Thrillers & Suspense
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Sparring Partners: Novellas
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham is the acknowledged master of the legal thriller. In his first collection of novellas, law is a common thread, but America's favorite storyteller has several surprises in store.
"Homecoming" takes us back to Ford County, the fictional setting of many of John Grisham's unforgettable stories. Jake Brigance is back, but he's not in the courtroom. He's called upon to help an old friend, Mack Stafford, a former lawyer in Clanton, who three years earlier became a local legend when he stole money from his clients, divorced his wife, filed for bankruptcy, and left his family in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again-until now. Now Mack is back, and he's leaning on his old pals, Jake and Harry Rex, to help him return. His homecoming does not go as planned.
In "Strawberry Moon," we meet Cody Wallace, a young death row inmate only three hours away from execution. His lawyers can't save him, the courts slam the door, and the governor says no to a last-minute request for clemency. As the clock winds down, Cody has one final request.
The "Sparring Partners" are the Malloy brothers, Kirk and Rusty, two successful young lawyers who inherited a once prosperous firm when its founder, their father, was sent to prison. Kirk and Rusty loathe each other, and speak to each other only when necessary. As the firm disintegrates, the resulting fiasco falls into the lap of Diantha Bradshaw, the only person the partners trust. Can she save the Malloys, or does she take a stand for the first time in her career and try to save herself?
By turns suspenseful, hilarious, powerful, and moving, these are three of the greatest stories John Grisham has ever told.
"Homecoming" takes us back to Ford County, the fictional setting of many of John Grisham's unforgettable stories. Jake Brigance is back, but he's not in the courtroom. He's called upon to help an old friend, Mack Stafford, a former lawyer in Clanton, who three years earlier became a local legend when he stole money from his clients, divorced his wife, filed for bankruptcy, and left his family in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again-until now. Now Mack is back, and he's leaning on his old pals, Jake and Harry Rex, to help him return. His homecoming does not go as planned.
In "Strawberry Moon," we meet Cody Wallace, a young death row inmate only three hours away from execution. His lawyers can't save him, the courts slam the door, and the governor says no to a last-minute request for clemency. As the clock winds down, Cody has one final request.
The "Sparring Partners" are the Malloy brothers, Kirk and Rusty, two successful young lawyers who inherited a once prosperous firm when its founder, their father, was sent to prison. Kirk and Rusty loathe each other, and speak to each other only when necessary. As the firm disintegrates, the resulting fiasco falls into the lap of Diantha Bradshaw, the only person the partners trust. Can she save the Malloys, or does she take a stand for the first time in her career and try to save herself?
By turns suspenseful, hilarious, powerful, and moving, these are three of the greatest stories John Grisham has ever told.
Editorial Reviews
"John Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we've got in the United States these days." -The New York Times Book Review
"Grisham's work-always superior entertainment-is evolving into something more serious, more powerful, more worthy of his exceptional talent." -The Washington Post
"The law, by its nature, creates drama, and a new Grisham promises us an inside look at the dirty machineries of process and power, with plenty of entertainment." -Los Angeles Times
"A legal literary legend." -USA Today
"Grisham's work-always superior entertainment-is evolving into something more serious, more powerful, more worthy of his exceptional talent." -The Washington Post
"The law, by its nature, creates drama, and a new Grisham promises us an inside look at the dirty machineries of process and power, with plenty of entertainment." -Los Angeles Times
"A legal literary legend." -USA Today
Readers Top Reviews
John E. LincolnDebbi
Reasonable Gresham book, ex-library in good condition, at a great price. Was as described. Received promptly.
Denise Koch
Be aware that this is not really book 4 of the Jake Brigance series. It is a collection of short stories, one of which happens to contain JB. Not sure why Grisham even wrote it that way when he could have easily wrote new characters.
Shirley Eberts
All 3 stories seemed unfinished. I had to go back and reread the last few pages to be sure the story was truly finished.
Carl H DavisShirley
As good as it gets from one of the best, never lets readers down & continues to bring out the real truth behind the scenes, great read.
