Book info

• Title
• Author John Grisham
• Year
• Genres

Thoughts

A rookie kid somehow finds himself in charge of a local county newspaper and brings it back from the brink of closure. Then, he finds himself reporting on a murder and the subsequent revenge.

The thriller side of this book is only half of it, with a lot of other issues going on - a stranger trying to be accepted, the integration of the black half of town with the white half, families forced apart, and how to make a business successful. There’s very little romance involved, which always makes me happy.

For a change, Grisham’s central character isn’t a lawyer but is a journalist. He’s keen to make money but willing to work for it and doesn’t expect an easy ride. All he wants is to find out the truth.

The writing is captivating, so that no matter how long the book is, however slow the pace or secretive the writing, I still couldn’t put it down. The action takes absolutely forever to get going, mostly reserved for the last 20% of the story, but it doesn’t matter. It’s all interesting, from descriptions of the heat to the amazing Southern food, to the history behind the characters. And, eventually, it thunders to a gratifying conclusion.

Rating: Unrated