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The Pelican Brief
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In suburban Georgetown a killer's Reeboks whisper on the front floor of a posh home... In a seedy D.C. porno house a patron is swiftly garroted to death... The next day America learns that two of its Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a legal brief... To Darby Shaw it was no more than a legal shot in the dark, a
...more
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Paperback, 400 pages
Published
April 25th 2006
by Delta
(first published February 15th 1992)
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Tyler Pierce
My best guess is that they had a mole in the FBI.
Rudi Aswan
The brief recounts the suspect that took part in an environmental exploitation including the wipeout of the water birds.
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The Pelican Brief, John Grisham
Taut thriller about a young law student whose legal brief about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices causes her to be targeted by killers.
She realizes just how accurate her accusations have been when her lover and mentor is murdered. Forced to go on the run in New Orleans, she is aided by a journalist who helps her unravel a conspiracy involving senior government figures.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دوم ماه اکتبر سال 1999میلادی
عنوان: پرونده پلیکان؛ نویسنده: ...more
Taut thriller about a young law student whose legal brief about the assassination of two Supreme Court justices causes her to be targeted by killers.
She realizes just how accurate her accusations have been when her lover and mentor is murdered. Forced to go on the run in New Orleans, she is aided by a journalist who helps her unravel a conspiracy involving senior government figures.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دوم ماه اکتبر سال 1999میلادی
عنوان: پرونده پلیکان؛ نویسنده: ...more

I worked at a law firm where part of the movie was filmed. When Julia Roberts's character goes into a law firm to ask for a particular lawyer only to find out that he no longer works there and she leaves, that is my old firm. It is an ornate marble lobby with a small stream of water in the middle of the lobby. She goes through a glass door and can either go up an escalator or up some stairs to the reception desk, which overlooks the lobby. The walls are all glass and she can see across the floor
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Read it years ago, remember I liked it, entertaining read. I used to like reading Grisham's books, maybe I'll try a new one soon, sort of lost track of all the books he wrote in the past years.
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Dec 03, 2019
Rob
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
stand-alone-thrillers
A stand alone by John Grisham published in 1993
John Grisham doesn’t always get it right but on this occasion he most definitely did.
Darby Shaw, a young law student with a promising future ahead of her, was shocked, like the rest of the legal profession, to her core when she heard of the assassination of two Supreme Court judges.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the assassinations’. The local police, the FBI and the CIA are all involved in the hunt for the killer but are getting nowhere.
D ...more
John Grisham doesn’t always get it right but on this occasion he most definitely did.
Darby Shaw, a young law student with a promising future ahead of her, was shocked, like the rest of the legal profession, to her core when she heard of the assassination of two Supreme Court judges.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the assassinations’. The local police, the FBI and the CIA are all involved in the hunt for the killer but are getting nowhere.
D ...more

This book was a lot more suspenseful and entertaining than I thought it would be. I don't know why I thought it would be so boring, since John Grisham is so popular. It was incredibly suspenseful at parts. It was the first book I'd read by Grisham, so I really didn't know what was coming. I had three problems with it: 1) Although, like I said, the book as a whole was really suspenseful, I thought the end was a bit anticlimatic. 2) The environmentalism was a bit heavy handed. I'm all about preser
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I read this when it came out and I was a restless teenager. I never saw the movie. I only gave it three stars because I remember it being exciting but still considered it pulp fiction. Perhaps the topic of assassinated Supreme Court justices over environmentalism will become a more relevant topic soon and it merits a re-read? Or not.

My first Grisham novel and probably my last. The book was much too formulaic and a bit dull (not for an avid mystery reader and an adrenaline junkie)though at certain points it was a fast page turner. The plot was really weak. Maybe this environmental conspiracy plot was breakthrough in the 90s but in 2010, it's a tad bit overused and overdone. What made this book unbearable was Grisham characterization of Darby. She is the generic 90s heroine...extremely smart, absolutely stunning, with a spunk
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One of the great Grisham stories, its engaging, evocative and fast paced. The author's expertise in the legal realm pushes the boundaries of this story. It's difficult not to enjoy his work if for no other reason than reader engagement. That said, this is on par with "The Firm" and others affording it appeal across all genres.
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I read this book when I was a freshman in high school. I was looking for a book to read for a book report in my English class and the librarian suggested that I read The Pelican Brief. I read it and the rest is history. 15 years and 36 books later, I'm still reading Grisham's books. He is my favorite author and it all started with this novel.
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Sep 07, 2016
Piyangie
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
legal-thrillers,
my-library
This was a superb read. It is well plotted and developed. I really loved the character of Darby Shaw, a young, brave, brilliant minded law student. This was the first time I came across a female lead in a John Grisham Novel. The story is a quick page turner with heart racing action and suspense. I felt that I was with Darby Shaw every step of the way. I felt her pain, her anger, her frustration and shared her determination to bring on justice.
Being in the legal field myself, I always admired hi ...more
Being in the legal field myself, I always admired hi ...more

