Jake is back this time defending a sixteen year old boy accused of killing a cop. The sixteen year old and his fourteen year old sister witnessed the brutal beating and near death of their mother at the hands of her boyfriend, the cop. It didn't matter that they had been abused and threatened and that they believed he had killed their mother and wouldn't hesitate to go after them next. It only mattered that this boy shot a police officer in their small town and they are treating him like an adult. Jake is pushed to defend him and now finds his practice in near financial ruin because of it. It is hard not to like a Grisham book - he is like the Nicolas Sparks of legal drama. There is always an interesting legal battle, his defenders are always the underdog but good-hearted and there is almost always a happy ending. This one is no different and a solid legal drama. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This is the best John Grisham book I have read in ages. I love Jake and his family. I puzzled during the entire book about how Jake was going to get his client off. I actually decided we would not have a good ending. Needless to say, Grisham came through once more. Any reader of mysteries will love A Time for Mercy.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
Nice to be back in the courtroom with Jake. Feels like the Grisham I most enjoy.
Excellent.

John Grisham's stories set in Ford County are my favorites. Revisiting characters from A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row remind me how much I love immersing myself in the community Grisham has created. I recently read The Last Juror and enjoyed finding Lucien & Harry Rex in the cast of characters. Jake Brigance finds himself in another controversial case that will have him defend a 16 year old
suspect in the killing of a police officer. A Time for Mercy is thoughtful yet twisty. I loved it!

John Grisham is amazing. I have read all of his books and jumped at the opportunity to read the new Jake Briggance novel, set in 1990 Mississippi. I flew through this novel and loved every page. Grisham is a master at describing the law, the courtroom, and the trial. I am keeping my fingers crossed that, because of the way the book ended, that there may be another book in the works. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

One of the more pleasant problems associated with a book written by John Grisham is how does one indicate that it goes beyond a normal 5 star score. The only thing to do frankly is finish it in the normal one very gratifying read and suggest that others enjoy it equally. And so I do. This is the third novel the author has utilized Jake Brigance a man who is practicing law in a small town in the state of Mississippi. He is happily married to a girl that he met while at university, has one daughter; as bright and adorable as possible and a law practice that is still not billing what he feels it should be.
At the opening of the story Jack and another attorney are working on a lawsuit against the railroad. Four people were killed in an accident when their car slammed into one of the train's cars and the two are representing the family of the deceased. The prospective settlement looks to be a very substantial amount of money and Jake's share would be more than sufficient to handle all his financial problems. The work on the case looks to be interrupted when Jake is pushed into the defense of a 16 year old boy that has killed the man whose home he, his sister and mother had been living in.
The man Drew Gamble killed was a deputy with the sheriff's department and had an excellent record as a police officer. He had met Drew's mother at a bar and been drawn into inviting the woman to move into his home. He had never been happy with the need to also house and feed her two children and did his best to let them know that they were living with him due only to his good will. His treatment of the family was an abusive one and exacerbated whenever he came home drunk.
The story starts when Stuart Kofer the deputy, comes home from a night of drinking and begins a rampage against Josie and her two children. He reaches the point where he knocks out the woman and her body laying unmoving appears to the children that he has killed her. He then starts after the girl. Drew thinks that Stu will also kill his sister, manages to grab the deputy's gun and shoots him dead. Admitting that he did shoot the deputy Drew is arrested and jailed pending arraignment. The residents of the town quickly demand that Drew be treated as an adult and executed for the crime. The family has no money to hire an attorney and Jake Brigance is asked by the judge who will try the case to handle the defense. Jake takes the job with the proviso that a permanent attorney be found to take over the case as he is tied up with the details of the suite against the railroad and doesn't have the time to represent Drew.
Mr. Grisham's descriptions of the preparations and the trial are vivid and bring the reader right into the scenario of a popular police officer being killed. The officer's family is a large one and influential in the town, a factor which does not help Drew's situation. Where the situation takes all concerned is very well set up, and as I indicated conducive to reading a mesmerizing book and not being able to put it down until the end. A five star book, of course, but with a quality that takes it to a place among the top writings of the author and placing it at the pinnacle of his novels.

Grisham returns to Jake Brigance and 1990 Clanton, Mississippi when the attorney is given a sixteen year old client accused of killing a deputy. Drew Gamble seems an unlikely murder suspect, but the locals are calling for his blood. Jake doesn’t believe the boy is guilty and he’s willing to risk everything, his reputation, his finances, even his life to save Drew from death in the gas chamber. If you’re a Grisham fan like I am, you’ll love this return to Clanton and Brigance. I honestly think this is the best book Grisham has written in a long time