Book Review / A Time for Mercy by John Grisham

 Jake Brigance, the protagonist of A Time to Kill, John Grisham’s classic legal thriller is back. This time he's at the epicenter of a sensational murder trial that bitterly divides the citizens of Clanton, Mississippi.

A Time to Kill is one of the most popular novels of our time. It established Jake as a classic American hero—a lawyer who seeks truth and justice at all costs, even when his life and reputation are on the line.

Brigance returned in 2013’s Sycamore Row, in which he once again found himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial.

Now, in A Time for Mercy, Jake is the court-appointed lawyer for Drew Gamble, a young man accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance sees it another way. Once he learns the details of the case, he realizes he has to do everything he can to save Drew—who is sixteen. Jake’s commitment to the truth puts his career and the safety of his family at risk.

Filled with all the courtroom machinations, small-town intrigues, and plot twists that have become the hallmarks of the master of the legal thriller, A Time for Mercy emphatically confirms John Grisham's reputation as America's favorite storyteller.

There is a time to kill, a time for justice, and A TIME FOR MERCY.

Published:    13th October 2020
Publisher:  Random House
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 3, Jake Brigance
Source:  Bought

 

MY REVIEW

 

Having read both A Time to Kill (Book 1) and Sycamore Row (Book 2) immediately before picking up this novel, I was already fully immersed in this world, this town and familiar with the characters, which made it so much easier to get stuck in.  Now, you don't have to have read the previous books to pick up this one as, technically, the story doesn't carry on with each book as the stories have different plot lines, but it certainly does help if you read them as if they were a series.  I did and I certainly got the most out of these three books by doing that. 

What I loved the most about this story was being in the court room and watching as both the lawyers, the judge and the jury played their part, along with other side characters.  I find it fascinating seeing the court case unfold in the court room, lawyer against lawyer with the judge mostly in the middle.  You also have the conflict between the police and the law, as the victim was a police officer, but not necessarily a good one...

Of course, once again, I would highly recommend.  To get the best out of this world and the characters, I would recommend reading both A Time to Kill (book 1) and Sycamore Row (book 2) before this one, but you don't have to if you don't want to.