Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Judge's List by John Grisham.
As a fan of John Grisham, I was excited to preview his newest novel. The Judge's List is book two with Lacy Stoltz as the main character and can easily stand alone. A corrupt judge being investigated for murder is an excellent premise for a suspenseful mystery, a patient antagonist who knows the law. However, without any plot twists, the book falls flat. I had trouble liking Jeri, the woman who brings forth the information on the murders. The book was too predictable, and the ending too nicely wrapped up.

John Grisham starts this roller coaster ride from page one until the very end! I always enjoy his books but this one was great because he lays the whole story out at the beginning and doesn't go off course!

If asked whether I was a fan of John Grisham, my best answer would be “sometimes.” I have loved some of his stuff (esp earlier books), but some have been “meh.” Last year’s A Time for Mercy, #3 in the Jake Brigance series, was a big disappointment for me (three stars — I’m an easy grader, what can I say?) Although I had not read The Whistler, featuring Lacy Stolz, I was happy to receive a copy of The Judge’s List (second in what looks like a series featuring Lacy) from Doubleday Books and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

There are references throughout this second book to book #1, but this one stands alone just fine. Three years after the events in the first book, in which Lacy was nearly killed as she worked to investigate a corrupt judge in her role as an investigator for Florida’s Board on Judicial Conduct, Lacy is nearing forty, still single and getting bored with her job. A mysterious woman brings her information about a judge who just might be a serial killer. The woman has investigated/stalked him for twenty years, and has a ton of information that she hopes will convince Lacy that the BJC should open a murder investigation.

The judge is brilliant, extremely patient, and well aware of the law. Although it seems any of the murders will be impossible to prove, Lacy begins a very creepy adventure looking into the potential case. This one was way better than “meh,” and avoided the resolution letdown of A Time for Mercy. TBH, this one creeped me out, and I was actually eager to finish it so I could relax…four stars.

Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board of Judicial Conduct. She meets a woman named Jeri who has been tracking her father’s suspected murderer for 2 decades. She suspects this man is also a serial killer and has killed again and again. He has never been charged with any crime. How is this possible? He must be highly intelligent, understands forensic evidence, and knows a lot about the law. That is because this man, Ross Bannick, is a Judge! Will Jeri ever get enough evidence to get this Judge off the bench and behind bars?

You can add THE JUDGE’S LIST to the very long list of great John Grisham books. I am a big fan of legal thrillers and this one delivers. The writing was perfect as always and the story held my interest. The concept of a judge being a serial killer is crazy, but Grisham had me believing it!

Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

I was immersed in The Judge's List by John Grisham. Great to have investigator Lacy Still working on this compelling mystery.

While the FBI theorizes that most serial killers take their victims at random, The Judge’s List, the latest by master crime thriller writer John Grisham being published October 19, contains the names of all those people in his 40-some years who have wronged a judge in fictional Chavez County, Florida.

Slaying his tormentors in Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Florida, His Honor Ross Bannick meticulously uses gloves and may have altered his fingerprints, leaves no prints, hairs, fibers, or blood behind, and knows forensics, police procedure, and law.

So far, according to her sleuthing, Jeri Crosby, the daughter of one of Bannick’s victims, has theorized the man has taken eight lives over 23 years in seven Southern states, one of them being Florida. Because attorney Lacy Stoltz has successfully investigated one crooked judge in her job at the fictional Florida Board on Judicial Conduct (FBJC) as detailed in Grisham’s The Whistler, she becomes the recipient of all the documentation that Jeri has collected.

Once Crosby files a complaint with the FBJC, Stoltz and her team dishearteningly begin the investigation from their office in Tallahassee because theories are one thing, proof is another. The case hinges on proof, of which there is none, until the Mississippi investigation yields a partial thumb print. However, the investigators cannot subpoena a warrant to search unless they get the FBI to convince a federal magistrate to issue a search warrant. They cannot arrest Bannick until there is a match of prints or some other proof.

