This is the first John Grisham book I’ve read since I started law school. To be honest, I probably would not have read this book if my mother had not had it waiting for me when I went to visit at Christmas. More importantly, I probably would not have burned through it as quickly as I did were I not motivated to finish it before I left (thereby avoiding the need to pack it and bring it home with me).

I’m not sure exactly how to classify this book. It’s not really a mystery; there is nothing that needs to be solved. It’s not really a thriller; there is only mild tension to speak off. It’s more like a “recounting” of some fictional event. Even more unfortunate, it’s a recounting of a fictional event that is used as a way to provide an anti-death penalty screed.

I’ve taken a criminal law class. I’ve heard all the arguments against the death penalty. I understand why some people oppose It so strongly. Do I want to read a book whose apparent purpose is cloth these arguments in some nice narrative? No, not really. I guess this is what people who believe in man-made global warming felt like when they read Michael Crichton’s State of Fear.

That leaves me to qualify the review. I’m giving the book two [2] stars. The rather uneventful plot and sort of mundane narrative earn it three [3] stars and I’m subtracting another star for his insertion of a crim. law guest lecture into my escapist fiction.

Originally Posted at: http://johnkivus.com/2010/12/23/the-c...