The Confession

Although a work of fiction, this book greatly changed my view on capital punishment. For most of my life I have been pro death penalty. Living in Texas, I was proud to know that my state took a tough stand with zero tolerance against hardened criminals. As a result of this book, I now strongly doubt the integrity of the justice system and the effectiveness of capital punishment. If even one person is wrongly convicted and put to death, then the system has failed and must be carefully reexamined and possibly reformed. If one innocent person is put to death, then we ourselves become the criminal. And, those who are correctly convicted and placed on death row are not given a second chance to be redeemed with an opportunity of becoming a good citizen. Instead, they are whisked away to prison, ultimately stuck onto a gurney and put to death like some useless piece of trash. However, Christ redeemed the lost, the sick, and even hardened criminals. Should we should not emulate Him?

One thing I don't like about Grisham is his biased tilt to the left, always critical of those on the right. And, this showed in this book. All churchgoers are arms-bearing, Republican, death penalty, rednecks. And those on the left are the ONLY ones who take up the cause for the weak and take a stand against the death penalty. Why can't we keep this an unbiased story? Do we really have to be so polarized? Why can't we work together on these and other issues and seek reconciliation for the good of our common man? I believe someday we can and will.

If you can read past the political rhetoric I believe this can be one of Grisham's best books yet. I highly recommend it. Full of suspense and mystery with never a dull moment. And I hope it truly speaks to those who are pro capital punishment and will seek the will to change the system. ( )

This was more a commentary on the death penalty in some states. A good piece of fiction, but slightly less entertaining than some of his other work. ( )

May's reading group book. This is what I like about the reading group - I would never have picked this book up - I don't like thrillers, you see. Actually, what I don't like is gore & violence, neither of which appear in this book to any great extent. Basic surmise is that a murder was committed in Texas and the police put the wrong guy away for it. He's due to be executed when the real killer turns up at a distant church and says he did it. The book then follows the events that arise from this.
there is plenty of tension and surprises along the way, but it's well written and completely believable.
It's not an unbiased book, the author is plainly against the death penalty, and I did feel that I was being preached to quite a lot. The characterisation also skews the book further; the victim's mother is an unsympathetic character, whereas the supposed felon's mother is written to garner all your sympathy.
Having said that, I devoured it in one sitting - and it completely didn't end how I thought it would. The ending is rather weak, such that it sort of tails off quite disappointingly. Having said that, it did provoke one of the most lively discussions at the book club of any title we've read, so there's certainly a lot to think about.
Would I read another John Grisham? Well yes, I might give him another go on the basis of this one. ( )

An eloquent statement against the death penalty. And a possible answer to what would happen if ... that thing which many anti-capital punishment arguers imagine to be possible/probable actually happened.

Texas -- what more can I say? To be honest I wasn't really in the know about Texas "justice" until I moved there in 1997. My own brother speaks of the necessity for capital punishment. He claims the chance of executing an innocent person is "worth it" to him. My answer would be, "What if someone in your family, or someone you cared about got caught up in the execution machine in Texas?" It's easy for him to dismiss that possibility, since he's white and upper middle class and insulated from what those who most often die in Huntsville have to deal with.

A chilling, and very realistic piece of fiction. Grisham has improved a great deal over the years. ( )

Firstly let me state that I am a huge fan of Grisham and have read virtually all of his books. However IMHO this is not one of his best.
Like others I loved the first two thirds of the book as we see the race to save Donte Drumm from execution for a crime he did not commit, a crime apportioned to him mainly because of the colour of his skin. The whites in the town needed someone to punish and if he happens to be black then all the better all this despite the fact that there no body and as such no certainty that a crime had even been committed.
As usual Grisham does not bother too much about character development but the story is fast paced and is a page turner. However, once Donte is executed the book becomes more of a soapbox for Grisham's own political leanings (anyone whose has read An Innocent Man) will recognise them: anti-death penalty, lazy and corrupt police and judiciary, and racial inequality within the American legal system. From this point on the story, although still readable, rather loses steam and with it it's punch.
A good read but not one of his best. ( )