A Time To Kill (1989) - the first book in the Jake Brigance series - is a multimillion-copy bestselling thriller that launched John Grisham, became the film and has now inspired a sequel, Sycamore Row (2013).
Paperback reissue: When Carl Lee Hailey guns down the monsters who have raped his ten-year-old daughter, the people of Clanton in Mississippi see it as a crime of blood and call for his acquittal. But when extremists outside Clanton hear that a black man has killed two white men, they invade the town, determined to destroy anything and anyone that opposes their sense of justice.
Jake Brigance has been hired to defend Hailey. It's the kind of case that can make or break a young lawyer. But in the maelstrom of Clanton, it is also the kind of case that could get a young lawyer killed.
Where did the inspiration for this superb, unputdownable and compelling debut come from?
"I began (A Time to Kill) in the fall of 1984, just three years out of law school and still very wet behind the ears. In those early days of my legal career, I spent many hours in courtrooms, watching good lawyers try their cases. I have always been fascinated by courtrooms - still am. People discuss things in open court that they wouldn't dare mention outside their homes. The greatest dramas occur not on screens or stages, but in countless courtrooms across this country," wrote John Grisham in the Author's Note in 1992.
As the natural storyteller Grisham is, he continued, "One day, I stumbled upon a horrible trial in which a young girl testified against the man who brutally raped her. It was a gut-wrenching experience for me, and I was only a spectator. One moment she was courageous, the next pitifully frail. I was mesmerized. I could not imagine the nightmare she and her family had been through. I wondered what I would do if she were my daughter."
"As I watched her suffer before the jury, I wanted personally to shoot the rapist. For one brief yet interminable moment, I wanted to be her father. I wanted justice. There was a story there. I became obsessed with the idea of a father's retribution. What would a jury of average and ordinary people do to such a father? Naturally, there would be a great deal of sympathy, but would there be enough for an acquittal?"
"The idea for this novel emerged over a three-month period in which I thought of little else. A Time To Kill came from the heart. It's a first novel, and at times rambles, but I wouldn't change a word if given the chance."
Rambling it certainly ain't, Mr Grisham, it is a hugely entertaining and at the same time thought-provoking read. What could be a better combination for a die-hard fan? Thank you.
About the author: John Grisham is the author of thirty-two internationally bestselling books, including the Theodore Boone series for children and the non-fiction blockbuster An Innocent Man (2006). A Time To Kill was made into a major film starring Matthew McConaughey and has become one of the world's best-loved novels.
Find out more at jgrisham.com and stay in touch via Facebook at John Grisham Books. He lives in Virginia and Mississippi.
Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment