John Grisham's first and most shocking novel, adapted as a film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey
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.
But when extremists outside Clanton - including the KKK - hear that a black man has killed two white men, they invade the town, determined to destroy anything and anyone that opposes their sense of justice. A national media circus descends on Clanton.
As tensions mount, Hailey hires the inexperienced Jake Brigance to defend him. It's the kind of case that could make a young lawyer's career.
But it's also the kind of case that could get a young lawyer killed.
The original, epoch-defining Jake Brigance novel. Brigance returns in Sycamore Row and A Time For Mercy. ______________________________
PRAISE FOR JOHN GRISHAM . . .
'A master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos' Irish Independent
'John Grisham is the master of legal fiction' Jodi Picoult
'The best thriller writer alive' Ken Follett
'John Grisham has perfected the art of cooking up convincing, fast-paced thrillers' Telegraph
'Grisham is a superb, instinctive storyteller'The Times
'Grisham's storytelling genius reminds us that when it comes to legal drama, the master is in a league of his own' Daily Record
'Masterful - when Grisham gets in the courtroom he lets rip, drawing scenes so real they're not just alive, they're pulsating' Mirror
