The story is a captivating and careful ascent To The Emotional Implosion

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Two boys grew up in the same neighborhood, with so much in common.  They went to the same schools, both were Catholic, and they loved the water. They were born one month apart in 1948, and they both lived and breathed baseball and started Little League together at age eight. Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco were inseparable, both on and off the baseball field. Their friendship lasted until high school graduation. And then these two boys from Biloxi simply went in different directions.

Keith, who idolized his father, Jesse, went to college, followed in his father’s footsteps, and became a lawyer. Hugh chose not to go to college but also followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the family business. Hugh’s father, Lance, owned and operated several bars, casinos, and clubs offering alcohol, gambling, and prostitution along the Biloxi strip. His illegal activities were well known, and the corrupt county sheriff turned a blind eye. Lance Malco was in charge of activities on the coast, and no one in authority seemed to care. That was until Keith’s father, Jesse, became the district attorney.  His goal: “Clean up the coast.”


REVIEW
The Boys from Biloxi is a classic legal thriller as only John Grisham can adroitly do.  He skillfully transports us to the Mississippi coast and its unscrupulous culture, and he has the era of the 1960-1970s down pat.

The story is a captivating and careful ascent, full of a descriptive and detailed backstory of the two families. The story grows like a rumbling volcano, slowly growing closer and closer to the surface. When it blows, the ramifications are felt by all those in its path, and things are never the same. The story's evocative and emotional implosion will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The characters are plentiful and serve as the pillars of the story.  The differences between the two families add immense interest and intrigue. Grisham's writing is gut-wrenching, and you never know what's around the next corner.

In addition to cleaning up the coast, Jesse Rudy is also an unforgettable hero for taking on the insurance companies during their refusal to pay homeowners for damages in the aftermath of Hurricane Camille in 1969.  We need a real-life Jesse Rudy today! My favorite parts are the masterful courtroom scenes, where the whole story comes together.   

Author John Grisham, as known as America’s Favorite Storyteller, has authored over 47 #1 bestsellers. His recent books include The Judges List,  Sooley, and Sparring Partners.  Grisham is also 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

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Doubleday Books
Published October 18, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Another solid novel from John Grisham. Although this was a long one, At the forefront of this novel is the theme of good vs evil. It begins with two young boys who play on opposing rival baseball teams and then we follow them both into adulthood where one boy becomes a defense attorney and the other a mob gangster. The rivalry is set early and although the book is slow to get going it’s well worth the set up for the explosive ending. I enjoyed this one and wouldn’t be shocked if it ends up getting a film adaptation in the future.

John Grishams latest novel, The Boys From Biloxi., has been on my TBR since I first heard about it. It is the story of two families, the Marcos and the Rudys. One family pushes the limit of the law and the other is determined to enforce the law. The childhood friendships between the two families is severely tested as their paths grow further and further apart.

This book reminds me more of the early Grisham books rather than the last few. I must say it started out a little slow but the excellent writing, the amazing story telling, and the gripping ending puts this newest novel up there with Grisham’s best.

I would definitely recommend this to all legal thriller fans. As I stated earlier, it starts a little slow but keep reading. You will be glad you did.

This book was so very good! I loved it, and couldn't put it down! Loved the character development, Grisham is so good at that.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I started off reading it very quickly and then somewhere in the middle I got bored. It picked back up but I felt like the ending was lacking. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. #NetGalley #BoysFromBiloxi

A political thriller, novel displaying the saga of two boyhood friends and the very diverse paths their lives took; one into a world of crime, the other into a world of family dominoes. Though each path provided the boys with a family, wealth and purpose, the intersection of their lives which once had been built on boyhood friendship, transformed into the relationship a kindled to that of oil and water. Small towns, boyhood friendships, crime bosses and legendary prosecutors soon become a political thriller, just waiting to be discovered. In fact, this stood out in its true Grisham style, a growing story line to follow, characters to track and layers of issues to peel back. Also provided great historical context on speakeasies and the selling of alcohol, drugs, etc in the Mississippi area.

