Thrillers & Suspense
![John Grisham - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B000AQ40M8.jpg)
A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance)
Jake Brigance is back! The hero of A Time to Kill, one of the most popular novels of our time, returns in a courtroom drama that The New York Times says is "riveting" and "suspenseful."
Clanton, Mississippi. 1990. Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints him attorney for Drew Gamble, a timid sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance digs in and discovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Jake’s fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line.
In what may be the most personal and accomplished legal thriller of John Grisham’s storied career, we deepen our acquaintance with the iconic Southern town of Clanton and the vivid cast of characters that so many readers know and cherish. The result is a richly rewarding novel that is both timely and timeless, full of wit, drama, and—most of all—heart.
Bursting with all the courthouse scheming, small-town intrigue, and stunning plot twists that have become the hallmarks of the master of the legal thriller, A Time for Mercy is John Grisham’s most powerful courtroom drama yet.
There is a time to kill and a time for justice. Now comes A Time for Mercy.
Clanton, Mississippi. 1990. Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints him attorney for Drew Gamble, a timid sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clanton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Brigance digs in and discovers that there is more to the story than meets the eye. Jake’s fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line.
In what may be the most personal and accomplished legal thriller of John Grisham’s storied career, we deepen our acquaintance with the iconic Southern town of Clanton and the vivid cast of characters that so many readers know and cherish. The result is a richly rewarding novel that is both timely and timeless, full of wit, drama, and—most of all—heart.
Bursting with all the courthouse scheming, small-town intrigue, and stunning plot twists that have become the hallmarks of the master of the legal thriller, A Time for Mercy is John Grisham’s most powerful courtroom drama yet.
There is a time to kill and a time for justice. Now comes A Time for Mercy.
Editorial Reviews
"Grisham has returned to the place closest to his heart... The trial is riveting...it's striking how suspenseful the story is...how much we're gripped by the small details."–Sarah Lyall, The New York Times
"Textbook Grisham-and that's a compliment…a briskly paced legal drama, with just the right amount of suspense, conflict, plot twists, and courtroom theatrics."-St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Textbook Grisham-and that's a compliment…a briskly paced legal drama, with just the right amount of suspense, conflict, plot twists, and courtroom theatrics."-St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Readers Top Reviews
Sissel M. Østdahl
It's not difficult to understand what John Grisham thinks about the law. Or rather, how the law is practised in America. In this book one case is the main issue but also other cases from Jake Brigance's law practise are mixed in. Both the legal and human aspects in the book are varied and thoroughly described. Some may think that "A Time for Mercy" is a bit too detailed. That people's backgrounds and lives in general may not be necessary in order to tell this story. I do not agree. There is a lot of wisdom to find both in what is written and between the lines. Small town lawyer Jake Brigance is a wonderful hero. A brilliant lawyer with perhaps a far too big heart. We met him the first time in "A Time to Kill". Now he is back with another heart rending story about the struggle and bad luck of the less fortunate. Were it not for the sarcasm and humour, this would be a dark and sad book, indeed. But Grisham manages to mix the quirks of humanity in with his stories, however gruesome many of the details. "A Time for Mercy" is not a book to read overnight. There is too much to dwell upon, to savour. This is not a typical Grisham fast, entertaining legal thriller. It's a novel which goes a lot deeper into humanity, who we are, what we are, what we would wish to be. Take your time with Grisham's new masterpiece. Stop in between and ponder the wisdom and honesty. And I'm sure you, like I did, will meet yourself in the author's soulbaring honesty.
O E J
John Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, remains one of his best. That was about a man who, in 1985, killed someone but may have been justified in doing so. A Time for Mercy is about, er, a man who, in 1990, killed someone but may have been justified in doing so. Thankfully, that's pretty much where the similarities end, but a story that invites the reader to make up his or her mind whether it was a righteous kill or not is always going to keep you turning the pages even after the story has ended. It also invites the reader to wonder if the victim of the murder deserves such a retributory punishment for his wrong-doing, and whether his killer, likewise, deserves the ultimate judicial punishment for his wrong-doing. Of course, cynics will argue that Grisham is capitalising on the civil unrest prevailing in America in 2020 but you can't really blame him for feeding off it because it's a subject close to many hearts and minds just now. Millions of people consider US police officers to be above the law if and when they kill, although the difference in this story is that the (white) police officer is off-duty when the horrifying assault takes place. A Time for Mercy explores the ways in which acts of violence committed by or against law enforcement officers can complicate the pursuit of justice. Jake Brigance is back, thereby making this a second sequel I suppose (after Sycamore Row in 2013), and he is appointed to represent a 16-year-old boy with regard to the murder of his mother’s boyfriend - who also happens to be a police officer. Just as in A Time to Kill, this isn't about 'who did it' because everybody knows who the killer is. Once again the reader and all of the story's characters face the ethical challenge over whether the killing was justified or not. Was it self defence? That's just one of the counter-arguments. The young killer, his 14-year-old sister and his mother had lived in fear of the deceased policeman, who had a drink problem and would often physically and violently abuse them. Opinion amongst the local community in Clanton, Mississippi, is weighted against Jake. Those with an affiliation to law enforcement believe the teenager should not only be tried in court as an adult, but if he's found guilty, he should be executed. Quite a few ordinary citizens feel the same. Jake becomes very unpopular for defending a cop-killer, and while this is 1990 and long before the era of social media, there's still a battle to be fought against those who decide that someone is guilty even before there's a trial. One of the intriguing things about this story - and the author is aware enough to mention it in the dialogue halfway through - is that there can be no satisfactory outcome. It's a murder, and the killer is known. There will be a trial, and the jury will decide 'guilty' or 'not guilty'. But unlike th...
