Set in
Clayton, Mississippi in 1990, Jake Brigance makes his third appearance in
Grisham’s plethora of legal thrillers.
Jake first appeared in Grisham’s first (and I believe the best) novel, A Time to Kill. Now five years after getting Carl Lee Hayley,
a Black man, acquitted of a murder charge for killing the white supremacists who
raped and murdered Hayley’s young daughter, Jake is cajoled into taking another
controversial case. He is appointed to
defend Drew Gamble, a sixteen year old boy who shot and killed his mother’s
boyfriend, deputy sheriff Stu Kofer. Turns
out Stu was a good deputy but a bad boyfriend.
His dark side led him to heavy drinking, physical violence against Drew’s
mother, and sexual abuse of Drew’s fourteen year old sister. During one of Stu’s drunken episodes, he
nearly killed Drew’s mother before passing out on his bed. Drew, thinking his mother was dead put the
deputy’s service revolver to Stu’s head and pulled the trigger. Clayton’s law enforcement, Stu’s family, and
most of the community lined up against Drew and of course against Jake, his attorney. So Jake is cast against the community and
must fear for his reputation, his career, and the lives of his family just to
do the right thing… again.
I thoroughly
enjoyed A Time for Mercy just as I
have most John Grisham legal thrillers from the beginning. I’m mixed however on the movies made from
Grisham’s work. Once you see Matthew
McConaughey as Jake Brigance, you can’t get that character out of your mind for
the next book with the same character.
Too frustrate further, I’m currently reading Michael Connelly’s latest
Lincoln Lawyer novel whose previous movies starred, that’s right Matthew
McConaughey. You see my confusion. Is that face in my head Jake or Mickey or
just some actor trying to sell me a car?
Thanks to
Netgalley for the advance look.
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