John Grisham's Blog, page 6

A note from John Grisham

Dear Reader:

Please welcome the Honorable Sebastian Rudd, certainly not the only rogue lawyer in the country but one of the specialty’s more colorful practitioners. He is in no way your typical street lawyer. He does not have an office; instead, he works out of a customized van, complete with bulletproof windows, Wi-Fi, a small fridge for his beer, a small bar for his booze and a half case of single-batch bourbon, a hidden compartment for his guns, fine leather chairs for his clients, and a heavily armed driver.   His last real office was firebombed, either by drug dealers or the police. He has no firm, no partners, associates, or employees, except for his driver, who’s also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddy. Sebastian lives alone in a small apartment at the top of a tall building, safely above the streets. He carries a gun because his name and face tend to attract the attention of the kind of people who also carry guns and don’t mind using them.

Sebastian takes cases other lawyers won’t touch: the drug-addled punk accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a crime lord on death row; a homeowner accused of shooting at a SWAT team that invaded the wrong house. He’s in constant conflict with the police department and local politicians. He believes every person accused of a crime is entitled to a fair trial, even if he, the lawyer, has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice and those responsible for it. He doesn’t like insurance companies, banks, or other big corporations. He distrusts all levels of government. He despises the bar association, almost all of the lawyers in it, and certainly its notions of ethical behavior. He does love publicity and enjoys leaking hot tips to his favorite reporters.

His nastiest fights are with his ex-wife, a woman he loathes—and the feeling is mutual. They share a child, a young boy who’s often a pawn in their war. Sebastian admits he’s a lousy father but doesn’t think much of her as a mother, either. For sport, she drags him into court on a regular basis in her ongoing battle to terminate what’s left of his visitation rights.

I once practiced street law for ten years, a career mercifully cut short when I decided to pursue writing. Like all the other lawyers packed along Main Street, I wrote wills and deeds and occasionally went to court. It was a safe little career that did not demand much in the way of risk. I secretly admired the lawyers who had little time for the office, who preferred instead to spend their days doing battle in front of juries, often with clients and causes that were unpopular.

Not me. I never took the case of a defendant charged with a shocking crime. I never volunteered to help a guy on death row. I never borrowed money to go after a crooked company. I was afraid to get my hands dirty. Deep inside, though, I really wanted to be a rogue lawyer.

Enjoy,

 

 

 

       

John Grisham

 

P.S.  Sebastian is the colorful—some might say outrageous—star of ROGUE LAWYER, which goes on sale October 20, 2015.  Learn more and pre-order here.

Introducing ROGUE LAWYER

DEAR READER:

Please welcome the Honorable Sebastian Rudd, certainly not the only rogue lawyer in the country but one of the specialty’s more colorful practitioners. He is in no way your typical street lawyer. He does not have an office; instead, he works out of a customized van, complete with bulletproof windows, Wi-Fi, a small fridge for his beer, a small bar for his booze and a half case of single-batch bourbon, a hidden compartment for his guns, fine leather chairs for his clients, and a heavily armed driver.   His last real office was firebombed, either by drug dealers or the police. He has no firm, no partners, associates, or employees, except for his driver, who’s also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddy. Sebastian lives alone in a small apartment at the top of a tall building, safely above the streets. He carries a gun because his name and face tend to attract the attention of the kind of people who also carry guns and don’t mind using them.

Sebastian takes cases other lawyers won’t touch: the drug-addled punk accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a crime lord on death row; a homeowner accused of shooting at a SWAT team that invaded the wrong house. He’s in constant conflict with the police department and local politicians. He believes every person accused of a crime is entitled to a fair trial, even if he, the lawyer, has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice and those responsible for it. He doesn’t like insurance companies, banks, or other big corporations. He distrusts all levels of government. He despises the bar association, almost all of the lawyers in it, and certainly its notions of ethical behavior. He does love publicity and enjoys leaking hot tips to his favorite reporters.

His nastiest fights are with his ex-wife, a woman he loathes—and the feeling is mutual. They share a child, a young boy who’s often a pawn in their war. Sebastian admits he’s a lousy father but doesn’t think much of her as a mother, either. For sport, she drags him into court on a regular basis in her ongoing battle to terminate what’s left of his visitation rights.