Sjm
I stayed up late reading and finished early this morning. I love Jake and was glad to see him again. I think in the future we will see another book about Jake and the rest, too many unsolved issues. This book is begging for a sequel. As usual the writing is tight and as usual sometimes my eyes glaze over with so much legal crap. But hey it’s Grisham writing what he knows best. I want to say more but I can’t spoil it for others. Just some of the book I had mixed feelings about. I loved seeing Carl Lee again, he’s loyal to Jake. I highly recommend this book.
Deborah R. Cota
Haven’t even had a chance to read a single page yet and my book is dogeared and frayed. Really disappointed that Amazon could pack my order more carefully. I get that you’re busy but I paid good money for this. Be careful!
linda galella
What a relief to read “A Time for Mercy” and find Jake doing what he does best - defending the indefensible. This time, his client is a 16 year old boy charged with murdering his mother’s abusive boyfriend who just happens to be an officer of the law, in a small southern town. Welcome back to Clanton, where most of us met Jake, (Carla, Judge Noose, Sheriff Ozzie), in “A Time to Kill” and became fans of his and Grisham. This story is not heavily entrenched with racial issues. In its place are issues of: social class, blue lives, alcoholism, rape, spousal abuse, small town corruption and much more. There’s no need for me to rehash the plot any more specifically; the synopsis is quite clear and others are sure to do so. What I will mention is Grisham’s extraordinary ability to develop characters. The children in this story have had an horrific, oppressive and abusive existence. They love their mother but her ability to parent is abysmal. The depth of their need and lack is compassionately revealed by Grisham’s careful prose and spot on dialogue. Grisham’s brilliance is equally evident in the antagonists and there are a few. None of them are great literary figures that readers will refer to for ages to come. These are the baddies that resonate in your soul; that you recognize from your town, neighborhood; God forbid, your family. There’s no superhero performing miraculous feats to conquer these monsters, just nice guys doing the right thing, putting their all on the line at great personal cost; totally inspiring! The story contains two mysteries and 2 arcs. Consequently, there are two endings, of sorts. This open aspect of the book was rather unique, at least in my experience. My recollection is that Grisham tied up his endings in previous books. Perhaps this happened in the books I took a pass on, (I’d quit reading many of his books due to formulaic fodder), but there are issues purposely left for future purposes. If those volumes are of this caliber and involve the new characters, I’m all about it! In true Grisham style, the writing is clear of foul language and descriptive sexual or violent scenes. There are very tension filled chapters that include violence - it is after all, a book about murder, rape and abuse. This author knows how to write without resorting to single f word modifiers and over written, graphic literary explosions that take the place of finely nuanced prose. Professionally published & edited, it is indeed a “Time for Mercy”?
Short Excerpt Teaser
Six days a week, every day but Sunday, Jake Brigance allowed himself to be dragged out of bed at the unholy hour of 5:30 a.m. by a noisy alarm clock. Six days a week he went straight to the coffeepot, punched a button, then hurried to his own private little bathroom in the basement, far away from his sleeping wife and daughter, where he showered in five minutes and spent another five with the rest of his ritual before dressing in the clothes he'd laid out the night before. He then hurried upstairs, poured a cup of black coffee, eased back into his bedroom, kissed his wife goodbye, grabbed his coffee, and, at precisely 5:45 closed the kitchen door and stepped onto the rear patio. Six days a week he drove the dark streets of Clanton to the picturesque square with the stately courthouse anchoring life as he knew it, parked in front of his office on Washington Street, and, at 6:00 a.m., six days a week, walked into the Coffee Shop to either hear or create the gossip, and to dine on wheat toast and grits.
But on the seventh day, he rested. There was never an alarm clock on the Sabbath, and Jake and Carla reveled in a long morning's rest. He would eventually stumble forth around 7:30 and order her back to sleep. In the kitchen he poached eggs and toasted bread and served her breakfast in bed with coffee and juice. On a normal Sunday.
But nothing about this day would be normal. At 7:05 the phone rang, and since Carla insisted that the phone be located on his night table, he had no choice but to answer it.
"If I were you I'd leave town for a couple of days." It was the low raspy voice of Harry Rex Vonner, perhaps his best friend and sometimes his only one.
"Well good morning, Harry Rex. This better be good."
Harry Rex, a gifted and devious divorce lawyer, ran in the dark shadows of Ford County and took enormous pride in knowing the news, the dirt, and the gossip before almost anyone not wearing a badge.
