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The Chamber

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 63,703 ratings · 809 reviews

In the corridors of Chicago's top law firm:

Twenty -six-year-old Adam Hall stands on the brink of a brilliant legal career. Now he is risking it all for a death-row killer and an impossible case.

Maximum Security Unit, Mississippi State Prison:

Sam Cayhall is a former Klansman and unrepentant racist now facing the death penalty for a fatal bombing in 1967. He has run out of c...more

Paperback, 640 pages

Published December 27th 2005 by Delta (first published 1994)

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Dec 12, 2012 Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another great legal story written by Grisham. Personally one of my favorites. It keeps the reader entertained throught the story. I was unable to put it down. A very controversial book that made me want to keep reading and love the book even more.
I feel this book reltes to many aspects in life. It relates to how a person views the death penalty and makes you truly think of right and wrong. It makes you think of its role in society and how many people it truly affects. Also how one single act can...more

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Jul 26, 2008 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have strong feelings and opinions related to this book that delves deeper into the issue of "an eye for an eye" as it relates to the judicial systems of the day. A great side story about a member of the KKK after the civil war during the segragation conflict. Being from a rural southern area, riding around as a child with a father who always kept a "nigger knocker" under the seat, and having family that still refuses to grasp the concept of nonjudgmental equality, I really thought this book sh...more

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Feb 18, 2009 Fan added it

The book review
The chamber told a story that Sam Cayhall led two explosives. He bombed Matin Kramer’s office and later bombed Jewish Church. He was a racist. He was decided to be put to death. His son and daughter disappeared in the day which he was arrested. They felt guilty to have a father like him. Sam Cayhall killed twins and made Martin Kramer lost both of his legs and hurt eight black people and killed other four people. He was put into death row. One day, a fresh man named Adam Hall went...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Shesh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just finished rereading this amazing book. This isn't one of Grisham's more popular stories however this book was a life transforming experience for me. Two issues this book forced me to deal with on my first reading in 1994: 1) How can people - any people, "Cluckers" (KKK), the Taliban, street gangs,Fred Phelps and congregation, boy soldiers of Sierra Leone, contract killers, even bullies, et al - be so cruel and mean and hateful? Where is compassion? How did they miss that piece of life? How c...more Just finished rereading this amazing book. This isn't one of Grisham's more popular stories however this book was a life transforming experience for me. Two issues this book forced me to deal with on my first reading in 1994: 1) How can people - any people, "Cluckers" (KKK), the Taliban, street gangs,Fred Phelps and congregation, boy soldiers of Sierra Leone, contract killers, even bullies, et al - be so cruel and mean and hateful? Where is compassion? How did they miss that piece of life? How could even members of my own family be so racist (all from Arkansas)? 2)Do I truly oppose the death penalty or do I just "tout" that I oppose the death penalty?

Good to read this again and be reminded of my own compassion and convictions. Pps 400-401 are the magic ones for me. Adam looking at the picture of Sam, his grandfather at 15, celebrating the lynching of a black man with neighbors and family - "He studied the clear, beautiful eyes of his grandfather and his heart ached. He was just a boy, born and reared in a household where hatred of blacks and others was simply a way of life. How much of it could be blamed on him? Look at those around him, his father, family, friends and neighbors, all probably honest, poor, hardworking people caught for the moment at the end of a cruel ceremony that was commonplace in their society. Sam didn't have a chance. This was the only world he knew. . . . would Adam have been right there in the middle of them if he had been born forty years earlier? . . .How is God's world could Sam Cayhall have become anything other than himself?"

Certainly that is not the answer in every circumstance - there is still the nature or nurture question. But this book cemented my own understanding of "situatedness" and has informed my compassionate self, assisted in transforming my spiritual sense to a place of understanding. Not every time, of course, but often.

And the death penalty? Absolutely not. No gas chamber, no lethal injection, no firing squad. However, I always add this caveat: I have never had a loved one who has been a victim of a capital crime. I would hope that my convictions would remain if that were ever the case.(less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Yaply rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm finding it harder and harder to watch movies, they all seem the same: something exciting happens, it builds to a dramatic climax then everything is resolved in the final hasty conclusion. So many wonderful creative minds are working on making movies, so why is it that they're so bland?

