Search - The Last Juror

In "The Last Juror" Grisham returns to Clanton Mississippi, the setting for "A Time To Kill." When a young widow is brutally raped and murdered, she names her assailant with her last dying breath: Danny Padgitt, a son of the dangerous and powerful crime family that seems to own Clanton. Willie Traynor, the young reporter who buys the local newspaper when it falls into bankruptcy, covers the case in the paper and befriends Miss Callie, the matriarch of the amazing Ruffin family and the first black woman juror in Ford County. Danny is tried and found guilty, but he receives life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. When he is released on parole after only nine years and returns to Clanton, the jurors who convicted him begin to die one by one, and the remaining jurors fear for their lives... This novel features not only the setting of Grisham's earliest novel, but also the reappearance of its lawyers Lucien Wilbanks and Harry Rex Vonner. It covers some of the same issues of race and criminal justice. But if you are expecting this story to be similar to its predecessor, you might be disappointed. For one thing, the protagonist here is Willie Traynor rather than a lawyer. The story does contain some tense courtroom drama, but that comprises only part of the novel. Instead we see the gentler and softer-hearted Grisham as represented in some of his latest works such as "Bleachers" and "Skipping Christmas." After the fast-paced trial and while Danny is in prison, the story changes direction to indulge in some good old-fashioned Southern storytelling.

Through the voice of newspaper owner Traynor, a northerner who views the town with the eyes of an outsider but who comes to care for its inhabitants, Grisham shows his affection for Southern small town life. Grisham's descriptions and characterizations are so lovingly crafted that I felt I had attended a goat barbecue, sampled some powerful moonshine, sat on the balcony above the town square gossiping with and about the locals, played poker in the backwoods, visited every church in the county, and had lunch on Miss Callie's porch. The story is peppered with humor and folk wisdom. The ending, although sad, is satisfying. I strongly recommend this novel for readers who appreciate both the vintage and newer Grisham works.

I read some heinous reviews of this book on Amazon, prior to my reading it- so I didn't expect much. I found this to be one of my favorite John Grisham novels- ranking with The Rainmaker and The Pelican Brief. The characters are written so that you actually care about them- and the "mystery" portion of the book is interesting as well. The killer is a tad obvious- and in truth this book is really the Grisham version of To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite novel, so if you enjoyed that, you will enjoy the Last Juror.

John Grisham to me is the master of courtroom drama, he paints the picture nobody els can, as always the book is better than the movie

This book is VERY VERY hard to put down, it is a must read!!!!

Another page-turner from John Grisham, I wish I could have been in the actual court room!

Grisham provides another thriller, this time from a small town setting. Complete with murder, dishonesty, and racial injustice, this book will keep you flipping pages till the very end!