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The Confession

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 23,776 ratings · 3,778 reviews

An innocent man is about to be executed.

Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authoriti...more

Hardcover, 418 pages

Published October 26th 2010 by Doubleday (first published September 1st 2002)

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Jan 25, 2013 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

***If you have not read the book, but intend to, do not read my review.***
I loved the first half of the book because of the race to correct an injustice - to do the right thing. I hated the second half of the book because they didn't make it on time. Donte Drumm, an innocent man, was put to death because of the need of the racists in his town to exact revenge. And that happens in real life, not just in books. Innocent people are put to death and the state just basically says, "oops". That is nev...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Molly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Dunno why he even bothered having a plot to this book, the veil over the pontificating isn't even thin. This book is basically a treatise on why the Death Penalty is eviller than anything man ever ever did I swear to you really, it's bad nasty evil. It's even got the balls to try to make you actively sneer at and hate the mother of a brutally murdered rape victim. As unfair and unbalanced as FOX news. Grisham is a good writer and draws you into a story, and while his books often have a ham-hande...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Rex Hammock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: popular-fiction

Something about Grisham novels make them my go-to books for reading on flights -- his expertise is pacing, I've decidied This is pure soapbox Grisham -- an anti death penalty diatrabe. However, I think anyone who's ever watched a few episodes of Law and Order could have done a better job keeping the accused off death row. [Later: Okay, I've added an extra star to this book since reading this article in the New Yorker from 2009 about Cameron Todd Willingham. Apparently the Texas criminal justice...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Pam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

When you pick up a Grisham book it’s like taking a big gamble. I find his books to be either amazing or just plain awful. For me this one leans towards the latter.

I’m not going to go into too much detail about what the novel is about as there are plenty of reviews already written about it. I will say that this novel deals with the highly controversial issue of the Death Penalty.

I have to say that this book did not move slowly but fast. Too fast at times. Grisham goes back and forth from the pr...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Eric_W rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: legal-drama

The problem with reading clubs is that occasionally someone suggests a dud and one feels forced to finish the book out of courtesy to the other participants. That's what happened here.

I abhor the death penalty. I approve of Grisham's message 100%, but my goodness this book is repetitive and tedious. Not to mention I felt bruised and battered by being hit over the head constantly by the message. I listened to it and found the FF button to be incredibly useful. The irony was I could fast forward 1...more The problem with reading clubs is that occasionally someone suggests a dud and one feels forced to finish the book out of courtesy to the other participants. That's what happened here.

I abhor the death penalty. I approve of Grisham's message 100%, but my goodness this book is repetitive and tedious. Not to mention I felt bruised and battered by being hit over the head constantly by the message. I listened to it and found the FF button to be incredibly useful. The irony was I could fast forward 15 minutes and think I hadn't moved forward at all. The characters are stereotypical cardboard cutouts. Their speeches (they don't talk, they proclaim,) are all cookie-cutter, but the dough gets stale quickly. The book would have been much stronger had there been some shades of gray, some ethical tensions. There just are none here.

For example, did the prosecutors and cops set out to kill an innocent man? Of course, not. They were subject to cultural, racial, and political pressures. An examination of the force of those pressures would have made a much more interesting book. And what if there had been no confession? How about an examination of the legal hurdles that prevent uncovering police malfeasance? Or an examination of the Supreme Court's reasoning that innocence is not a defense? (See Connick v Thomson.) To quote Reason Magazine: "Scalia has written in the past that there's nothing in the Constitution to prevent the government from executing an innocent person. He also apparently believes there's no duty for the government to preserve or turn over evidence that would prove a person's innocence. Finally, from Connick we learn he also believes that prosecutors and municipalities shouldn't be held liable to people who are wrongly convicted and imprisoned, either, even if prosecutors knowingly concealed the evidence that would have exonerated them." Now *that* would have made a fascinating book.