ARHuelsenbeckCarl H
Sparring Partners is a collection of three novellas. Jake Brigance, the hero of Grisham’s novels A Time to Kill, Sycamore Row, and A Time for Mercy, figures prominently in the first novella, Homecoming. Three years prior to the opening of the story, Mark Stafford, another Clanton, Mississippi lawyer, had abruptly divorced his wife, filed for bankruptcy, and disappeared. He wants to come home, but he may have done something illegal. He enlists Jake and Harry Rex (another lawyer familiar to followers of the series) to scope out if there are any active warrants for his arrest. The second story, Strawberry Moon, details the last hours of Cody Wallace, a young man on death row. Fourteen years earlier, when Cody was fifteen, he and his older brother Brian broke into a what they thought was an empty house with the intention of burglarizing it. Unfortunately, the owners were home, and when the husband prepared to defend his home with a shotgun, Brian drew a 9mm and shot both the husband and the wife. Before he succumbed, the husband fired back and killed Brian. Cody was the only one who survived, and he was sentenced to death. Hours before his execution, he receives a visit from a person who made his incarceration bearable. In a series of flashbacks, we learn what Cody’s life was like before his fateful last day of freedom. The third novella is Sparring Partners. The law firm of Malloy & Malloy is run by the two Malloy Brothers, Kirk and Rusty. The founder of the firm, their father, Bolton Malloy, is serving a ten-year sentence for killing their mother, his wife, who no one particularly mourned. Rusty, once a promising trial attorney, has lately been losing his cases, and the firm is in danger of financial ruin. The brothers know their father has a lot of money stashed offshore, and they want to get their hands on some of it. But Bolton has a plan to get out of jail soon. Although I enjoyed reading all three of the stories, I was disappointed with the ending of Homecoming. It felt unfinished. Strawberry Moon was beautifully constructed. We are given Cody’s backstory little by little, and the more we know, the more we long for a different ending. Grisham is an advocate for the wrongly incarcerated. Sadly, there are many Codys in the prison system. Grisham does justice a service by shedding light on their plight. The third story, Sparring Partners, is also effectively structured. As horrible as the Malloys all are, Diantha and Stu, the firm’s long-suffering managing director and accountant, ultimately come out ahead and the Malloys get what they deserve in a very satisfying wrap-up. Together, the three novellas in Sparring Partners are a good read, but not quite as good as Grisham’s full-length legal thrillers.
Short Excerpt Teaser
HOMECOMING
(1)
It was one of those raw, windy, dreary Monday afternoons in February when gloom settled over the land and seasonal depression was rampant. Court was not in session. The phone wasn't ringing. Petty criminals and other potential clients were busy elsewhere with no thoughts whatsoever of hiring lawyers. The occasional caller was more likely to be a man or woman still reeling from holiday overspending and seeking advice about unpaid credit card accounts. Those were quickly sent next door, or across the square, or anywhere.
Jake was at his desk upstairs, making little progress with the stack of paperwork he'd been neglecting for weeks, even months. With no court or hearings scheduled for days, it should have been a good time to catch up with the old stuff-the fish files that every lawyer had for some reason said yes to a year ago and now just wanted to go away. The upside of a small-town law practice, especially in your hometown, was that everyone knew your name, and that was what you wanted. It was important to be well thought of and well liked, with a good reputation. When your neighbors got in trouble, you wanted to be the man they called. The downside was that their cases were always mundane and rarely profitable. But, you couldn't say no. The gossip was fierce and unrelenting, and a lawyer who turned his back on his friends would not last long.
His funk was interrupted when Alicia, his current part-time secretary, chimed in through his desk phone. "Jake, there's a couple here to see you."
A couple. Married but wanting to get unmarried. Another cheap divorce. He glanced at his daily planner though he knew there was nothing.
"Do they have an appointment?" he asked, but only to remind Alicia that she shouldn't be bothering him with the foot traffic.
"No. But they're very nice and they say it's really urgent. They're not going away, said it wouldn't take but a few minutes."
Jake loathed being bullied in his own office. On a busier day he would take a stand and get rid of them. "Do they appear to have any money?" The answer was always no.
"Well, they do seem rather affluent."
Affluent? In Ford County. Somewhat intriguing.
Alicia continued, "They're from Memphis and just passing through, but, again, they say it's very important."
"Any idea what it is?"
"No."
Well, it wouldn't be a divorce if they lived in Memphis. He ran through a list of possibilities-Grandma's will, some old family land, maybe a kid busted for drugs over at Ole Miss. Since he was bored and mildly curious and needed an excuse to avoid the paperwork, he asked, "Did you tell them that I'm tied up in a settlement conference call with a dozen lawyers?"
"No."
"Did you tell them I'm due in federal court over in Oxford and can only spare a moment or two?"
"No."
"Did you tell them that I'm slammed with other appointments?"
"No. It's pretty obvious the place is empty and the phone isn't ringing."
"Where are you?"
"I'm in the kitchen, so I can talk."
"Okay, okay. Make some fresh coffee and put 'em in the conference room. I'll be down in ten minutes."
(2)
The first thing Jake noticed was their tans. They had obviously been somewhere in the sun. No one else in Clanton had a tan in February. The second thing he noticed was the woman's smart short haircut, with a touch of gray, stylish and obviously expensive. He noticed the handsome sports coat on the gentleman. Both were well dressed and nicely groomed, a departure from the usual walk-ins.
He shook their hands as he got their names. Gene and Kathy Roupp, from Memphis. Late fifties, quite pleasant, with confident smiles showing rows of well-maintained teeth. Jake could easily picture them on a Florida golf course living the good life behind gates and guards.
