if he truly was left hanging in the balance.

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