I don't like giving negative ratings and usually don't review books I didn't like, but in this case I resent the time spent listening to this; it was like trying to move through quicksand. Be interesting to see what the rest of the group thinks, especially since they are a particularly high-minded literary group.

Do you suppose the moderator got it wrong and it should have been Augustine's Confessions?

(less)

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May 08, 2012 Nena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Audiobook Version:

This story is not easy to listen to. In fact I went from scared to sad to angry throughout the book. This is not a feel good book.

The story revolves around an innocent young black man, just a kid actually, sitting on death row for the rape and murder of a white teenage girl, after being railroaded into a forced confession by a police department and prosecutor whose main objective was to "wrap things up quickly" score a win and be done with the case. The execution is looming wi...more Audiobook Version:

This story is not easy to listen to. In fact I went from scared to sad to angry throughout the book. This is not a feel good book.

The story revolves around an innocent young black man, just a kid actually, sitting on death row for the rape and murder of a white teenage girl, after being railroaded into a forced confession by a police department and prosecutor whose main objective was to "wrap things up quickly" score a win and be done with the case. The execution is looming within a matter of days and the real killer several states away after nine years of watching this innocent kid take the fall for his crime, decides to confess-- to a Minister. Thus begins a delicate cat and mouse game between the minister and the murderer and the clock is ticking.

The entire case is surrounded by dirty politicians, crooked Judges and lawyers, dirty cops, deals being made behind closed doors, lies, revenge, political gain and most of all racial bias in a "good old boys" State where the color of your skin determines whether or not you get a fair trial and where no execution has ever been stayed or reversed. And the clock keeps ticking.

Although I felt that the story should have ended long before it did, I think Grisham did a fantastic job with details, even getting inside the mind of a murdering sociopath and the sick twisted games they play in order to maintain control.

The story also questions the use of the death penalty. I won't even go into this aspect of it at the risk of pontification. Grisham does a good job with that all by himself.

Anyone who is saying that the plot is "far fetched", "over the top" or "outlandish" has obviously never worked in the legal field and has no idea what goes on behind the scenes and behind closed doors, especially in States where the law can get away with breaking the law because those are the same people as the ones minding the mint. It's like the fox overseeing the fox in the chicken coup. Trust me when I tell you that nothing that the politicians, cops, lawyers or media did came as any suprise to me.

I gave this four stars because it was just one of those books that you can't put down and deducting one because he went on too long. The last 1/8th of the book could have been told in half the words. It got tedius. Enough!

Sad to say that what started as a five star rating ended up a tedius monotonous boring pontificating ending due to the author not knowing when to quit!(less)

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Jun 23, 2011 Johnrh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read The Confession. As in 'red', past tense, or 'reed', you read this. I'm referring to John Grisham's The Confession: A Nove l, published in 2010. I devoured it over a 48 hour period, fast reading for me, but it was a page turner and page burner. Totally engrossing. Only once, briefly, did I think "Oh yeah, another Grisham novel". Multiple story lines, where will they converge? Grisham is a master at this. He can weave a taut tale, getting into a character's being and making him seem very real...more

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May 08, 2013 Ian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

