The Guardians

The Guardians

A deftly written and thought-provoking book that will stick with you long after the last page is turned.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Quincy Miller has spent the past twenty-two years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He had no lawyer and no advocate until he wrote a letter to Guardian Ministries, a small innocence group based in Savannah, Georgia which handles only a few wrongful conviction cases at a time. Cullen Post, one of the founders of Guardian Ministries is a lawyer, and minister who travels the South investigating the evidence in innocence cases, and he has agreed to take Quicy’s case.

Quincy had been accused of murdering a young lawyer named Keith Russo. Russo was shot at his desk, while show more working late one night. The killer left no clues and no witnesses behind. But Quincy was framed, convicted and sent to prison for life for Russo’s murder. Powerful people murdered Russo and they will do whatever it takes to keep Quincy from getting exonerated. But Cullen Post will go anywhere and do whatever it takes to get Quincy’s name cleared.

“In at least half of the DNA exonerations of innocent men and women, bad forensics have been the cornerstone of the prosecution’s evidence.”

REVIEW
THE GUARDIANS is a wrenching look at injustice in the legal system. I loved this book and could not stop myself from inhaling the pages. It reminded me of some of Grisham’s early legal thrillers.

Cullen Post’s character, who is based on a real person, was delightfully well developed. You will admire his dedication and diligence as well as his sensitivity and tirelessness in his efforts to clear Quincy’s name.

John Grisham’s writing is seamless and the story is compelling. He deftly captures the mood, the sense of urgency and the injustice of the wrongly convicted. You will feel the angst and the helplessness of both Quincy and Cullen. One of my favorite and funniest part of the book is when Cullen and Frankie, another Guardian Ministries employee, who had previously been exonerated, had quite an adventure in a haunted house.

THE GUARDIANS really makes you stop and think of the many men and women who have been wrongly convicted and are still serving time for crimes they did not commit. How many cases would and could be easily overturned by the DNA technology available today. Who will take up their cause? Who will fight for them as hard as Cullen fought for Quincy. This is the kind of thought-provoking book that will stick with you long after the last page is turned.

THE GUARDIANS is John Grisham 40th novel, and there is no doubt that the man can write a good story. His inspiration for this book came from two sources. Cullen Post’s character is based on Jim McClosky of Centurion Ministries in New Jersey, while the plot for The Guardians is based on the true story of Joe Bryan who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife in Texas. I listened to this compelling book on Audible and immensely enjoyed the narration of the story by Michael Beck.

Publisher Doubleday
Published October 15, 2019
Narrated Michael Beck
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com show less

John Grisham is a very talented writer, but I must admit - I've found his last few books to be 'just okay' reads. But, this latest release, The Guardians, is absolutely fantastic! It felt like a return to his roots, if you will. It's easily one of my fave reads for 2019.

I really liked the lead character - Cullen Post. He's a lawyer and a minister. He and a skeleton staff run Guardian Ministries. Their mandate is to overturn wrongful convictions, to release the innocent who have spent years behind bars for crimes they did not commit. Limited resources means they only take a few cases at a time.

Their latest case is that of Quincy Miller, who has spent over twenty years in prison for the murder of a lawyer. Their are many flaws in the show more case, but as Post investigates, he realizes that there are those still around who don't want this case - or Quincy - to see the light of day.

I loved the premise! It's not a new idea, but Grisham executes it so very well. A combination of investigation and legal maneuvers kept me thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. There are other smaller cases and some personal moments along the way that only added to the book.

I'd love to see more of Post and his team - I feel like there are so many more stories and cases that could be told by Guardian Ministries. On reading the author's notes at the end of the book, I learned that the plot of The Guardians is based on an actual case.

The Guardians was an excellent read and an easy five stars. show less

This book is straight out of John Grisham's wheelhouse, in the most satisfying way. A group of underdog heroes we can root for, an innocent man who genuinely deserves to be exonerated, bad guys who are truly bad- there is little ambiguity in The Guardians and I was totally fine with that. With the state of the world today, sometimes it's comforting to know exactly who wears the white hat and who wears the black hat, even if that's not particularly realistic.

Also, John Grisham seldom minces words about the failings of the criminal justice system in this country, but I found The Guardians a particularly eye-opening education in just how often people are wrongly convicted by the use of inaccurate science, paid 'expert' testimony, and show more testimony from people who have been... let's say 'compensated' for their testimony, usually by having their own sentences reduced.