Enter the book. I know that this is a book loving site, so I don't want to praise to the converted, but books can do so much that films can't. They're radical, imaginative, genre bending. That's why I was not i...more

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May 26, 2011 Ryan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Though I haven’t read this book entirely, it so far is actually quite captivating. As a whole, it has kept hold of my attention. It also has a hint of humor in it, too. John Grisham having a background in law has put his knowledge and experience in his books.
“The Chamber” is about a young, bright lawyer, Adam Hall, who joined the Kravitz & Bane firm solely to represent and defend his grandfather, the infamous ex-Klansman Sam Cayhall, who is in Death Row for the bombing of the Kramer Firm,...more

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Sep 10, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: death-row-legal-fiction

Not as entertaining as other Grisham books. It’s a somber subject – death row.

STORY BRIEF:
Three Ku Klux Klansmen plant a bomb in an attorney’s office. Two children are killed. Only one of the men (Sam) is caught, and he stays silent about the other two. It is years later. Sam is on death row, soon to be executed in “the (gas) chamber.” Adam is a young attorney with a large law firm up north. He gets permission from his firm to work on Sam’s case pro bono. He is Sam’s grandson. Adam and Sam now m...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Wendell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trash-horror-guilty-pleasures

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In some metafictional world, I suppose, the painfully slow pace of this novel could be seen as an intentional strategy meant to reproduce the agonizing waiting that is involved in ensuring that a condemned prisoner keeps his appointment with the death house, but the book’s slackness is much more likely a simple reflection of the enormous difficulty Grisham encountered in telling a story whose ending was inevitable and which was, thus, incapable of producing any genuine dramatic tension. As it is...more In some metafictional world, I suppose, the painfully slow pace of this novel could be seen as an intentional strategy meant to reproduce the agonizing waiting that is involved in ensuring that a condemned prisoner keeps his appointment with the death house, but the book’s slackness is much more likely a simple reflection of the enormous difficulty Grisham encountered in telling a story whose ending was inevitable and which was, thus, incapable of producing any genuine dramatic tension. As it is, Grisham walks a thin line between depicting, on the one hand, the gruesome pitilessness of Sam Cayhall's crimes and the anguish of his victims and their families and, on the other, creating sympathy for the suffering of Cayhall and his own family (especially his grandson, Adam, the young lawyer who attempts to save Cayhall's life). In the end, the book comes down squarely against the death penalty, doing what it can to make clear that Cayhall’s crimes rippled far beyond his immediate victims, engulfing his own children and grandchildren in a legacy of suffering that permanently shapes their lives and threatens to have no end. (The demons, says Cayhall's daughter, Lee, in the book's final chapters, are never destroyed; they just go off to haunt someone else.) In that way, Grisham lets Cayhall stand as a symbol of the decades of hate in the South, the lynchings and racism, the crimes condoned, the horrors institutionalized, and his death is meant to suggest not that such an era has disappeared but rather to signal the end of a time in which no other choice was possible. “If I’d never heard of the Klan,” Cayhall declares in his final hours, “I’d be a free man today.” And so would the South, Grisham seems to suggest. At the conclusion of the novel, Grisham permits Adam and his aunt, Lee, to walk away with some small hope, but with their pain fully intact. Whether Cayhall’s death brought relief to his victims’ families or closed an agonizing chapter in Mississippi history, as the spineless, politically ambitious governor intones, remains an open question. Grisham nonetheless makes his own beliefs clear, and any reasonable reader would have difficulty discarding them: Cayhall’s execution changes nothing, resolves nothing, serves no tangible purpose. It is a last, useless act in the history of useless acts that Grisham traces. And perhaps that is what makes The Chamber such an utterly melancholy read.(less)

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Jul 30, 2009 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pulp

John Grisham is one of those authors that I cringe when I admit I've read his books, but every once I find I'm really scrapping the bottom of the barrel and I have nothing else to read... :)

Even as an avowed "disliker" of Grisham (I don't have enough emotion on this subject to call myself a "hater"), this book was disappointed. What makes Grisham good is his ability to draw you into a story and a set of characters, and take you for a ride -- through legal battles, and often a little bit of thugg...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars

A legal novel about the impact one mans transgressions can have on not only his immediate family but his family for generations to come. This book gives the reader an interesting insight into death row and the effects of racism in 1960's United Sates.