I hadn't read a Grisham since early works and I recall the gripping legal and courtroom dramas which went on to become Holywood box office. My concerns that somewhere along the way Grisham may have overcooked the ingredients were borne out by The Confession. The book has a simple and predictable plot and lacks any of the genuine legal intrigues of the early works. It's not a bad book as such but I found it hard work not because of any complexities but due to a failure to engage with the poorly d...more I hadn't read a Grisham since early works and I recall the gripping legal and courtroom dramas which went on to become Holywood box office. My concerns that somewhere along the way Grisham may have overcooked the ingredients were borne out by The Confession. The book has a simple and predictable plot and lacks any of the genuine legal intrigues of the early works. It's not a bad book as such but I found it hard work not because of any complexities but due to a failure to engage with the poorly drawn characters or to find any real interest in the political sub plots until near the end. In fact I couldn't help but feel that the effort could have been expended on a real life case of similar injustice which would be more enthralling and edgy, and which would make the reader care more.
Up to the point at which the will he wont he be executed question is resolved some two thirds of the way along I struggled to pick up the book, though the political aftermath provided more interesting material and the finale of cover up and the likelihood of further injustices. My preference would be for real life over fiction as a more powerful and courageous way to make the point that where the death penalty exists, racism, greed and political ambition overide any considerations of justice and taking of the innocent life of a powerless individual.
Grisham briefly comes into his own at the end in setting a scene where the dignified actions of the aggrieved and bereaved face down an inflamed and violent racial situation threatening to engulf a whole town, and that dignity is seized upon by self serving politicians on the brink of oblivion to snuff out fires of change in favour of their prefered status quo.
I was left with a sense that Grisham may have exhausted this seam and that The Confession is the disappointing and perhaps understandble result of pressure to deliver yet another blockbuster. I can't see myself picking up another Grisham in favour of other reading unless the word is that he has turned his talented hand to something different or that he has rediscovered his early zest. (less)

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Jan 26, 2011 J rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-fiction, crime, death-dying, human-nature, religiosity, social-justice, spirituality, violence

***Please note: this review contains spoilers***

The subject matter of this disturbing book is the death penalty – more specifically, wrongful prosecution and the miscarriage of justice.

It is a story about a serial sex offender whose life is allegedly coming to an end because of an inoperable brain tumor. His confession, which could exonerate a young black man - erroneously accused, convicted and doomed to die in Huntsville, Texas - comes too late.

Here is what the book made me think about:

When we...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very enjoyable and exciting thriller. I actually gasped out loud twice during this book, and I never got bored reading it. I haven't read a Grisham novel in years - - - I really liked this and found it to be an engrossing and quick read.

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May 15, 2013 Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I feel that this book is packed with tension and is a serious page turner! It has shocking revelations that keeps the reader in suspense and makes the reader interested in the book. It starts off fast and ends even faster and I was a huge fan of the novel!
It relates to my life in many ways. A major character in the story Donte Drumm who is put on death row is a star black athlete in the small town in Texas. Although I am much different I can still relate to this character being an athlete and fe...more

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May 06, 2013 Rach Kelley added it

The Confession By: John Grisham
This story gives two perspectives, one of a preacher, the other of a lawyer. Donte Drum is convicted and on death row for kidnapping, rapping, and murdering a small town girl. John Grisham tells the story of a preacher who encountered a man with many sins to tell, he also carries the burden of confidentiality. The lawyer has an innocent man, Donte Drumm, on death row and has worked like a dog to the last string to save him. Police brutality is a factor along with a...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars

In The Confession, John Grisham sets up an incredible legal drama. The first two-thirds of the novel take the reader through a compelling journey with some tremendously interesting and complex characters. While the last third is not as compelling, it is itself worth the read and represents a twist that I certainly did not expect.

The story here begins when a pastor at an urban church hears the confession of a convicted sex offender, who tells him that he has terminal brain cancer and has only a f...more In The Confession, John Grisham sets up an incredible legal drama. The first two-thirds of the novel take the reader through a compelling journey with some tremendously interesting and complex characters. While the last third is not as compelling, it is itself worth the read and represents a twist that I certainly did not expect.

The story here begins when a pastor at an urban church hears the confession of a convicted sex offender, who tells him that he has terminal brain cancer and has only a few months to live. In this state, the man confesses to a murder - a murder for which someone else has been convicted and waits on death row for execution. The pastor, while skpetical, undertakes to investigate the situation and discovers both that his confessor seems credible and that the conviction of the man awaiting his death was as tainted and politically motivated as could be imagined. The local police and prosecutor were either corrupt or so blinded by the local outcry over the murder of a young local girl that they railroaded the conviction on the flimsiest of evidence.

