The Pelican Brief (1992)

by John Grisham

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:*#1 NEW YORK TIMES* BEST SELLER** �?� In suburban Georgetown a killer's Reeboks whisper on the front floor of a posh home... In a seedy D.C. porno house a patron is swiftly garroted to death... The next day America learns that two of its Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a legal brief... To Darby Shaw it was no more than a legal shot in the dark, a brilliant guess. To the Washington establishment it was political dynamite. Suddenly Darby is witness to a murder�??a murder intended for her. Going underground, she finds there is only one person she can trust�??an ambitious reporter after a newsbreak hotter than Watergate�??to help her piece together the deadly puzzle. Somewhere between the bayous of Louisiana and the White House's inner sanctums, a violent cover-up is being engineered. For someone has read Darby's brief. Someone who will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of an unthin… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 72 (next | show all)

I worked at a law firm where part of the movie was filmed. When Julia Roberts's character goes into a law firm to ask for a particular lawyer only to find out that he no longer works there and she leaves, that is my old firm. It is an ornate marble lobby with a small stream of water in the middle of the lobby. She goes through a glass door and can either go up an escalator or up some stairs to the reception desk, which overlooks the lobby. The walls are all glass and she can see across the floor into the conference room where the receptionist goes. I had just interviewed there before I saw the movie and was having major deja vu while watching the movie. (

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Cathie_Dyer | Feb 29, 2024 |

(or maybe 4 stars) Excellent, total page-turner. With this one you can see why his books are such best-sellers / made into movies. I read one other (later?) one by him that was pretty awful, so if I ready his stuff again , I'll check reviews first (he's written a million.) I've heard him interviewed, he's obviously a smart guy. I'm guessing he write a book a year and some are "phoned in" or failed ideas. (

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dtscheme | Jan 1, 2024 |

Ho-hum. The movie was better. (

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clarkland | Sep 5, 2023 |

Echoes of my father's influence in my taste in books. Good Memories. Been digging through the trunks of books selecting what I'm shipping across two continents to my new home, found so many by John Grisham, Robert Goddard and the rest of the Detective/Mystery Ratpack. Looking back, I was way too young to be reading any of my dad's books. Then again I was to young to be watching all his cop show Procedurals, this book is literally a core memory. (

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RoadtripReader | Aug 24, 2023 |

One of the great Grisham stories, its engaging, evocative and fast paced. The author's expertise in the legal realm pushes the boundaries of this story. It's difficult not to enjoy his work if for no other reason than reader engagement. That said, this is on par with "The Firm" and others affording it appeal across all genres. (

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Jonathan5 | Feb 20, 2023 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Grisham, John	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Ruuska, Irmeli	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Tremps, Enric	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Heyne Allgemeine Reihe (10382)

Maailma krimiklassika (13)

Mistrzowie sensacji

Is contained in

The Firm / The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

The Pelican Brief {and} A Time to Kill by John Grisham

The Pelican Brief / A Time to Kill / The Firm by John Grisham

The Firm / A Time to Kill / The Pelican Brief / The Client by John Grisham

The Chamber / The Client / The Pelican Brief / A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Firmaets mand ; Klienten / Pelikan notatet by John Grisham

(show 1 more)

The Rainmaker / The Runaway Jury / The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

Has the adaptation

The Pelican Brief [1993 film] by Alan J. Pakula

The Pelican Brief {Penguin Readers ∙ Level 5} by John Grisham

Is abridged in

The Pelican Brief {abridged audiobook} by John Grisham

Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1992 v05 by Reader's Digest

Reader's Digest Best Sellers: The Pelican Brief | Every Living Thing by Reader's Digest

Reader's Digest Auswahlbücher 184 : Die Firma. Rama Dama. Campbells Königreich. Ella by Reader's Digest

(show 3 more)

Reader's Digest Auswahlbucher 202 : Die Akte. Quellen. Wo die Bäume den Himmel berühren by Reader's Digest

Kirjavaliot: Pelikaanimuistio, Onnen sirpaleet, Paluu, Kuin kulkisi pimeässä by Valitut Palat

Reader's Digest Condensed Books: The Pelican Brief • Comeback • The Flight of the Swan • Rules of Encounter by Reader's Digest

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Evergreen Teen Book Award (Nominee – 1995)

South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee – 1993)

Distinctions

New York Times bestseller (Fiction – 1992)

Publishers Weekly Bestseller (Fiction – 1992)

Notable Lists

Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection – 1993)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Original title

The Guardians

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1992-02-15 (1e édition originale américaine, Doubleday)

People/Characters

Important places

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Louisiana, USA

Sheraton Hotel

Marriott Hotel

Important events

Related movies

The Pelican Brief (1993 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

To My Reading Committee: Renee, my wife and unofficial editor; my sisters, Beth Bryant and Wendy Grisham; my mother-in-law, Lib Jones; and my friend and co-conspirator, Bill Ballard

First words

He seemed incapable of creating such chaos, but much of what he saw below could be blamed on him.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Omnibus: The Pelican Brief / The Client

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER �?� In suburban Georgetown a killer's Reeboks whisper on the front floor of a posh home... In a seedy D.C. porno house a patron is swiftly garroted to death... The next day America learns that two of its Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a legal brief...

To Darby Shaw it was no more than a legal shot in the dark, a brilliant guess. To the Washington establishment it was political dynamite. Suddenly Darby is witness to a murder�??a murder intended for her. Going underground, she finds there is only one person she can trust�??an ambitious reporter after a newsbreak hotter than Watergate�??to help her piece together the deadly puzzle. Somewhere between the bayous of Louisiana and the White House's inner sanctums, a violent cover-up is being engineered. For someone has read Darby's brief. Someone who will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of an unthin

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