The Appeal, by John Grisham

Posted on April 5, 2008
Filed Under Crime Books, Excellent book, John Grisham, Thriller |

From The Appeal, Chapter 1: “The courtroom was in a state of high alert, as if bombs were coming and the sirens were wailing. Dozens of people milled about, or looked for seats, or chatted nervously with their eyes darting around. When Jared Kurtin and the defense army entered from a side door, everyone gawked as if he might know something they didn’t. Day after day for the past four months he had proven that he could see around corners, but at that moment his face revealed nothing.”

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history.

The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.

Who are the nine? How will they vote? Very often, they return majority verdicts 5-4 in favor plaintiffs in cases against businesses. Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided to swing expected the vote around?

The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau.

Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate, Ron Fisk. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their very own Supreme Court justice.

The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again. Many believe politics to be rotten - is the legal system as bad? The Appeal is written by an author who believes it to be!

The Appeal is another great John Grisham book. Legal thrillers are what John Grisham excel at. The book has drive, it has twists, it shows knowledge about the legal process and the legal communities - trial lawyers, judges, special interest groups. And, as well, it raises important questions about the functioning of the legal system and the tradition of electing judges that still prevails in some states in the US.

It is a very worthwhile book to read. I enjoyed The Appeal a lot, and really recommend it!

Other interesting books by thriller-master John Grisham: The Street Lawyerand The Brethren.



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Comments

One Response to “The Appeal, by John Grisham”

  1. john grisham on June 25th, 2008 9:51

    [...] A great read, exciting, but also raises serious questions about the American legal system.http://www.leserglede.com/engblogg/the-appeal-by-john-grisham/John Grisham Interview — Academy of AchievementJohn Grisham: To play professional baseball, like [...]

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