All in all, this is one of the better examples of what John Grisham does so well. Highly recommend. show less

A truly meaningful plot that is driven by an original protagonist, a dichotomous character that is a minister and practicing lawyer. The Guardians by Grisham is as intriguing as it is sobering. There is a protagonist that we cheer on, he is a man, a lawyer of all people, that puts meaning and integrity first by having made it his life mission to set free the wrongfully convicted.
Yet, The Guardians is as intriguing as it is sobering as the author skillfully introduces statistics of the many innocently incarcerated but also of the duration of the legal process of releasing these unfortunates - both large numbers, indeed.
This is Grisham true to form. This is recommended reading.

Another great and gripping book by John Grisham. This is a good one! Cullen Post is an Episcopal minister/lawyer who works for a small non profit called Guardian Ministries whose main objective is to free prisoners who have been wrongly imprisoned. Being a small organization, they can only take a few cases. Quincy Miller has written him a compelling letter claiming his innocence, that 22 years ago, he didn't kill Keith Russo, a prominent attorney in the small town of Seabrook, FL. When Cullen begins to investigate Quincy's case, those involved in the cover up are alerted and their reach is far. They've kept things under wraps for all this time and aren't about to let it unravel. There are many more players that what seemed initially. show more Guardian Ministries got much more than they bargained for. show less

A slower-paced legal story with a bit too long run up to moving the story forward. However, it was a fascinating exposé in its own way of the incompetence and potential corruption amongst greedy lawyers and lazy judges. The author's afterword was valuable in showing how he related his story in the novel to real-life scenarios where innocent (usually impoverished) folks are wrongfully imprisoned. Well worth reading.

The Guardians, John Grisham, author; Michael Beck, narrator
Grisham knows how to write a book that holds the reader’s attention. Although it is simplistic at times, in its style, and although there is no real action to excite the reader, many of the problems in our justice system are exposed in this novel in a way that the public can digest easily. It illustrates the danger that often fasces those who stare down the injustices of society. Often it is horrifying, like when corrupt individuals and organizations like drug cartels take justice into their own hands, and often it is uplifting when justice prevails and the innocent go free. Always, it is appealing and will hold the reader’s interest. Several cases of unfairly sentenced show more victims are developed and the effort to set some free is described in detail.
In particular, however, the novel focuses on Quincy Miller, a man who has been behind bars for more than two decades for a murder he did not commit. Cullen Post and his compatriots work tirelessly for Guardian Ministries to free the wrongfully convicted. They expend this effort for very little personal, material compensation, but rather they work for the satisfaction of righting injustice. Cullen Post was once a public defender. In the past, he had a nervous breakdown when assigned to defend a violent, barbaric murderer, and he abandoned his law career. His marriage dissolved after months of psychiatric treatment, and he decided to enter the seminary and became an Episcopal minister. After that effort waned, and he needed to do more, he joined forces with a woman who opened a ministry that defended those that some might call the indefensible, the convicted felons on death row. Some had no money, but all insisted they were innocent. Some of the convicts that contacted them were eventually exposed as guilty, but most were not, and the effort to save them is always laudable.
The reader learns that there are many wrongfully convicted prisoners languishing in prison. The justice system does not make it easy to reverse course once it has ruled, even when new evidence is discovered. Are there jailhouse snitches, have some wives and husbands lied to convict their spouses, do witnesses lie, do some forensic scientists adjust their testimony to suit the person who hires them, do the real murderers feel no guilt when someone dies in their stead? Yes, apparently.
There are lots of moral questions arising from this straightforward tale about injustice and those that devote themselves to work to correct the failures of our justice system. It is inspiring to learn of that effort. At the end, the author’s note explains that this novel is based on a real case, and there is a real organization, like Guardian Ministries. It is the Centurion Ministry. It is a non-profit that works to free the wrongfully convicted. He also notes that they could use donations to further their efforts more effectively. If this book interests you and inspires you to learn more, I suggest you also read the non-fiction book by the author Grisham mentions, Bryan Stevenson. It is called “Just Mercy”.
The narrator of this book was spot on. He read with perfect tone and emphasis, never getting in the way of the book's message. show less