The story then introduces the lawyer who has been fighting for the reversal of the clearly unjust conviction, and Grisham gives us yet another colorful and entertaining picture of a lawyer. He is a crusader, but far from perfect. His flaws however, only make him more realistic. The lawyer is playing every card to overturn the conviction on appeal, and the pastor and his ex-con confessor might be just the ticket needed to get the state supreme court to free his pathetic client.

I won't spoil the story, but suffice to say that what you think is going to happen doesnt happen and what you think might happen next doesn't happen either. When you think you might have an idea of where the truth lies, Grisham twists the plot again. All along the way, the Pastor is caught up in the story and the lack of justice, and is forced to determine whether he is committed to this cause or not.

The last third of the book becomes unfortunately a little preachy and political regarding the death penalty and all the issues that can and do come up. The man/boy on death row in this case was a "confessed" murderer, although the confession (another one) was clearly tainted. Is it appropriate to execute someone who later recants his confession? What if he's innocent? What is the personal and social cost? Grisham explores these issues and does it within the framework of the story, but the pace of the book slows down considerably toward the end and what was a page-turner becomes more like homework for a political science class.

Still, the overall book was a good read, and the characters and plot complexity make it worth a positive recommendation.

-kgc(less)

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Feb 24, 2013 Alan Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: legal-thriller

I listened to Scott Sowers narration of this book. It was excellent. I listen to many audio books and I really get annoyed when the reader's pace makes me want to hit the fast forward button, or the voice is grating. This is was superb narration with a pleasant voice, well paced and performed as opposed to being read. Now, onto the review.

The Confession has a number of well developed characters that immediately draw you into the story. It also has a number of secondary characters. It's a kind of...more I listened to Scott Sowers narration of this book. It was excellent. I listen to many audio books and I really get annoyed when the reader's pace makes me want to hit the fast forward button, or the voice is grating. This is was superb narration with a pleasant voice, well paced and performed as opposed to being read. Now, onto the review.

The Confession has a number of well developed characters that immediately draw you into the story. It also has a number of secondary characters. It's a kind of personal thriller where the main characters are put into a vice and find themselves racing against time. Each of the characters has something to lose, I was involved with several of the characters, and wanted to how their personal outcome.

Speaking of characters, Grisham does a good job of pointing out that a rapist and murder can still have some redeeming qualities, especially when he or she is facing death. He also creates a pastor who seems realistic to me. The pastor acts in concert with his personal ethics, even though he realizes that he's putting his career and possibly his family at risk. There's a Governor who could perhaps be placed in more of a personal vice to make a more interesting story, but it's possible that some of this was cut to keep the length of the book down.

The story is, without doubt, an anti-death penalty story. It drives home the point that once someone is dead there is no bringing them back to life. It also rails against the "Don't Mess With Texas" mentality.

If you're looking for a story that's filled with car chases and a hero that's fighting all of the odds to survive physically, this book will disappoint, but if you're interested in what happens to characters as they are placed in peril, you'll find it interesting. I listened to the unabridged edition in two days, which means that I listened while I was at home, and on my commute.

Spoiler alert: If you haven't read the book, stop here.

At some point, definitely by the half way point, it becomes obvious that the boy will be executed. About one third of the the book takes place after the execution as people get their just deserts, and it is here that we get a bit of a soapbox. As much as I liked this book, I felt that it left a few things on the table. For example, I kept expecting the rapist/murder to attack the Pastor's wife. I think that the rapist/murder might have attacked the Pastor, placing him in even more jeopardy about living up to the strength of his convictions.

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Feb 08, 2013 Ralph Hermansen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Is John Grisham losing his touch? According to the book cover this was supposed to be a fast paced novel. I thought it was so predictable that it was an effort to read it. This author has written many excellent novels over the years, and some of them have been made into great movies. I was truly disappointed in this novel.

