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 meet for the first time. The story is mostly about their interaction and Adam’s attempts to stop the execution.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This is my fifth Grisham book. It wasn’t as enjoyable as the others. I was frustrated that Sam wouldn’t help himself by giving up names of others. But I understood his motive. He feared for the safety of his relatives. The plot might be interesting for some, but I wasn’t entertained. I wanted a fulfilling or happy ending which I didn’t get. Readers who want to contemplate death penalty issues might like this.

DATA:
Copyright: 1994. Setting: mostly 1967 and 1990 Mississippi. Genre: death row legal fiction.