This book actually had me sweating at certain parts. Such fantastic suspense and drama. The last quarter of the book flew by because I simply couldn't put it down!
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May 15, 2007
Whitney
rated it
did not like it
Recommends it for:
people who can read books very, very quickly
i had read a less well-known grisham book, and was pretty disappointed, so i decided to read this one, which is supposedly one of his best. terrible ending, tedious story for the most part. if you can read quickly you might not think you're wasting your time on this book.
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Washington wakes up to the gruesome news that two members of the Supreme Court have been murdered overnight. The shocking part was in their diversity. The old, should have retired years ago, Democrat Justice Rosenberg and the younger Republican Justice Jensen. The fact that they were almost always on opposite sides of any issue left law enforcement with no clear political motive. The only clues left behind seemed to be ones of the killer’s choosing. A nylon cord used to garrote Jensen as he sat ...more

I found great pleasure in this book. Grisham wove an outstanding, well researched plot. His characters move forward into the plot with three dimensions shaping with each word and act. I couldn’t put the book down. Grisham blesses me, and gives me what I need, the way S. King does, in the sense of a mini-vacation from reality. The power of this book, for me, came through the characters, and the outstanding dialogue.
If you haven’t seen the movie or read it: A Law student writes a report on the k ...more
If you haven’t seen the movie or read it: A Law student writes a report on the k ...more

For my written review, please check out the link below:
Debra's Book Cafe
Debs :-)
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Debra's Book Cafe
Debs :-)
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Great book. Not as intense as The Labrador Response by Melissa Melissa Crickard but we're comparing lawyers to doctors there.
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Ehh... I tried. I enjoyed several of John Grisham's other works, including Rainmaker, but this one just felt, IDK, almost thrown together to me. I did not get very far into it before I decided that this was a DNF. I still recommend some of Grisham's other work, but this one was a definite miss.
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“There is no chance, no destiny, and no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Justice Abraham Rosenberg was a long serving jurist of the U.S. Supreme Court. As the story opens, he is ninety-one years old, wheelchair bound, and dependent on supplemental oxygen. Also, he is almost completely deaf.
But even at this late stage in his life, even in his infirmed state, he’s still a powerhouse of the Supreme Court. He’s loved, and at ...more
Justice Abraham Rosenberg was a long serving jurist of the U.S. Supreme Court. As the story opens, he is ninety-one years old, wheelchair bound, and dependent on supplemental oxygen. Also, he is almost completely deaf.
But even at this late stage in his life, even in his infirmed state, he’s still a powerhouse of the Supreme Court. He’s loved, and at ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Such an exciting read. I've never watched the movie, but now I must see it.
The story is a testament to the adage "small but incredible". The package may be small, but it could be a bomb inside. Who'd have thought that a brief written by one gorgeous law student would be the downfall of many powerful men?
Grisham did a good job on playing out the whole story. Nothing was missed and cut; I didn't have unanswered questions. This is one of his best. ...more
The story is a testament to the adage "small but incredible". The package may be small, but it could be a bomb inside. Who'd have thought that a brief written by one gorgeous law student would be the downfall of many powerful men?
Grisham did a good job on playing out the whole story. Nothing was missed and cut; I didn't have unanswered questions. This is one of his best. ...more

Many years since I read it, but I remember I couldn't put it down and falling in love with Darby Shaw. I read the book before the film and Julia Roberts was brilliantly cast in the role.
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In the space of one night, two Justices of the Supreme Court of the US are murdered. Professionally and swiftly, by a hired assassin who vanishes without leaving a trace. While a weak President, controlled by an ambitious and ruthless assistant named Fletcher Coal, exults at the thought that he will now be able to engineer the appointment of two new Justices who will be easier to manipulate, in faraway New Orleans a law student smells something fishy about the killings of Justices Rosenberg and
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This is one of the first few books which made me fall in love with John Grisham’s works. A normal moment which became somewhat magical; it happened sometime when I went to my grandmother’s place, the book just literally shined before me. 😂✨
The Pelican Brief is not about “PELICANS,” obviously. Pelican usually symbolizes social responsibility (as birds), such as charity and generosity, but it also means that you may be giving more than what you have, and thus, you should take care of yourself more ...more
The Pelican Brief is not about “PELICANS,” obviously. Pelican usually symbolizes social responsibility (as birds), such as charity and generosity, but it also means that you may be giving more than what you have, and thus, you should take care of yourself more ...more

Definitely a case where the film is by far the better option. I wanted a quick and easy read while busy at school and this definitely fit. The legal intrigue was compelling, and Darby’s fear was palpable ... but I honestly can’t tell if Grisham set out to make Gray Grantham an awful and rather repulsive character or if Grisham himself can’t write male characters who can’t help but objectify and lust after the one woman character. I actually felt uncomfortable with how everyone viewed Darby and I
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topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Goodreads Librari...: Add reciprocal ISBN info | 1 | 8 | Sep 23, 2018 12:25PM | |
Compañeros de lec...: El informe pelícano de John Grisham | 18 | 32 | Aug 12, 2016 02:36PM | |
The Pelican Brief | 9 | 129 | Jul 28, 2014 07:09AM | |
book or movie | 56 | 199 | Aug 09, 2013 02:26AM |
"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.
Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of ...more
Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of ...more
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