Haven't read a Grisham legal thriller in a while, partly because they were getting repetitive, partly because they were getting so cynical it just wasn't fun to read them any longer. Instead of underdogs triumphing over great odds in a ripping yarn with cool legal maneuvering going on, it was generally stories about decent people being beaten into the ground, overwhelmed by cynicism and despair, with corruption and greed generally winning the day. Hardly fun.

This is more of a fusion of the two: it's still pretty cynical, but there's a bit more hope attached to it. It's also very damn clear about who the villains of the piece are and they're almost cartoonish in the venality. (I'm actually ok with this. Too many authors are in love with the idea that there are no real heroes or villains in a story, only differing opinions and shade of grey. While that kind of story can be great, it also leads to a lot of lazy writing and poorly shaped characters with little moral center. It's nice to see someone unafraid to pick a villain and let you despise them from time to time.)

Grisham does nail pretty effectively the corruption and deceit that really goes on in judicial elections and how the campaigns are constructed and executed. Money talks and the truth is irrelevant. The end result is a pretty thorough damning of our judicial elections system (particularly in the South, where Grisham is from and knows best) and a bit of realistic frustration.

A good, fast read. Not as great as his earlier work, and the dialog doesn't snap quite as cleanly. But it's better than some of his other more recent legal thrillers and seems to be getting back to his roots. He probably needs a renewed dose of optimism about the law & our legal system...but who doesn't?