John Grisham

Simon ist Anwalt in einer Kleinstadt. Von den hohen Honoraren im nahen Washington kann er nur träumen. Seine Klienten brauchen seine Hilfe meistens nur, wenn es um ein Testament oder eine Insolvenz geht. Mit solchen Aufträgen verdient er gerade genug, um seine laufenden Kosten zu begleichen.

Sein Leben ist alles andere als vollkommen. Seine Ehe ist zerrüttet. Er sehnt sich nach einer besseren Beziehung zu seinen Kindern. Dazu kommt eine ungute Gewohnheit, die ihn viel Geld kostet. Als eine show more ältere Dame ihn aufsucht, um ein neues Testament aufzusetzen, scheint es zunächst um ein schnelles, gewöhnliches Erbe zu gehen. Doch dann berichtet sie ihm von ihrem geheimen Vermögen. Simon sieht schon die Dollarzeichen vor seinen Augen. Das erwartete Honorar scheint die Lösung all seiner Probleme zu sein. Doch er muss erbittert feststellen, dass nichts so ist, wie es zu sein scheint.

Dieser Grisham-Roman ist wegen seiner unvorhersehbaren Handlung spannend. Nachdem die Werke dieses Bestsellerautors in den letzten Jahren nicht an seine ersten Bücher heranreichen konnten, ist dies wieder ein Top-Titel. Der Protagonist hat seine Probleme und Laster, und doch wächst er dem Leser mit seiner sympathischen Art von Seite zu Seite immer mehr ans Herz. Der Leser bangt mit, als sein Ruf und gar sein Leben bedroht sind.

Die Lösung des Rätsels ist unerwartet und am Ende des Buches wird deutlich, dass Grisham auf ein großes Unrecht hinweisen will. Das verleiht der Erzählung Stärke und gibt das Gefühl nicht nur zum Zeitvertrieb oder zur Entspannung zu lesen, sondern dabei gleichzeitig über ein wichtiges Thema informiert zu werden.

Fazit: Die Handlung ist bis zum Schluss mitreißend. Nach mehreren mittelmäßigen Büchern kann dieser packende Justizthriller mit den ersten Werken Grishams mithalten. Sehr empfehlenswert! show less

This was a surprisingly dull book with a predictable plot that unfolded over many pages. Thankfully, the CIA shenanigans kept me entertained and Teddy Maynard quickly became my favourite character. I'm also uncomfortable by the patently immoral ending: this is the second of Grisham's that I've read where ethics are sacrificed for the story. In this case, I was not entertained.
I will say, though, it's amazing that the book was published before 9/11. Grisham certainly has the pulse on current show more events and all but predicted the terrible attacks. In this sense, it is a fascinating read of politics and backroom manipulations. show less

Attorney Sebastian Rudd is the lens through which readers will examine the criminal justice system, and it will not be a flattering portrait. Rudd is a unique character, a solo practitioner who does not even have a law office. His vehicle, a large Ford cargo van, serves as his office. Rudd has a legion of enemies, both former clients and police officers who have seen their professional lives heavily damaged by his “take-no-prisoners” approach to trials. Sebastian defends people other show more lawyers won’t go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house. Why these clients? Because he believes everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even if he has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice and distrusts all levels of government while laughing at the justice system’s idea of ethical behavior. Sebastian believes he is fighting for his clients' lives while also battling corrupt police and court officials who would rather have closure than the truth.

Grisham has multiple targets in his criticism of the criminal justice process. He has chosen to present his case using an episodic format; the result is a series of short novellas with Rudd’s battles with police, prosecutors and judges being the overarching theme binding them together. But as the book progresses, it doesn't matter who is on trial. Rudd narrates his adventures with a cocky, flippant attitude rather than typical attorney-client conversations. Sebastian is always the smartest and funniest person in the room, with an endless parade of idiots circling around him.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this strange sort of Grisham novel. I found Sebastian entertaining but not realistic at all. If you're looking for a quick novel where the police and the lawyers are most often the bad guys, this can be quite readable. If you're looking for a much better lone wolf criminal defense lawyer who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, who defends clients of every kind, then I highly recommend the first book of the Mickey Haller series by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer. show less

What a disappointment. This book started off with such promise, and ended in such a ridiculous way. Luther and Nora decide they don't want to deal with the hassle of Christmas, and after Luther breaks down the expenses and thinks about what he and Nora do, he decides to quit it. Personally, I don't blame him.

However, he and Nora are bullied... there's no other way to say it, BULLIED by their neighbors for choosing to not decorate their house or put up a snowman statue. The harassment over show more the snowman was frankly ridiculous. There simply was no justification for how the Kranks were treated, they didn't try to stop anyone else from celebrating Christmas!

The ending was a huge disappointment. Instead of scrambling around when Blair said she was coming home with her fiance (she announces this RIGHT BEFORE Christmas!) her parents should have said, 'Oh sorry, honey, we already made plans'. Blair is an adult, she could have very well just stayed in South America with her fiance. Luther nearly dies putting up that stupid snowman statue on the roof, and the neighbors, who had tormented the Kranks with anonymous letters (how mature!) and even sending carolers to their house to annoy them, pitch together to have a Christmas that Blair can come home to.

The fact that the neighbors cared about Blair enough to want her to have a nice homecoming doesn't cancel out the way they treated Mr. and Mrs. Krank beforehand. I mean honestly, if I had neighbors like that, I would have sold my house to a horrible, grungy, trouble-making family and hightailed it out of there.

This book, which started out with a great message, ended as a huge disappointment with the overused cliche of Christmas cheer. The book should have ended with the Kranks going on their planned vacation, instead of giving their vacation to one of the guys who had a big part in harassing them in the first place. Granted, the Kranks felt bad for the guy's wife, who had cancer, but that still doesn't cancel out the fact that the neighbors relentlessly bullied the Kranks, all because they didn't want to deal with the hassle of Christmas preparation. (eyeroll) show less