I could not empathize with the main characters and felt that there was no suspense to make me want to turn the pages in anticipation. My mind kept saying to me, "is this author...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Patric Liu rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Confession is yet another grabbing legal thriller by John Grisham. This has definitely been one of my favorite books by John Grisham. The Confession has parts which are similar to The Innocent Man, but it provides a more entertaining story and thicker plot. Unlike most of John Grisham's other books, The Confession is based much less on laws, lawyers, courtrooms, and verdicts, some of which may confuse and/ or even bore new readers. Although this book isn't completely outside the realm of th...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone with a conscious

This book was one of the few books that convinced me to change my mind on a subject. It broke my heart to read about the racism and abuse that occurred to put Donte on death row. It scared me even more because I knew that despite this novel being fiction, I knew that this really does happen. After reading this novel, I could never support the death peanlty no matter how psychopathic someone is. I couldn't fathom Travis having sympathy for Donte and personally believe that he confessed because it...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Peter Clothier rated it 1 of 5 stars

It's hard to explain why I keep reading a book as dreadfully bad as John Grisham's The Confession to the end. In part it's out of that old addiction I have written about before: the need to know how the story will unfold. All stories, for me at least, are hopelessly addictive. In part it's about the investment of time: I've put in so much already, I can't just abandon it as wasted. Then there's that feeling that it can't be quite this bad, it has to get better soon...

In this case, it never did....more It's hard to explain why I keep reading a book as dreadfully bad as John Grisham's The Confession to the end. In part it's out of that old addiction I have written about before: the need to know how the story will unfold. All stories, for me at least, are hopelessly addictive. In part it's about the investment of time: I've put in so much already, I can't just abandon it as wasted. Then there's that feeling that it can't be quite this bad, it has to get better soon...

In this case, it never did. In fact, it got worse. What a book of this kind has going for it is suspense, and Grisham threw that out the window many tedious chapters before the end. And still I kept reading. I kept stubbornly insisting to myself that there had to be some surprise in store, some twist at the end, something to make all this worthwhile. But it never came. The story wound down, and down, and down until it (mercifully) stopped. I have to say that for the last quarter I was skipping through whole paragraphs and pages out of sheer disinterest.

Aside from its generic "suspense tale" thread, the book is about the death penalty. The death penalty in Texas. A can't miss, you'd have thought, for a story-teller as successful --and as knowledgable about the legal system--as John Grisham. So why does he miss? I think he misses because he overplays the very obvious injustice of a man condemned to die for a crime we know from the start he did not commit. (I won't divulge the outcome of his sentence, in case some other reader might decide, unwisely, to pick up this book.) He misses because the story progresses along entirely predictable lines, even though it's told as though we should be surprised. Because he sets up supposedly suspenseful situations whose outcome is, as your teenager might say, like, duh.

He misses because the book is badly, lazily written. The prose is, to punt it bluntly, dull. When I skipped those paragraphs and pages toward the end it was only in part because I already had all the answers I needed, but also because they were written in that kind of flat prose that causes a glazing of the eye and numbing of the mind. He misses because his characters are pretty much as dull as the prose, no matter how he tries to dress them up. The dialogue of his black high school teenager is virtually indistinguishable from his Lutheran pastor or his serial rapist. Even his riot scenes raise barely a moment of reader anxiety or concern.

The question now is why I spend so much time bothering to write about a book as bad as this. I do believe that an author needs to be held to account, particularly when that author is as commercially successful as Joh Grisham. That the man has a talent for compelling narrative is well established. I have read books by him that I thoroughly enjoyed. So why should he be permitted to capitalize with impunity on his name, by foisting upon his readership a book as poorly constructed and written as this one? The author and the publisher should be held to account for this shameless exploitation. And while I realize that my voice does not enjoy the amplification of the media bullhorn, I think it my obligation, when I write, to tell the truth. And the plain truth is that "The Confession" is a terrible book. It should never have been published, let alone stacked in multiple zillions of copies at every airport bookshop in the world. I bought mine at Heathrow for the airplane ride back to Los Angeles. I wish I had not parted with my money to support this kind of mindless commercialization of the printed word. I felt cheated.(less)

