This was an unusual reading experience for a Grisham novel. First, although it is classified as one of his legal thrillers, it does have a lot of "legal" but most of the book I was waiting for the "thriller" part. Grisham adds the tension in the last 10 percent of the book, completely twisting the expected direction of the story...the biggest plus here. Mostly, the court room drama is supposed to sustain this book, since there is no danger to the protagonist, no chase scenes, nothing outside the case itself until the final verdict. While the theme of insurance companies defrauding their clients is compelling, and should have carried the book well, Grisham's writing requires some serious suspension of disbelief. An underdog story (Rudy begins without a law license, his opponent hasn't lost in 11 years) should not be won by having the previously invincible opponent looking like an idiot and making one wrong move after another, like he's the beginner. Not nearly on par with the best of Grisham (The Partner, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, A Time to Kill).