Adam Hall is a recent Law graduate now working fo a major Law Firm in Chicago where he is just beginning to cut his teeth in his chosen profession. His work takes him to Mississippi to defend his estranged Grandfather Sam Cayhall who is only days aw...more

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Aug 24, 2010 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's apparent what the author wanted to say. It would have been nice to have a more entertaining story behind the message: "the death penalty is wrong." At least all the main characters are against it, and those who aren’t are portrayed as blood thirsty, ignorant, etc. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not ready to run down to the nearest death row prison and chant “kill them all.” No, I support the decision of a state to determine the appropriate punishment for the crime, based on what the law says is ap...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Sarah Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Chamber is about Sam Cayhall, who was involved in multiple bombings as a member of the KKK during the Civil Rights Movement and ends up on death row for a bombing that leads to two deaths. Flash forward to 1990, and Sam’s time is almost up, but his grandson, Adam, just happens to be a 26 year old lawyer who works for the law firm that handles Sam’s case. Adam travels to Mississippi to meet the grandfather he never knew, explore his family history, and try to save his grandfather from being g...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Fauzan Anwar rated it 5 of 5 stars

tidak pernah terpikirkan oleh Adam Hall, seorang pengacara muda berbakat dari chicago, bahwa dirinya akan dibawa oleh takdir keluarga. karir dan segala pencapaian yang dibangun selama belasan tahun ternyata untuk rahasia keluarga, atau bahkan mungkin aib keluarga. aib itu adalah kakeknya, Sam Cayhall, narapidana yang terancam hukuman mati.

kasus pengeboman kantor pengacara Yahudi, Marvin Kramer menjadi dalang sebab Sam harus mendekam di penjara Parchman. tidak jauh dari Sam, kamar gas, sebuah hu...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Courtney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Typically I am a Sci-fi/Fantasy reader, with a smattering of historical fiction thrown in. Really I'll read just about anything, but I have weakness for fairy tales. So when my dad recommended this book to me, and went as far as to buy it and give it to me, I was like... okay... But I decided to give it a chance because it's a book, and I like books.

And my response was: Wow. I have read very few things as heart stirring and though provoking as this book. Who could like a KKK member? Murdering pe...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Jo-Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: legal-thrillers

The Chamber is about Sam Cayhall, who was involved in several bombings as a member of the Ku Klux Klan during the Civil Rights Movement and ends up on death row for the bombing of a small Jewish law office 20 years earlier. The KKK motivated bombing resulted in the death of young twin boys who were in the office at the time.

Adam Hall is a recent Law graduate currently working for a large law firm in Chicago. His work takes him to Mississippi to defend his estranged Grandfather Sam Cayhall who i...more

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Oct 30, 2012 08spencerp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-review, book-reviews