I once practiced street law for ten years, a career mercifully cut short when I decided to pursue writing. Like all the other lawyers packed along Main Street, I wrote wills and deeds and occasionally went to court. It was a safe little career that did not demand much in the way of risk. I secretly admired the lawyers who had little time for the office, who preferred instead to spend their days doing battle in front of juries, often with clients and causes that were unpopular.

Not me. I never took the case of a defendant charged with a shocking crime. I never volunteered to help a guy on death row. I never borrowed money to go after a crooked company. I was afraid to get my hands dirty. Deep inside, though, I really wanted to be a rogue lawyer.

Enjoy,

 

 

 

       

John Grisham

 

P.S.  Sebastian is the colorful—some might say outrageous—star of ROGUE LAWYER, which goes on sale October 20, 2015.

The Return of Theo Boone!

Theo Returns!

 

 

Theo thought the danger had passed, but he’s about to face off against an old adversary: accused mur­derer and fugitive Pete Duffy.

On a field trip to Washington, DC, Theo spots a familiar face on the Metro: Duffy, who jumped bail and was never seen again. Theo’s quick thinking helps bring Duffy back to Strattenburg to stand trial. But now that Duffy knows who he is, Theo is in greater danger than he’s ever been in before. Even when every­thing is on the line, Theodore Boone will stop at nothing to make sure a killer is brought to justice.

A Well-Read Holiday

Dear Reader:

Another year, another chance to count one’s blessings and celebrate the season with friends and family. Time to unwind with simple, but essential pleasures: food, drink, good conversation, laughter—and reading.

Much is written about the plight of literacy and long-form reading, namely book reading, and how many potential readers are lost to video games, digital devices and social platforms.

As you might expect, I feel differently.

When I browse through the titles I see packed into my local bookstores, I can’t help but be impressed by the breadth, depth and quality of what I see.

This is particularly true of books for children and young adults, which is a good thing, since readers are made when they are young. If you’ve ever seen a child literally fall into a book, you’ll know just what I’m talking about.

So, this holiday season, I salute book readers of every age and ilk, with an extra dose of good cheer for my loyal readers. You are, each and every one of you, a blessing.

Best wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy and well-read holiday season.

Sincerely,

P.S. Give books for the holidays. They really do make great gifts! #GiveaBook

John Grisham Takes Gift-Giving to New Heights

Give the #1 New York Times Bestseller

“Searing.” —The Washington Post

“Powerful.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“One of his best legal dramas in quite some time.” —Associated Press

The Great Recession of 2008 left many young professionals out of work. Promising careers were suddenly ended as banks, hedge funds, and law firms engaged in mass lay-offs and brutal belt tightening. Samantha Kofer was a third year associate at Scully & Pershing, New York City’s largest law firm. Two weeks after Lehman Brothers collapsed, she lost her job, her security, and her future. A week later she was working as an unpaid intern in a legal aid clinic deep in small town Appalachia. There, for the first time in her career, she was confronted with real clients with real problems. She also stumbled across secrets that should have remained buried deep in the mountains forever.

ORDER TODAY! AMAZON | APPLE | BARNES & NOBLE |  | INDIEBOUND | POWELL’S | TARGET

 

Pick up the phone!

A statement from John Grisham

Anyone who harms a child for profit or pleasure, or who in any way participates in child pornography—online or otherwise—should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

My comments made two days ago during an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph were in no way intended to show sympathy for those convicted of sex crimes, especially the sexual molestation of children. I can think of nothing more despicable.

I regret having made these comments, and apologize to all.

 

Gray Mountain

 

The Great Recession of 2008 left many young professionals out of work. Promising careers were suddenly ended as banks, hedge funds, and law firms engaged in mass lay-offs and brutal belt tightening. Samantha Kofer was a third year associate at Scully & Pershing, New York City’s largest law firm. Two weeks after Lehman Brothers collapsed, she lost her job, her security, and her future. A week later she was working as an unpaid intern in a legal aid clinic deep in small town Appalachia. There, for the first time in her career, she was confronted with real clients with real problems. She also stumbled across secrets that should have remained buried deep in the mountains forever.

In stores October 21.

ORDER TODAY!

AMAZON | APPLE | BARNES & NOBLE | | INDIEBOUND | POWELL’S | TARGET

Gray Mountain trailer