Sparring Partners

Overall Rating: 4/5

Sparring Partners by John Grisham is a collection of three novellas, each of which is very well-written, distinctive in setting, theme and tone and makes for an intriguing read. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and would definitely recommend it to both longtime fans of Grisham and also as an interesting introduction to those who are yet to read any of his novels.

“Homecoming” revolves around Mack Stafford, a former lawyer and resident of Clanton, Mississippi, and friends with lawyers Jake Brigance and Harry Rex (who also happens to be his lawyer). Mack disappeared from Clanton after divorcing his wife, declaring bankruptcy, and closing his practice rumored to have skipped town with his clients’ money due to show more them as part of a settlement. Three years later he makes contact with Jake and expresses his desire to return to Clanton, meet his ex-wife who is terminally ill and reconnect with his daughters who he had left behind. However, his homecoming is more complicated than he anticipated with his family wanting to have nothing to do with him and suspicions about his indiscretions leading to potential legal problems for which he requires the assistance of Jake and Harry. This novella was an average read and my least favorite among the three. With a few familiar characters (it was great to revisit Ford County with Grisham) and many new ones and an intriguing start, it did have some interesting moments but I was a tad disappointed with the way the story ultimately panned out. (My Rating: 3.5/5)

“Strawberry Moon” is an engaging story revolving around 29-year-old death row inmate Cody Wallace, who is hours away from being executed. Incarcerated for a home invasion that resulted in the deaths of his brother/partner in crime and the two residents of the house they were in the process of burgling, his appeals and requests for clemency have been denied and now he waits for the inevitable. The narrative gives us a snapshot of his life on ‘The Row’ and takes us through his final interactions with his lawyer, the prison doctor, the chaplain, his warden, a surprise visitor he has been corresponding with and the guard on duty who grants him his final wish. This was a moving and thought-provoking read. You cannot help but feel sympathy for Cody who was arrested at the young age of fourteen and ponder over the justification for capital punishment. (My rating: 4.5/5)

The final novella, “Sparring Partners”, revolves around St. Louis based law firm Malloy & Malloy and the Malloy brothers, Rusty and Kirk, who couldn’t be any more different in nature, management styles or political inclinations. They barely speak to one another and mostly communicate through ‘unofficial third partner’ Diantha Bradshaw. However, together they run the family law firm after their father was incarcerated for manslaughter and duly disbarred, though his devious efforts to manipulate from behind bars remain a constant factor of irritation. Unfortunately, the firm is in a downward spiral. While the brothers and Diantha are concerned with the survival of the firm, each of them is also motivated by self-interest and is looking to grab a larger slice of the pie from a settlement that Malloy Sr. has kept hidden with the help of his lawyer. What follows is a thrilling sequence of events involving collusion and deceit, bribery and political corruption and financial fraud. The fast-paced narrative, well-developed characters and intriguing plot kept me glued to the pages with this one. (My rating: 4.5/5)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due for release on May 31, 2022. show less

Another great book by John Grisham
This book is actually 3 novellas. I wasn't sure how I would like them, simply because I don't usually care for that format, but each of these were completely well developed and long enough to be very satisfying.
Of the three stories, the first one, Homecoming, was probably my least favorite, not because it wasn't a good story, but rather, the other two were much stronger.
The second, Strawberry Moon, was my favorite, and really thought provoking.
The Third, Sparring Partners, was very clever and had me guessing until the end.
All great stories.

Three novellas. I’m not usually a fan of short stories, but these were excellent All the elements of a good John Grisham story. The first “Homecoming” is about a lawyer who took off with the cash, and has been successfully on the run. He wants to come back and make amends, but it’s not that simple. The second story “Strawberry Moon, takes place on death row. I was prepared not to like it but it’s a story with heart. The third story, “Sparring Partners” is about two brothers, raised to be enemies and not particularly moral, by their greedy unethical father. A twist in the story makes for a humorous ending. As usual, Grisham introduces really likeable characters. I’m impressed with how well developed these characters are show more in such short stories; many authors don’t achieve that depth in much longer works. show less