The boys from Biloxi is a very well written book. I throughly enjoyed the plot, the Mississippi Gulf coast setting and the well developed characters. John Grisham has written another Winn. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance book. This is my unbiased review.

As the book begins, Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco are young boys & friends growing up in Biloxi in the sixties. The area is well known for it's darker side - gambling, women, drugs. Keith's father has an interest in the law and working to clean up this part of Biloxi life. Hugh's father is tied to the mafia and criminal underground that is associated with this part of the Biloxi life. The story explores this conflict of interest, including legal battles, crime, and death.
The first 30% of the book was slower to me, as a lot of background is laid out and there is less action. However, the rest of the book was more active.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 🌟

I typically always love a good John Grisham read especially since all of his books are based in Mississippi (where I am from), however, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The Boys from Biloxi follows the Malco family & the Rudy family. The Rudy family becomes entrenched in life In law & politics while the Malco family becomes involved in the dark underworld of crime & gang activity.

After a bombing goes awry and Jesse Rudy, the DA, is murdered (accidentally?), the stakes are high for both families.

Both father and son of the Malco family are sent to parchman prison, a place that is far from the plush life they were accustomed to. The difference in sentences are that lance will be out soon while his son is on death row.

The ultimate decision for clemency is put into Keith Rudy, Jesse’s son. What a difficult decision to make against the boy that used to be your friend, but that had a hand in the murder of your father.

Sadly disappointed in this one. I’m a John Grisham fan but this one was too long, too many characters and a confusing plot line.

I’d really like to give this 4.5, but that isn’t an option. The first 60% were a little slow and hard for me to get into because the backstory was so involved. But the rest of the book had me hooked. Also, in pure Grisham style, the ending is up in the air as to what Keith decides to do. It ends so abruptly and I was a little mad because I wanted an epilogue. But that is part of what made it a great book!

I’d like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Biloxi Mississippi the mob comes in while the local law enforcement looks away. Keith and Hugh are two childhood friends that grew up together but soon grow apart in very different ways which causes them to eventually confront each other. This leads to a great courtroom story and a great story written by John Grisham. If you like mysteries this John Grisham story is for you .

I received a free ARC ebook of The Boys from Biloxi from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Grisham's latest thriler reads like a nonfiction account of a group of mobsters gaining a foothold in Biloxi. Mississippi while local law enforcement looks the other way. Years pass and many people become wealthy; eventually, however, more honest citizens become powerful and seek legal methods to eliminate the gambling, prostitution and other crimes that plague their city. Grisham employs an objective point of view so many of the events are revealed like a reporter might.

Grisham tells this tale by contrasting two local families, the Malcos and the Rudys. The Malcos, led by father Lance and assisted by his son, Hugh, are ruthless criminals who are determined to keep their numerous crime enterprises running unimpeded. The Rudys, including district attorney Jesse and his son Keith, have the opposite goal - to rid the coast of the Malcos and their hold on the city of Biloxi.

Grisham clearly demonstrates the growing influence of crime in an ordinary city. Many citizens opt to look the other way but they still occasionally dip their toes into the illicit pool. The Malcos and their fellow criminals blackmail them so that their crime enterprises can continue unimpeded. But the Rudys are dedicated and determined so Jesse becomes the target of the murderous Malcos.

Since Grisham writes this novel like a reporter, he spends quite a bit of time describing the youthful friendship of Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco. As youngsters they both believed that their inevitable future was in major league baseball and their athleticism and shared interests made them friends. Eventually, of course, their paths led in opposite directions.

For me, the most powerful section of this novel was the description of Hurricane Camille and its aftereffects. Jesse Rudy becomes a legal star while fighting big insurance companies who routinely denied all homeowners' claims. The absolute devastation that the hurricane brought certainly mirrors the devastation of Hurricane Ian on the coast of Florida.

