Like many of John Grisham's better books, The Last Juror is at its best when evoking the past--Mississippi in the early 1970s--and less effective when constructing the bait-and-switch plotting with which he makes a pointed argument about the law. When Danny Padgitt (one of a family of bootleggers that is effectively a large criminal conspiracy) is convicted of rape and murder, the jury cannot agree on the death penalty--and life sentences in this time and place are liable to be as little as nine years. Padgitt threatens the jury and when, once he is out, the jurors who heard his case start being executed, conclusions are there to be jumped to...

Grisham is arguing that justice has to be seen to be done, rather than specifically for the death penalty or even life-means-life sentencing. Though his case is loaded, it is never entirely sentimentalised partly because these events are seen through the eyes of one of his most engaging narrators--a young northern-newspaper editor out to make a name and a fortune for himself, but also committed to the truth and a saintly African-American matriarch who serves on the Padgitt jury. This is a deeply populist book, but never a stupid one. --Roz Kaveney

2008-08-01 great story

great story that intertwines the legal story of the rape nad murder with a human interest story about willie traynor's friendship with miss callie. set in the 1970's a great decade to have as a backdrop to the story as america was dealing with lots of changes most importantly desegregation and as the story is set in clanton, ms this is a big issue and great to read about. slightly disappointed at the lack of courtroom drama in the book. many faces from "a time to kill" appear such as harry rex vonner nad rufus buckley, my favourtie grisham novel which is set in contemporary clanton ms.