Stoltz and her team are a step ahead with knowing the identity of the killer judge, but how will they prove the case with no evidence? How will they stay off the judge’s list as they close in on him?

John Grisham first blew readers away with A Time to Kill, which began the path that would make him king of the modern legal thriller. He knows of what he writes having worked 60–70-hour weeks in a Mississippi law practice. The Judge’s List is Grisham at his finest.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting September 29, 2021.

I would like to thank Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Another great book by the legendary John Grisham!!! I was so happy he wrote another book about Lacey Stolz. This time she investigates a judge accused of murder

Lacey Stoltz investigating corrupt judges, is approached one day by Jeri, a very scared and paranoid woman who insists there is a serial killer judge and he’s murdered her father.
Good strong women characters with a very engaging and interesting plot. This is the second book in which Lacey appears and I hope not the last.

Overall, I enjoyed the latest John Grisham book. While it wasn't one of my favorites, it was still a good legal thriller. I loved Jeri and Lacy (making a return from the prior book, The Whistler) as strong female characters. I felt the book wrapped up a bit abruptly but still an entertaining story. Thank you to NegGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Grisham fans will surely like this one!

I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor. I think Grisham does an excellent job with female chapters. Both Jeri and Lacy were believable. I am sure this will be another hit for this amazing author.

The Judge’s List is John Grisham ’s latest murder mystery.  Lacy Stoltz is the main character and her job is investigate any complaints against judges in Florida.  When a woman contacts Lacy to report suspicions of  multiple murders committed by a sitting (and highly respected) judge, Lacy is hesitant to get involved.  Once a formal complaint is filed, Lacy has no choice but to look into the accusations .  It seemed to drag in spots but the idea of a judge being a serial killer was very intriguing .  I have read most of Grisham’s books and while this was not my favorite , it was entertaining and well worth the read.  It reminded me more of some of his older works.  If you are a fan of John Grisham’s work, you will not to miss this one.

I would like to thank John Grisham for a few late nights of reading The Judge’s List.
I admit that I haven’t read any of this authors books for a few years. I’m not sure why now!
This book really got into the mind of the judge and and also how he had destroyed so many lives. It was very interesting to see how he was tracked down and his motives.
Will definitely be returning to Mr. Grisham for future late nights!

Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to read John Grisham’s newest. There’s not many main characters to keep track of but each one Is most interesting to follow. You know right from the beginning who the serial killer is and the whole storyline is how they can prove that he did all the murders.I thought it a different and unique approach to a crime solving novel. My only complaint is that three quarters of the book kept repeating who several of the victims were,over and over. It was way too much. The last quarter of the book I found most interesting with the killer really getting involved with trying to hide his one thumb fingerprint that could find him guilty of murder. I have read 99% of JG’s books and seen the adaptations of several made into movies but found this story very different from all his others.

It's been awhile since I have read a book by John Grisham. It's either hit or miss with me. I am afraid that the latter is true for me on this one. Lacy. a character from a previous book, is involved with proving that a well known and respected judge is in reality, a serial mass murderer. A quick and satisfying read but not as good as some of his other books. The book will probably do well as it is another legal thriller.

This is an absolutely riveting novel by one of our greatest mystery authors. Grisham has brought back Lacy Stoltz and cleverly involved her in hunting for a serial murderer, who is also a sitting judge! Not an easy task, but a totally enthralling one for this reader. The main characters are Lacy and the obsessed daughter of a victim. The book just clicks and absolutely keeps moving. Even giving the reader a fine and satisfying sense of closure.

Thank you Netgalley for this treat! Loved this book and the characters.

There aren’t enough hours in the day for Lacy Stoltz to do her job as an investigator on the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. There are so many shady people working in the halls of justice, she’s having a hard time keeping up. And while most of the people she’s investigating are taking bribes in exchange for a verdict, the judge she’s investigating now appears to be guilty doling out his own brand of justice, in the form of murder. My parents retired to Florida and after a car accident sent them to a law firm, the attorney they hired told them that “Florida is like the Wild West. Anything goes”. Seems like Grisham agrees