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Oct 03, 2012 Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Truth be told, I enjoyed Grisham's eloquence and perspicuity (especially when it came to description!) more than the story itself. Don't get me wrong; the story itself was quite riveting, and the issue he handles is unbelievably controversial, yet somehow neglected. Furthermore, it was action-paced, thrilling, and "unputdownable". Boyette and Drumm actually appeared in a dream of mine. John Grisham knows how to get to the reader's emotions, and that was blatantly evident throught Roberta Drumm....more

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Sep 30, 2012 Alain Burrese rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is one thing for certain, John Grisham knows how to tell a story. I've enjoyed Grisham's novels for years, and "The Confession" was no exception. I really enjoyed reading this story. It was well paced, had interesting characters, and flowed very well. It was just a well told story, and one that kept you interested from the beginning to the very end. Like most of his books, it is an easy read, but one that also makes you want to read the next chapter to see what's coming next and what's goi...more There is one thing for certain, John Grisham knows how to tell a story. I've enjoyed Grisham's novels for years, and "The Confession" was no exception. I really enjoyed reading this story. It was well paced, had interesting characters, and flowed very well. It was just a well told story, and one that kept you interested from the beginning to the very end. Like most of his books, it is an easy read, but one that also makes you want to read the next chapter to see what's coming next and what's going to happen.

The story revolves around the death penalty. Obviously, this is a polarizing topic for many people. If you are familiar with John Grisham, you know where his political leanings toward the topic lie. If you agree with him, you will probably enjoy the book more. If not, you might have a problem with how the pro-death penalty characters are portrayed, and how those characters that oppose the death penalty are portrayed as more saintly. However, even with that said, I enjoyed the book and don't agree with all of Grisham's views on the death penalty and how he characterized some of the players in this novel.

I don't have a problem reading about, and thus learning about, those with opposing or different views, and I like a good story. And that is what this book is. While reading, one has to acknowledge that there may be police and government officials like those in this book, but not to paint them all with this brush. I imagine there are those who are police, prosecutors, and judges that may be polarized by this novel, and not like it, if they can't distance themselves from the characters and how they are portrayed as the villains in this story.

For those who oppose the death penalty, and who are sympathetic to those individuals who may be wrongfully persecuted by those in power; for those who believe police, prosecutors, and courts abuse their power; for those who fear that innocent people may be put to death for crimes they did not commit, and find the death penalty unjust on the face of it, you will most likely really enjoy "The Confession." Because I enjoyed it, even though I've been a prosecutor, work with police, and am not opposed to the death penalty. I just like a good, intriguing story that moves along and keeps you interested. And that is what this novel is.
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Sep 15, 2012 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. As a criminal defense attorney, I appreciated Grisham's expression of certain insights into how criminal justice actually works. It's far from perfect. Innocent people do get arrested, convicted, even executed. Innocent people do make false confessions. When defense attorneys lose, they often do suffer the burden of second-guessing their strategies and tactics. I myself have not tried a capital (death penalty) case, but I have assisted at a murder trial which resulted in a sentence of...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Nikita Azad rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love courtroom dramas - the thrill of the witnesses being questioned and cross-questioned, evidences being produced that would help prove the defendant guilty or innocent, the word wars and wordplays that happen in the courtroom; it's all very exciting whether I'm watching them on TV or reading them. John Grisham, lawyer that he is, somehow manages to incorporate that into all of his books.

‘The Confession,’ however did not have any courtroom scenes. But it didn't need that to make me keep turn...more I love courtroom dramas - the thrill of the witnesses being questioned and cross-questioned, evidences being produced that would help prove the defendant guilty or innocent, the word wars and wordplays that happen in the courtroom; it's all very exciting whether I'm watching them on TV or reading them. John Grisham, lawyer that he is, somehow manages to incorporate that into all of his books.

