I’ve read most of John Grisham’s novels. His books lost their flavor for awhile, but it looks like he has made a come back with The Confession. It is currently #1 on the Kindle and Kindle DX Top 100 list.
The Confession is a heart wrenching story of an innocent man put on death row for raping a high school cheerleader. The real rapist watches the former football star take punishment without remorse. This is, until he finds out he has a fatal brain tumor and decides to confess. Either way he’s doomed to die so it no longer matters really if he dies at the hands of the legal system. But the sad thing is, an innocent life was wasted away in prison because another person did not confess. By writing in the perspective of the real rapist, it makes the situation even more poignant.
Reviews are good for the most part. Grisham provides a good glimpse into the legal system and the death penalty. Some reviewers say that this is one of his best. Others say it is just a repeat of his other thrillers, and are tired of the same plot over and over.
Grisham’s novels all kind of run together after awhile, but there are a few that I remember quite well. The Associate is the last one I’ve read, and that one had me holding my breath until the end. It is about a young lawyer who is manipulated to the point of driving him insane. Somehow he manages to escape, but barely.
Pizza Hut Survey is the story of a fallen football player named Rick Dockery. He ends up in Italy playing for a football team called the Parma Panthers that has a miserable track record. I didn’t know they had American football in Italy especially since soccer is such a huge sport in European countries. It is a story of victory for the underdog, as well as a glimpse into the Italian food and wine scene.
Skipping Christmas was a break from his usual legal thrillers and even had some funny parts. It was about a family who decided not to celebrate Christmas. That ended up being a much more difficult feat than they realized. It is a cute, quick read.