The intended audience of this book would probably be adults and teenagers. Teenagers could learn things from this book that they can use in later life. Adults could relate this to later life and help then in court if they ever get into court.
The main issue or problem of this book is Sam Cayhall is in jail for a bombing he did commit, but his grandson, Adam Hall, and his daughter are trying to keep him alive. The rest of the family either died of old age, committed suicide, or moved away where...more
The intended audience of this book would probably be adults and teenagers. Teenagers could learn things from this book that they can use in later life. Adults could relate this to later life and help then in court if they ever get into court.
The main issue or problem of this book is Sam Cayhall is in jail for a bombing he did commit, but his grandson, Adam Hall, and his daughter are trying to keep him alive. The rest of the family either died of old age, committed suicide, or moved away where nobody could find them because of Sam Cayhall's actions.
The setting of this story is at a place called Death Row. Death Row is a scary place where pollution builds up and people are executed for crimes. You can barely breath in this place. Even though this place is horrible, one street away is a clean, pure place that doesn't dare do any crimes no matter what level they are at.
One day, Sam Cayhall was with his Klan, KKK, and decided to blow up African-American homes so they would die. They bombed the Kramer's home and killed the two twins that Mr. and Mrs. Kramer had. Sam Cayhall was still not satisfied so he decided to bomb his work before he got there. So he went to his work the next day and planted a time bomb at 5:00. It was supposed to go off at 5:30, but it didn't. Sam decided to stay across the street and watch it because he thought it was a thrill to watch things explode. He was sweating really badly when it hit 7:30 and it never went off. There were a ton of people inside and the bomb went of at about 8:16. He planted it in the closet so it didn't hurt too many people. Sam got caught and when he went to court, they said he was to be executed in death row. His son, who didn't even know that Sam was his grandfather until his dad's brother committed suicide, went to law school to save him. He talked to his daughter, Lisa, for information about Sam that would help him save his grandpa. Sam found out that Adam Hall was his grandson and agreed for him to be his lawyer. At this time, they had 4 weeks before the execution date. They saw each other as much as possible until the last 2 weeks. He was too distracted about learning about the past that he wasn't even remembering to try to save his brother. After he learned all these stories, he was sick and thought about letting him die, but he still wanted him to save him. Read the rest of "The Chamber", by John Grisham to find out the rest of the story.
What I liked about this story is that it taught me a lot about real life and how things work at court. I didn't like that there a lot of deaths that happen and a lot of racism.
Here are 2 quotes from the book. "Take a deep breath, Sam" because that is what lawyers, employees, businessmen, etc., say when you are on Death Row and you are about to die. This is on page 240. "I'm supposed to get my hour out at 10" because this is the prisoner's favorite thing to do when they are at Death Row. This is on 168.
The theme of this story is "If you kill other people, you will end up being severely punished in the end." In this book, Sam killed another person and got caught. He had to go to Death Row and it is not a sunny, happy place. It is very hard to breath and nobody wants to be there. Sam had to live with this because he killed another person. Don't take another humans life for any reason, except when killed by the federal leaders.
I would recommend this book to all teenagers because this book teaches a lot of good life lessons and because it is an intense book. It is probably too intense for little kids.
Something interesting or unique about this book is that the lawyer of the story is the grandson of the prisoner that he is representing. So Adam Hall is the grandson of Sam Cayhall. Books usually just have a random lawyer, not a relative.
(less)

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Mar 31, 2012 Karan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

This book marked a return to Grisham for me after a long time - had really enjoyed John Grisham's books in school and college, but the last 2 books by him that I read were The Broker, and A Painted House, basically, 2 of his non-legal books.

The Chamber is one of his initial works, and is definitely very good. While the issues tackled are extremely weighty, Grisham manages to make one laugh with the biting wit of Sam Cayhall, who, despite being a hateful Klansmen (now repenting) is an extremely l...more This book marked a return to Grisham for me after a long time - had really enjoyed John Grisham's books in school and college, but the last 2 books by him that I read were The Broker, and A Painted House, basically, 2 of his non-legal books.

The Chamber is one of his initial works, and is definitely very good. While the issues tackled are extremely weighty, Grisham manages to make one laugh with the biting wit of Sam Cayhall, who, despite being a hateful Klansmen (now repenting) is an extremely likable character. One really empathises with the kind of personal hell that he goes through. I did not really have an opinion about death penalty - in fact, with the likes of Kasab in mind, kind of leaning towards it. However, now I am not so sure. Of course, the characters in a book are likely to be created just so one forms a bond with them and often writers highlight their politics and beliefs through them. The truth, maybe more so in the Indian context, is much more complicated.

Speaking of the differences between the American and Indian contexts, another point that once again struck me was how different the American social and family structure is from ours. The man on the death row does not have many caring relatives and friends, which is understandable. But even amongst the ones who are close, you don't see any over-dramatic or illogical displays of solidarity or sadness. In fact, the protagonist, Adam, who is Sam's grandson and lawyer, actually goes out for dinner and a round of beers with colleagues the night before the execution is due! This is another point that needs some pondering.

A few points do jar, - the characters of the jail commandant, the governor, and "Dr. Death" are just caricatures - though the exchanges between Sam and the commandant (Retd. Col. Nugent) are hilarious. Also, the character of Rollie Wedge, especially when he was reintroduced into the narrative, was overdone. However, Adam, Eddie, Lee, Donnie, Sam, Garner Goodman and the chaplain were well done.