The Boys From Biloxi by John Grisham is a legal thriller set in Biloxi in the mid-1900s. There's a whole lot of illegal activity happening in the city and the police are not only aware of it but encourage it. The main characters Keith and Hugh both come from immigrant families and have very similar childhoods. As they age their lives begin to divert into two very different paths. Eventually, their decisions will lead them to confront each other. The second half of this book has the legal thriller aspect that I always enjoy in a Grisham novel. Read and enjoy!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of The Boys From Biloxi. Typical of a Grisham book, there are lots of colorful characters, plenty of courtroom drama, and suspense, which always make his books so enjoyable. The storyline follows two childhood friends who take very different paths growing into adulthood.
I enjoyed reading this book, (although A Time to Kill is still one of my favorites). I look forward to more from John Grisham.

As with most books by John Grisham this book did not disappoint. A really enjoyable book about 2 families from the same neighborhood whose lives move in opposite directions, one becoming involved in gambling and the Dixie Mafia and the other going into law and prosecution. I have been to Biloxi and Gulfport many times and enjoyed reading about them at an earlier time.

If you are a mystery lover like I am, it’s sort of sacrilege to trash talk John Grisham…and I admit I still eagerly grab any new Grisham book available. But for me at least, lately there hasn’t been that certainty that “this is gonna be GOOD” that is always there with my most reliable authors (Crais, Alan Drew, Jane Harper). So I was cautiously optimistic when I received a copy of The Boys from Biloxi, which I received from Doubleday Books and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Biloxi is an interesting place. Home of the Jefferson Davis Presidential museum, with. a rich history of boatbuilding and seafood processing, it is perhaps best known for its beaches, hotels, and casinos. Historically, it is (as the publisher’s blurb says) “notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings.” Great setting for a classic Grisham sprawling saga with contrasting life stories focused on protagonists Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco. Solid friends from childhood, when they became teenagers their paths diverged. Keith’s father was a prosecuting attorney who wanted to clean up the town, while Hugh’s father was a big shot in the crime-riddled city (Dixie Mafia, anyone?)

The two families find themselves on opposite sides in many ways, and the story builds to a terrific courtroom confrontation. It’s an entertaining story with lots of rich history, excellent characters, and a setting that is so vivid it is a character in itself. Four stars.

I was excited to finally try a Grisham novel but unfortunately this one fell flat for me. It was very info-dumpy which made it hard to connect with the story for me personally. I love a good courtroom/legal drama but in the particular story all the facts were pretty much already given to the reader up front, which made it a bit anticlimactic. After seeing other reviews for this one, it does seem like this is a bit different from the author’s usual stories so I will definitely give one of his ‘hit’ books a try but this one just didn’t work for me sadly.

Long-time Grisham reader. My favorite part of the story was the introduction of the Rudy and Malco families. Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco (born a couple years earlier than this reader) are third generation children of two Croatian immigrant families. The boys love baseball and are on the same team. I could imagine what it was like from sitting in the stands as a young girl watching my brothers. Hugh goes into the bar business and eventually gets involved in the mafia where his father was the boss. Keith eventually becomes a prosecutor like his Dad was. I especially liked his father’s story of service in the military and working and going to night school to become a lawyer and DA. The reader also learns a lot about the canneries and life living through Hurricane Camille. And, then there is the court case. For me, I felt this book needs a good edit. There were times I loved the reading and other times that I had to put the book down and walk away.. I also had to keep a character chart. Way too many characters at times. In the end, I found The Boys from Biloxi a good read but not a great read! My thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions are my own.
3.5 stars raised to 4 stars.

The Boys from Biloxi, by John Grisham,, is a legendary family drama which takes place in historic and modern day Biloxi, as well as in the courtroom.

We get to see Biloxi, well-known for it’s beaches, resorts and nightlife, but to those who know better, there is an underbelly of corruption, crime and murder. This darker world of vice is controlled by mobster families, two in particular, opposing families who once were close friends, but now are rivals. Their sons follow in their father’s respective footsteps; one who chose a life in the law, and one who chose the nightlife of clubs, gambling and crime.

This is a highly descriptive novel painting life at the time in vivid detail. There is mounting tension between the two families as things escalate. There is quite a bit of information shared in the narrative, feeling a bit like a work of non-fiction at times. However, the story is well-written with thoroughly developed characters, a multi-generational plot line, plenty of drama and tension, and in-depth researched. If you’ve enjoyed previous Grisham books, I’m sure you will want to read this one as well.