The Pelican Brief

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

In this early novel by Grisham, he dives into the intrigue and secrets of Washington insiders, the murder of 2 supreme court justices, and the conspiracy behind it. A law student at Tulane University writes a brief nicknamed the Pelican Brief in which she proposes one of the president's financial supporter's link to the murders. This happens to fall into the hands of the FBI then makes its way to the President and CIA. They launch an all out investigation but apparently whomever ordered the original murders doesn't like this and begins knocking off more people. The law student connects with a reporter from the Washington Post and they go on a wild chase to prove the veracity of the brief while running from the killers.

Written in his classic legal thriller style, The Pelican Brief is quality Grisham fiction and will keep you turning the pages to the end.

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The Street Lawyer

The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

In this novel by Grisham, the protagonist is an attorney who has a violent encounter with a homeless person. This sparks him to investigate the facts behind this man and how he lived. Through a series of events, he begins volunteering at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. He is eventual persuaded by a lawyer with a legal clinic to leave his lucrative position at a silk stocking law firm in Washington D.C. to work with the homeless and their legal needs.

Added drama throughout the story was a discovery that his former employer was involved in an illegal housing eviction of a number of impoverished people who were kicked out on the cold wintry streets of D.C. This resulted in one family's untimely demise. Through investigation, he and his colleagues at the legal clinic pursue a law suit against his former law firm to bring justice and media attention to the plight of the homeless of D.C.

I read the whole book in one day and while it's not the best Grisham book I've read, it was certainly entertaining and a quality read.

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The Testament

The Testament by John Grisham

When a wealthy billionaire dies and leaves a controversial will, it has his six known children in an uproar. These progeny are fairly useless members of society who were spoiled throughout their lives and would likely squander the fortune. The will indicates that the vast sum of his estate should go to a previously unknown child who happens to be a Christian missionary in the jungles of Brazil. The executor of the will dispatches one of his lawyers to find this heir. The lawyer goes through adventures flying in small planes, going down little known tributaries of rivers in Brazil, and interacting with native Indians there. He eventually finds her but she is uninterested in the inheritance having come to peace with living with the indigenous people there and sharing Jesus with them.

Grisham succeeds in making her a sympathetic character whom the reader might like to meet in real life. The lawyer goes through a process of re-evaluating priorities in life and healing from past addictions and mistakes. One would consider him to have become a born again Christian. This is evidenced in his change in attitude and interests in helping a neighbor pastor and talking with God as well as reconnecting with his broken family. I'll not give away the ending but recommend the book as good fiction in addition to being a good way to examine priorities in life.

The Broker

The Broker by John Grisham

This story is that of a man who was once a powerful lawyer/solicitor in Washington D.C. but then got caught up with power and greed and consequently got in some major trouble with both the US government as well as those of several other countries. He went to jail for many years then as a president was going out of office, received an unexpected pardon. The CIA sent him to Italy to find out who would try to kill him to help them know more information about what he was originally involved in. (He of course does not know this part)

He then proceeds to become immersed in the Italian culture and begins learning Italian. The CIA leaks his whereabouts and it is a race to escape. Through a series of spy like maneuvers, he eventually makes his way back to the US using someone else's passport. The book proceeds in thriller fashion with a decent amount of Italian culture incorporated. I read it just before going to Italy so it provided a nice primer to the culture. A blog entry on Rome and Florence will be forthcoming.