All in all, a must-read for fans of Grisham and for those who don't need their thrillers to be action packed to be considered page-turners.(less)

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Apr 23, 2012 Shacoria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first thing I must say is that I've only read 2 Grisham novels thus far: This one and "A Time To Kill." Obviously this book is not as good as "A Time To Kill." I really had three problems with this book. The first problem was the random mentioning of race. It seemed unnecessary to me and it added nothing to the story. It did nothing for me to know that the grave digger was black. I don't know why the author decided to mention the races of random people in that way, but I just thought that it...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Ana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: me-likey-a-lot, library-books, law-abiding-citizen

It was, as most of Grisham's books, absolutely fantastic! I am amazed how he manages to make his books so much about the legal stuff of a lawyer's life and still put so much soul in it that it turns into some mind boggling story! The rythm of the book is fast, constantly coming up with new things, the action is complex and sometimes even sick, and the ending is amazing!
Though it treats legal problems, as I said before, he manages to make his way up to the human mind and study it at close range....more

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Mar 03, 2013 Tazzie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Adam Hall is a bright, young lawyer working for Kravitz & Bane, a top Chicago law firm. He is obsessed with the Sam Cayhall case & wanted to represent him. Sam Cayhall is a former Ku Klux Klan member, who is put on death row for the deaths of two young children. Reason why he’s obsessed with this particular case? Sam Cayhall is his grandfather.

Adam does everything he can to try and prolong his grandfather’s life & to learn about his family secrets in the process. While this is going...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Ross rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the third book by Grisham that I have read. I thought it was a little better than "The Client" which I also thought was pretty good.
The other one I read was "The Appeal" which I could not finish because the events and portrayals were so unrealistic. Grisham seemed to be trying to write about a world with which he had no experience at all.
In the preface to "The Chamber" he states that he "despises research" and he had relied on the knowledge of a real death row lawyer for his depiction. S...more

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Jul 30, 2010 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book though it was quite long. I haven't read a book in sometime where I've had such a dislike/like for one of the main characters. This is one of those books. That character is Sam Cayhall who was a KKK and is sentenced to the gas chamber. I really didn't know too much about the details about what goes on in the room of the gas chamber and I have to say it's not a nice way to die, but then again, these murderers didn't get there doing anything "nice" either. John Grisham o...more

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Jun 18, 2009 Marky rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was an excellent read. It did raise a lot of moral questions about the death penalty. Sam Cayhall was a Klansmember who was an accomplice in setting off a bomb plot to kill a Jewish Lawyer named Marvin Kramer. Instead of killing him, the bomb killed 2 of his kids and blew off his legs. Sam Cayhall won 2 trials because the grand jury was all white. But 13 years later, he lost his third trial and was sent to death row. Then comes his long lost grandson who represents him legally and trys to...more

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Dec 20, 2008 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-favourites

I thought this was one of the most impacting novels I have read for a long time. Grisham thoroughly explores the implications of the death penalty and creates a well-rounded and complex character in Sam Cayhall. You come to hate him and pity him, asking yourself whether he really deserves death and cheering Adam on as he tries to save him. A book I will never forget.

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Jan 27, 2009 Eric_W rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries-and-thrillers