‘The Confession,’ however did not have any courtroom scenes. But it didn't need that to make me keep turning page after page of the book, because the story and the pace at which it was told managed to keep me want to read on.

‘The Confession’ is the story of an innocent man, Donté Drumm who is on death row for the last nine years and is facing execution in a few days for the abduction, rape and murder of a high school cheerleader, Nicole Yarber. The real killer, Travis Boyette, is the only man who can prove that Donté is innocent and save him.

A major portion of the book describes Robbie Flak's (Donté's lawyer's) race against time to prove his innocence by filing last minute appeals and by the stroke of a miracle finding Travis Boyette; the miracle being Keith Schroeder, a Lutheran Minister, who drove Travis all the way from Kansas to Texas without bothering about the trouble he might get into for violating Boyette's parole to save an innocent man from execution.

With each attempt that Robbie Flak made to save Donté, I found myself wishing that it would work, running in my head when the paralegals ran to file the appeals and affidavits and cursing the entire system when no one took heed. I cried when Donté's mother cried, I felt Donté's pain and frustration when he was in solitary confinement, I felt Robbie's attachment with Donté and his own frustration at being unable to save his client for nine years, Pastor Keith's turmoil in helping a convict violate his parole; every single emotion!

I don't know how the death penalty and the legal system really works in the US, but Grisham has done a wonderful job of familiarising me with it at the same time keeping me glued to the book till the end.

And how can I forget the new words that it helped me add to my vocabulary... moratorium, posthumous, evisceration...

All in all, apart from entertaining me for the whole of the 8-10 hours that it took for me to finish the book and enhancing my vocabulary, it made me want to sympathise and empathise with the characters, and admire Donté Drumm's courage, Robbie Flak's dedication (we need more Robbie Flaks in real life), Pastor Keith's struggle between letting an innocent man die or breaking the law; and it made me want to kill Travis Boyette with my own bare hands. And if a book can do all that and bring tears to your eyes, I say it's doing a very good job(less)

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Aug 23, 2012 Barbara Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars

It isn't often I have a chance to read John Grisham, but when I do, I really enjoy his books. This one had me sitting on the edge of my seat since the clock was ticking as a crusading lawyer, a minister, and an ex-con tried desperately to keep Texas from executing an innocent man.

Both side of the controversy are very well represented and the Texas propensity for executing criminals without too much public angst is featured prominently. Given that the prisoner on death row is black and the town h...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Laura Lynch rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A lowly lawyer verses a big firm and/or corrupt organizations. The odds are stacked against the decent attorney and his client yet somehow they often prevail. Their story is told through the various voices involved in the case along with some factual information on how the justice system works.

This formula has made John Grisham a best-selling author countless times and it works once again in “The Confession”. The defendant is a black high-school football player accused of murdering a white cheer...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Helen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-group

May's reading group book. This is what I like about the reading group - I would never have picked this book up - I don't like thrillers, you see. Actually, what I don't like is gore & violence, neither of which appear in this book to any great extent. Basic surmise is that a murder was committed in Texas and the police put the wrong guy away for it. He's due to be executed when the real killer turns up at a distant church and says he did it. The book then follows the events that arise from t...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Renny rated it 4 of 5 stars

When my friend read this book last year she was literally glued to it. I don’t know how about you, but for me, this is the best recommendation for a book, especially when you know that you two have very similar taste in books. So as you can imagine, I was very keen to put this book on my (ever-expanding) ‘to be read’ pile. I read one or two of Grisham’s books years ago and I was really glad that this one appeared on my book club list. Well, truth to be told, I helped it to appear… Yep, killing t...more When my friend read this book last year she was literally glued to it. I don’t know how about you, but for me, this is the best recommendation for a book, especially when you know that you two have very similar taste in books. So as you can imagine, I was very keen to put this book on my (ever-expanding) ‘to be read’ pile. I read one or two of Grisham’s books years ago and I was really glad that this one appeared on my book club list. Well, truth to be told, I helped it to appear… Yep, killing two birds with one stone

So what do I think about the book? Apart from few minor criticisms, I thought that the book was very good, thrilling, fast paced and gripping. I don’t know whether Grisham’s seasoned readers would agree with me as I am not in a position to judge whether this book is better/average/below average than his other books. But as I said before, I don’t read Grisham that often and maybe that is why I totally enjoyed the book.