Sparring Partners, John Grisham, author; Jeff Daniels, Ethan Hawke, and January LaVoy, narrators
In the first story, “Homecoming”, we encounter lots of familiar characters from previous Grisham books. Jake Brigance, a small town lawyer, is contacted by an old acquaintance, Mack Stafford, who disappeared shortly after he divorced his wife. He had not been heard from for three years. He had abandoned his two daughters, one a pre-teen and one a teenager. Margot, the daughter who pushed the envelope was the older one, and Helen, the obedient, goody two shoes, was the younger. Harry Rex had been Mack’s lawyer, but Mack insisted that he wanted Jake and Carla to come to Costa Rica for a week, just to talk. Harry would not be in a position show more to advise him. It seemed that his ex-wife Lisa was dying, and he wanted to return to Clanton to make amends of sorts, but he was not going to go to jail and needed to know if the law was after him. His wife and her family had other ideas. Was Mack guilty? If so, should he go to jail and pay for his crimes or did his unhappy life justify his actions? Will Margot reap the benefits of her father’s promise? This story is engaging, and is set up for a sequel.
The second story, “Strawberry Moon”, will tug at your heart strings. It is about a young man who is on death row, Cody, 29 years old, about to be the youngest man executed. He was only fourteen years old when his brother Brian, four years older, murdered two people. Although Cody never pulled the trigger that took the lives of the couple, he was there and was an accessory. At age 15, his trial ended, and he was sentenced to death. His brother, who did pull the trigger, had been murdered at the scene by one of the victims as he lay dying. Cody was traumatized but uninjured.
We enter the story on the last day of his life. His culpability and rehabilitation are both revealed. The reader is left to wonder if taking his life is the worthwhile solution. He really never had much of a life, to begin with. The simplest things impressed him. He had been abandoned by his prostitute mother and bounced around from orphanage to foster home until his brother Brian found him. They both lived off what they could steal. It turns out that his only friend ever, is his pen pal, Miss Iris. She gave his life meaning, encouraged him to educate himself and sent him over 1000 books in the 15 years he had been in prison and on death row. She may have rescued Cody, but he was still condemned to die and beyond the hope of redemption. He was both good and bad because of circumstances. Did his dreadful life justify his behavior? Was his punishment just? Will Miss Iris enjoy his “estate”?
The next story, which was my least favorite, gives the book its title, Sparring Partners. It is about the Malloy brothers, Rusty and Kirk. They are opposites in personality and lifestyle. One is a Democrat and the other a Republican. One is a stickler for rules, one likes to push the envelope. One is outgoing and the other is less so. Their father is in jail. He seems to have gotten away with the murder of their mother. He also made a lot of money from the settlement of a tobacco lawsuit that the boys did not want to join. He does not share the proceeds with his sons, and together with the accountant, he has hidden the funds from even the government. Rusty and Kirk resent him, and they profess to hate him. They also dislike each other.
Diantha Bradshaw is a lawyer and the managing director. She is a partner in the crimes the brothers eventually commit. Should she get away with her part in their schemes? Should the accountant? Are all of her actions justified? She resented not being made partner. There was little chance for advancement at Malloy and Malloy. She thought the brothers were guilty of having too much privilege. She was a bitter employee because she felt abused. Did Diantha’s actions justify her rewards?
All the stories are about two sides of the coin. Each talks about actions and reactions, lawfulness vs lawlessness, guilt vs innocence, reward vs punishment. In the end who deserves punishment and who deserves a reward? show less

Three short stories (novellas) two about lawyers, as always, and one featuring a criminal on death row, set in the american south. Unusually for Grisham these are mostly about lawyers trying to get away with something, usually money.

If you've never come across Grisham before this is typical of his writing, not his most brilliant best, but far from his worst either. His earliest works featured underdogs in dramatic courtroom dramas, but these problems of richer folks are perhaps less relatable to ordinary people.

I can see why Grisham basically left these stories in a drawer for a few years, as he says in the introduction. Spoiler: it’s because they suck. I had to jam through to finish them before the loan expired…didn’t want to renew and give the wrong impression that these were worth reading. Unworthy of the names of John Grisham the author and Jake Brigance the character.

Having written a positive review of 'Sooley' Grisham's most recent book, I was contacted by Doubleday offering a 'bound, pre-release galley" in exchange for use of it. Flattered, I was eager to read it once it arrived.

Broken into three novellas, the first one brings Jake Brigance back in "Homecoming"; unfortunately it was disappointing due to predictability and lackluster characters. Rather than belabor the topic and fill in the details, suffice it to say it falls short of 'A Time To Kill', the best of all stories involving Jake.

Moving to the next one, its a feeble attempt at "Just Mercy" with a death row convict on edge as his execution nears. Hail Mary passes by his attorney and efforts for re-trials and pardons fail. Once again, it show more was predictable from start to finish.

And now the good news!

In the final story, its hard not to think that Grisham pulled the plot from Trump and his henchmen who as you know were all pardoned.

With this story we meet the imprisoned father of a successful family law firm who was convicted of involvement with the death of his wife. While in prison, his two disjointed sons do their best to win litigation trials and both lack the devious nature of Dad. Hatred for one another increases over time until they learn of their father's scheme. Having kept a tobacco case settlement secret from them, he'd funneled the annual $3M to offshore accounts. Eager to get out of prison, he contrives yet another scheme and shares it with the firm's disgruntled manager. It's the old 'little does he know' thing that catches him.

All in all its not a complete failure since Grisham is a master of pacing, suspense and the legal arena. That said, I honestly cannot recommend this unless you're one of the millions of Grisham fans. I found 'Sooley' far more to my liking due to it NOT being another legal thriller. show less