A Time to Kill

by John Grisham

Although The Firm by John Grisham seems to be the book/movie that everyone is talking about, Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, is one of my personal favorites. The horror begins on the very first page when a ten-year-old black girl is brutally raped by two white males. The repulsive details leave the reader clenching his fists and apprehensive to read on.

The novel takes a dramatic turn when the girl's father, Carl Lee Hailey, decides that the only justice these two rednecks should receive is death. He takes the law into his own hands. The Hailey case quickly receives national attention as Carl Lee could now be facing the death penalty. He chooses the young, yet respected, Jake Brigance to be his defense attorney. Because of all the national attention, Jake's career is on the line. If Hailey lives, Jake's future business will skyrocket; if he dies, his business will crash. The reader will live, laugh, and cry with Brigance on his quest to save the life of Carl Lee Hailey. When the verdict is reached, two lives will basically be saved ... or broken.

Like Grisham's other novels, this bestseller is virtually impossible to put down. Grisham puts it best when saying in the preface, "I wouldn't change a word if given the chance." Grisham, unlike many authors, has the talent to control the reader's emotions throughout his novels. A Time to Kill grabs you from the start, and never lets you go. n



Review by K. H., Westford, MA