Without giving you any spoilers here, I would like to say, that all parts of the book have their merits and I didn’t expect to invest as many emotions into reading the book as I did (and I was ready to invest quite a few ). I think it is fair to say that the book will leave you with more questions than it gives answers and leaves you thinking about the story long after you finish the book. For me, the description of the Texan death penalty system and it’s ins and outs was eye-opening. I know that the book is fiction, but I can easily see how something similar can happen in real life.

Little snippet from the book:

“… but as he watched the preliminaries unfold, he was struck by the coldness, the ruthless efficiency, the sanitized neatness of it. It was similar to killing an old dog, a lame horse, or a laboratory rat. Who, exactly, gives us the right to kill? If killing is wrong, then why are we allowed to kill? As X stared at Y, he knew the image would never go away. And he knew that he would never be the same.”

Now the criticisms. Well, for once, I just thought that all the characters were too neatly cut – good guys on one side, bad guys on the other. Everything seemed black and white (literally) not only in the characteristics of the people involved in the story, but also the society was clearly divided by colour. I think that this also had impact on the fact that for me the characters felt bit two-dimensional. We are given a bit of background information about some of the characters, but we could have been given a little bit more. That still didn’t stop me to ponder what would I do and how would I feel if I was in the shoes of each of the mums, the priest and the defence lawyer.

So, if you fancy a decent read that would challenge your perceptions and opinions then go ahead, you will enjoy this one!(less)

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May 11, 2012 Max Ostrovsky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, pop

Parts of this book seemed to borrow the best elements of Grisham's "The Rainmaker," but leaving out everything bad about that book.

In my classroom, I've worked through my entire set of Grisham books that were donated. Now complete with what I have, I really don't get his popularity. Of course, I get the page-turner appeal, but aside from this one, it was only "The Client" that didn't have some aspect that rubbed me the wrong way.

Grisham, as a writer, I believe got better. Out of the two decade...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Pamela rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one at all

Shelves: did-not-finish

There was so much wrong with this book, and so little right with it that it's difficult to find a place to start the review. Although I am anti-death penalty and liberal and should have been Grisham's chosen choir to preach to, I couldn't finish the thing. It was beyond ridiculous.

Every character on the defendant's side was good. All the others--even the victim's mother--were horribly, horribly bad. Example: Mother of the victim blubbers when she cries. When mother of defendant cries, her "tear...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Dick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audible

I have read or listened to almost every one of John Grisham's books. This is the first book that he's written that has literally scared the crap out of me.
If the book is based on reality, then our legal system is seriously flawed and Texas should be removed from being one of the 50 states of the USA.
Unlike many other men who will talk at the radio or TV, I am a fairly calm and level headed person who generally keeps his opinions to himself. This book had me yelling at the reader to stop with w...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Elizabeth Noah rated it 5 of 5 stars

The story starts out with a pastor named Keith, who is visited by Travis. Travis who has a history with being on the wrong side of the law confesses to Keith that he killed a girl named Nicole. Donte Drumm was convicted in court of being the murder of Nicole.

This story takes you through Keith's thoughts on what to do about the confession, about Travis and his role in scheduled execution of Donte, and of Robbie, the attorney who represents Donte.

Robbie is fighting like crazy with the eleventh hou...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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“Death row is a nightmare to serial killers and ax murderers. For an innocent man, it's a life of mental torture that the human spirit is not equipped to survive.” — 19 people liked it

“He's a two-faced, cutthroat, dirt-dumb, chicken shit, slimy, little bastard with a bright future in politics.” — 17 people liked it

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