"Stuart Kofer got shot in the head last night. Dead. Ozzie picked up his girlfriend's boy, sixteen-year-old kid without a trace of peach fuzz, and he's at the jail just waitin' on a lawyer. I'm sure Judge Noose knows about it and is already thinkin' about the appointment."
Jake sat up and propped up his pillows. "Stuart Kofer is dead?"
"Deader'n hell. Kid blew his brains out while he was sleeping. Capital, dude, death penalty and all. Killing a cop will get you the gas nine times outta ten in this state."
"Didn't you handle a divorce for him?"
"His first one, not his second. He got pissed off about my fee and became a disgruntled client. When he called about the second, I told him to get lost. Married a couple of crazies, but then he had a fondness for bad women, especially in tight jeans."
"Any kids?"
"None that I know of. None that he knew of either."
Carla scurried out of bed and stood beside it. She frowned at Jake as if someone was lying. Three weeks earlier, Officer Stuart Kofer had visited her class of sixth graders and given a wonderful presentation on the dangers of illegal drugs.
"But he's only sixteen," Jake said, scratching his eyes.
"Spoken like a true liberal defense lawyer. Noose will be calling you before you know it, Jake. Think about it. Who tried the last capital murder case in Ford County? You. Carl Lee Hailey."
"But that was five years ago."
"Doesn't matter. Name another lawyer around here who'll even think about taking a serious criminal case. Nobody. And more important, Jake, there's no one else in the county who's competent enough to take a capital case."
"No way. What about Jack Walter?"
"He's back in the sauce. Noose got two complaints last month from disgruntled clients and he's about to notify the state bar." How Harry Rex knew such things was always a marvel to Jake.
"I thought they sent him away."
"They did, but he came back, thirstier than ever."
"What about Gill Maynard?"
"He got burned in that rape case last year. Told Noose he'd surrender his license before he got stuck with another bad criminal appointment. And, he's pretty awful on his feet. Noose was beyond frustrated with the guy in the courtroom. Give me another name."
"Okay, okay. Let me think a minute."
"A waste of time. I'm telling you, Jake, Noose will call you sometime today. Can you leave the cou...
But on the seventh day, he rested. There was never an alarm clock on the Sabbath, and Jake and Carla reveled in a long morning's rest. He would eventually stumble forth around 7:30 and order her back to sleep. In the kitchen he poached eggs and toasted bread and served her breakfast in bed with coffee and juice. On a normal Sunday.
But nothing about this day would be normal. At 7:05 the phone rang, and since Carla insisted that the phone be located on his night table, he had no choice but to answer it.
"If I were you I'd leave town for a couple of days." It was the low raspy voice of Harry Rex Vonner, perhaps his best friend and sometimes his only one.
"Well good morning, Harry Rex. This better be good."
Harry Rex, a gifted and devious divorce lawyer, ran in the dark shadows of Ford County and took enormous pride in knowing the news, the dirt, and the gossip before almost anyone not wearing a badge.
"Stuart Kofer got shot in the head last night. Dead. Ozzie picked up his girlfriend's boy, sixteen-year-old kid without a trace of peach fuzz, and he's at the jail just waitin' on a lawyer. I'm sure Judge Noose knows about it and is already thinkin' about the appointment."
Jake sat up and propped up his pillows. "Stuart Kofer is dead?"
"Deader'n hell. Kid blew his brains out while he was sleeping. Capital, dude, death penalty and all. Killing a cop will get you the gas nine times outta ten in this state."
"Didn't you handle a divorce for him?"
"His first one, not his second. He got pissed off about my fee and became a disgruntled client. When he called about the second, I told him to get lost. Married a couple of crazies, but then he had a fondness for bad women, especially in tight jeans."
"Any kids?"
"None that I know of. None that he knew of either."
Carla scurried out of bed and stood beside it. She frowned at Jake as if someone was lying. Three weeks earlier, Officer Stuart Kofer had visited her class of sixth graders and given a wonderful presentation on the dangers of illegal drugs.
"But he's only sixteen," Jake said, scratching his eyes.
"Spoken like a true liberal defense lawyer. Noose will be calling you before you know it, Jake. Think about it. Who tried the last capital murder case in Ford County? You. Carl Lee Hailey."
"But that was five years ago."
"Doesn't matter. Name another lawyer around here who'll even think about taking a serious criminal case. Nobody. And more important, Jake, there's no one else in the county who's competent enough to take a capital case."
"No way. What about Jack Walter?"
"He's back in the sauce. Noose got two complaints last month from disgruntled clients and he's about to notify the state bar." How Harry Rex knew such things was always a marvel to Jake.
"I thought they sent him away."
"They did, but he came back, thirstier than ever."
"What about Gill Maynard?"
"He got burned in that rape case last year. Told Noose he'd surrender his license before he got stuck with another bad criminal appointment. And, he's pretty awful on his feet. Noose was beyond frustrated with the guy in the courtroom. Give me another name."
"Okay, okay. Let me think a minute."
"A waste of time. I'm telling you, Jake, Noose will call you sometime today. Can you leave the cou...