"What can I do for you folks?" Jake asked.
Gene flashed a smile and went first. "Well, sad to say, but we're not here as potential clients."
Jake kept it loose with a fake smile and an aw-shucks shrug, as if to say, What the hell? What lawyer needs to get paid for his time? He'd give them about ten more minutes and one cup before showing them the door.
"We just got back from a month in Costa Rica, one of our favorites. Ever been to Costa Rica?"
"No. I hear it's great." He'd heard nothing of the sort but what else could he say? He would never admit that he had left the United States exactly once in his thirty-eight years. Foreign travel was only a dream.
"We love it down there, a real paradise. Beautiful beaches, mountains, rain forests, great food. We have some friends who own houses-real estate is pretty cheap. The people are delightful, educated, almost all speak En...
(1)
It was one of those raw, windy, dreary Monday afternoons in February when gloom settled over the land and seasonal depression was rampant. Court was not in session. The phone wasn't ringing. Petty criminals and other potential clients were busy elsewhere with no thoughts whatsoever of hiring lawyers. The occasional caller was more likely to be a man or woman still reeling from holiday overspending and seeking advice about unpaid credit card accounts. Those were quickly sent next door, or across the square, or anywhere.
Jake was at his desk upstairs, making little progress with the stack of paperwork he'd been neglecting for weeks, even months. With no court or hearings scheduled for days, it should have been a good time to catch up with the old stuff-the fish files that every lawyer had for some reason said yes to a year ago and now just wanted to go away. The upside of a small-town law practice, especially in your hometown, was that everyone knew your name, and that was what you wanted. It was important to be well thought of and well liked, with a good reputation. When your neighbors got in trouble, you wanted to be the man they called. The downside was that their cases were always mundane and rarely profitable. But, you couldn't say no. The gossip was fierce and unrelenting, and a lawyer who turned his back on his friends would not last long.
His funk was interrupted when Alicia, his current part-time secretary, chimed in through his desk phone. "Jake, there's a couple here to see you."
A couple. Married but wanting to get unmarried. Another cheap divorce. He glanced at his daily planner though he knew there was nothing.
"Do they have an appointment?" he asked, but only to remind Alicia that she shouldn't be bothering him with the foot traffic.
"No. But they're very nice and they say it's really urgent. They're not going away, said it wouldn't take but a few minutes."
Jake loathed being bullied in his own office. On a busier day he would take a stand and get rid of them. "Do they appear to have any money?" The answer was always no.
"Well, they do seem rather affluent."
Affluent? In Ford County. Somewhat intriguing.
Alicia continued, "They're from Memphis and just passing through, but, again, they say it's very important."
"Any idea what it is?"
"No."
Well, it wouldn't be a divorce if they lived in Memphis. He ran through a list of possibilities-Grandma's will, some old family land, maybe a kid busted for drugs over at Ole Miss. Since he was bored and mildly curious and needed an excuse to avoid the paperwork, he asked, "Did you tell them that I'm tied up in a settlement conference call with a dozen lawyers?"
"No."
"Did you tell them I'm due in federal court over in Oxford and can only spare a moment or two?"
"No."
"Did you tell them that I'm slammed with other appointments?"
"No. It's pretty obvious the place is empty and the phone isn't ringing."
"Where are you?"
"I'm in the kitchen, so I can talk."
"Okay, okay. Make some fresh coffee and put 'em in the conference room. I'll be down in ten minutes."
(2)
The first thing Jake noticed was their tans. They had obviously been somewhere in the sun. No one else in Clanton had a tan in February. The second thing he noticed was the woman's smart short haircut, with a touch of gray, stylish and obviously expensive. He noticed the handsome sports coat on the gentleman. Both were well dressed and nicely groomed, a departure from the usual walk-ins.
He shook their hands as he got their names. Gene and Kathy Roupp, from Memphis. Late fifties, quite pleasant, with confident smiles showing rows of well-maintained teeth. Jake could easily picture them on a Florida golf course living the good life behind gates and guards.
"What can I do for you folks?" Jake asked.
Gene flashed a smile and went first. "Well, sad to say, but we're not here as potential clients."
Jake kept it loose with a fake smile and an aw-shucks shrug, as if to say, What the hell? What lawyer needs to get paid for his time? He'd give them about ten more minutes and one cup before showing them the door.
"We just got back from a month in Costa Rica, one of our favorites. Ever been to Costa Rica?"
"No. I hear it's great." He'd heard nothing of the sort but what else could he say? He would never admit that he had left the United States exactly once in his thirty-eight years. Foreign travel was only a dream.
"We love it down there, a real paradise. Beautiful beaches, mountains, rain forests, great food. We have some friends who own houses-real estate is pretty cheap. The people are delightful, educated, almost all speak En...