I have polished several John Grisham novels (mostly when I should have been doing something useful like working on the house or yard, but what the heck, life’s too short). I suppose we have a tendency to denigrate his books; too popular with the masses, but he really does know how to write a good plot that keeps the pages turning. He also must really hate lawyers, because in each of these novels the way the lawyers operate would make a barracuda blush with shame. In addition to turning out god...more I have polished several John Grisham novels (mostly when I should have been doing something useful like working on the house or yard, but what the heck, life’s too short). I suppose we have a tendency to denigrate his books; too popular with the masses, but he really does know how to write a good plot that keeps the pages turning. He also must really hate lawyers, because in each of these novels the way the lawyers operate would make a barracuda blush with shame. In addition to turning out god stories, when I look at his most recent work, he is clearly emphasizing community values in the South during the fifties and sixties as well as the dynamics families under pressure of those relationships between blacks and whites.
The Chamber is a good example. If anyone deserves to die it’s Sam Cayhall. He’s on death row in a Mississippi prison following the delayed conviction for the deaths of two children at the 1967 bombing of a Jewish lawyer’s office. The children were not supposed to be there when the bomb went off, but because the timing mechanism on the bomb had been misset. Iut took three trials to convict him, and he’s now a seventy-year-old frail old man, but still unrepentent. Adam Hall, his grandson, whose parents had changed their name in a rejection of their parent’s values and moved away. Adam had attended law school where he became obsessed with his grandfather’s case and the death penalty. He joins the law firm that had been working on Sam’s case and persuades them to send him down to fight the death penalty with only thirty days left before he goes to the gas chamber. Adam learns about the destructive relationship of his father, the intense and unrepentant racism of his grandfather, and the hugely destructive impact all of this had on the family. It’s a race against time as he discovers a sub-plot that could exonerate his grandfather. Grisham is clearly against the death penalty and the details he provides are gruesome in the extreme. A very interesting page-turner, very different from his earlier work.

(less)

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Feb 15, 2011 Jrobertus rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was disappointed in this Grisham novel. I have enjoyed the others I've read but this was dull. Sam Cayhall is a racist murder awaiting execution by the state of Mississippi. His grandson Adam, new to a prestigious Chicago law firm, together with the pro bono partner, try to stay the execution. Sam is not anyone we can sympathize with. The author tries to relate the case to the family history and mental state but that doesn't elicit any interest either. There is an unnamed, and menacing conspir...more

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Jun 21, 2009 Dna_body rated it 2 of 5 stars

Baru membaca setengahnya, belum menuju klimaks cerita karena banyak sekali latar belakang yang harus dibeberkan. Maklum bukunya sangat tebal hampir 700 halaman.

Kalimatnya panjang-panjang dan agak monoton, tapi kita lihat saja nanti kalau sudah selesai, Baru sampai Bab 23 dan halaman 372.

Review tentang buku ini setelah saya selesai membacanya

Jakarta, 3 Mei 2009

Akhirnya selesai juga buku ini, agak kecewa juga sih sebenarnya setelah melahap pengantar dan gaya penyampaian yang panjang dan bertubi-tu...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Dave marked it as to-read

Shelves: calibre

SUMMARY: In the corridors of Chicago's top law firm:Twenty -six-year-old Adam Hall stands on the brink of a brilliant legal career. Now he is risking it all for a death-row killer and an impossible case.Maximum Security Unit, Mississippi State Prison:Sam Cayhall is a former Klansman and unrepentant racist now facing the death penalty for a fatal bombing in 1967. He has run out of chances -- except for one: the young, liberal Chicago lawyer who just happens to be his grandson.While the executione...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Jason Kent rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was my fifth John Grisham book (Having previously read The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief and The Client) and left me feeling very disappointed. The only interesting angle was his insight into the emotional turmoil of a death row convict, however I found myself constantly waiting for something to happen...

I was expecting the young whizkid lawyer to uncover some secret evidence and cross paths with one of the antagonists, but alas no, he never does. The story could have been so much...more

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May 15, 2013 Philip rated it 4 of 5 stars

I never thought I’d be into John Grisham novels, which is why it’s taken me until now to get around to reading him, but the guy writes damn good books.

I always thought these legal dramas would be terribly stuffy and swamped in legal jargon that would just baffle me, and don’t get me wrong, the detail is in there, but it’s presented in a way that any layman can understand.

The Chamber is one of the few Grisham novels that hasn’t been adapted into a film. It’s quite easy to see why, too, for althou...more

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About John Grisham

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of...more "Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur(less)

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Quotes from The Chamber: A Novel

“Look at me," he said, glancing
down at his legs. "A wretched old man in a red monkey suit. A convicted murderer about
to be gassed like an animal. And look at you. A fine young man with a beautiful
education and a bright future. Where in the world did I go wrong? What happened to me?
I've spent my
life hating people, and look what I have to show for it. You, you don't hate anybody. And
look where you're headed. We have the same blood. Why am I here?” — 2 people liked it

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The Chamber

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