The Appeal: John Grisham

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Payton and Payton, a husband and wife lawyer team, are on the verge of bankruptcy. They listened, they took the plunge. They sued and won. The award broke records. But, what about the inevitable appeal? Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. It is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. What are you thinking?” Wes asked without looking at his wife. His heart was racing and his forehead was wet. He still gripped the wheel with his left hand, and he kept telling himself to relax.

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After I found out I passed the bar exam over twenty years ago--{{ with slithering colours}}-- my wife actually gave me this t-shirt as a gift. Across the room, just a few feet away, the Paytons and Jeannette settled into their chairs at the plaintiff ’s table. Same chairs, same positions, same deliberate strategy to impress upon the jurors that this poor widow and her two lonely lawyers were taking on a giant corporation with unlimited resources. Wes Payton glanced at Jared Kurtin, their eyes met, and each offered a polite nod. The miracle of the trial was that the two men were still able to treat each other with a modest dose of civility, even converse when absolutely necessary. It had become a matter of pride. Regardless of how nasty the situation, and there had been so many nasty ones, each was determined to rise above the gutter and offer a hand.Doroshow, Joanne. "Watch Hot Coffee, a Powerful New Film on HBO June 27". Huffington Post . Retrieved August 1, 2011. Inspired by cases and testimony, Grisham began writing for fun in the wee hours of the morning before going to work. Could it really be over? After they had waited for an eternity, could it end so suddenly? So abruptly? With just a phone call? I've been thinking I wanted to read a good court-room drama for a while now and I remembered that John Grisham had written a few pretty good ones...so I gave this one a shot. Unfortunately there was very little of that here but still, an interesting plot was starting to develop and even though there didn't seem to be any central main character in this novel, the various points of view on the plot by the host of minor characters was working for a while. A candid look into the seedy underbelly of campaign finance in the U.S. It's no secret that in this country, money and politics walk hand in hand, with Big Business barons leveraging their own interests against those of the people and, at times, basic procedural justice. It is this systemic prioritization of corporate well-being over human well-being on which Grisham wishes to shine a light.

The Appeal by John Grisham | Goodreads

Stirring popular fiction that doubles as an important public–service announcement.”— Entertainment Weekly From legendary legal thriller author John Grisham comes a unique collection of stories connected by the life and crimes of Ford County. When Carl Lee Hailey guns down the violent racists who raped his ten-year-old daughter, the people of the small town of Clanton, Mississippi see it as justice done, and call for his acquittal.

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Question number four: ‘For Pete Baker, what amount of money do you award to his widow, Jeannette Baker, as damages for his wrongful death?’ Answer: ‘Two and a half million dollars.’” There was waaaay too much politics in this one for me. Almost ranting about guns, gays, liberals. I’m not anti-gay marriage by the way, I hate the prejudice displayed in real life (and here) but I thought I was reading a court room thriller!! It wasn’t!!

The Appeal by John Grisham | Waterstones

A novel that could become its own era–defining classic. John Grisham holds up that same mirror to our age as Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities.”— The Boston Globe Stepping into a major trial is like plunging with a weighted belt into a dark and weedy pond. You manage to scramble up for air, but the rest of the world doesn’t matter. And you always think you’re drowning. Grisham's storytelling genius reminds us that when it comes to legal drama, the master is in a league of his own.’ – Daily RecordI gave the book only 4 stars b/c it was a little more technical and a little less thriller and therefore less enjoyable but the tradeoff is the education factor and social commentary.

Summary and reviews of The Appeal by John Grisham - BookBrowse Summary and reviews of The Appeal by John Grisham - BookBrowse

The clerk tapped lightly on the judge’s door, then took a step inside and proudly announced, “We have a verdict,” as if she had personally labored through the negotiations and now was presenting the result as a gift. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. His debut novel, A Time to Kill, was published in 1989, while his second novel, The Firm (1991), was received well, selling more than seven million copies.

The Appeal

There were six questions on the list that the lawyers had hammered out, and if the jury answered yes to number five, then the whole world would go crazy. Judge Harrison was at that point, reading it slowly, clearing his throat, studying the answer. Then he revealed his mean streak. He did so with a smile. He glanced up a few inches, just above the sheet of paper he was holding, just over the cheap reading glasses perched on his nose, and he looked directly at Wes Payton. The grin was tight, conspiratorial, yet filled with gleeful satisfaction. I was a lawyer once, and represented people charged with all sorts of crimes. Fortunately, I never had a client convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. I never had to go to death row, never had to do the things the lawyers do in this story.