But to a twisted mind, their secret meetings and corn-pone rituals might be appealing. One might also ask if Grisham forfeits his right to moral superiority by including a subplot in “A Time to Kill” that gives the Ku Klux Klan prominence and a certain degenerate glamor.

But one might reasonably ask whether the creeps would have committed the murder without taking the drugs. Well, Grisham is a lawyer, and lawyers exist to file suits. Stone should be sued by the victim's family, Grisham said, offering the theory that “NBK” was to blame under product-liability laws. Grisham recently attacked director Oliver Stone, alleging that Stone's “ Natural Born Killers” inspired drugged-out creeps to murder a friend of Grisham's. This is the best of the film versions of Grisham novels, I think, and it has been directed with skill by Joel Schumacher.īut as I watched the film, other thoughts intruded. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey, the avenging father, and Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance, the lawyer. He practiced as a criminal defense attorney for about a decade and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives for six years.I was absorbed by “A Time to Kill,” and found the performances strong and convincing, especially the work by Samuel L. Nine of his novels have been adapted for film. He is best known for his legal thrillers, including A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Reckoning, and The Guardians. John Grisham is an American author, attorney, politician and activist.

You are my secret weapon because you are one of the bad guys. How’s a black man ever going to get a fair trial with the enemy on the bench and in the jury box? My life in white hands? You Jake, that’s how. It was okay to be afraid – just don’t show it.Īmerica is a war and you are on the other side. Lucien had taught him that fear was good fear was an ally that every lawyer was afraid when he stood before a new jury and presented his case. It will remain nothing more than a reflection of our own prejudices Until her black father acquires an assault rifle–and takes justice into his own outraged hands.įor ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client’s life…and then his own…Īnd until we can see each other as equals, justice is never going to be even-handed.

The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men.

In this searing courtroom drama, best-selling author John Grisham probes the savage depths of racial violence as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in the small southern town of Clanton, Mississippi. Audiobook Length: 16 hours and 47 minutesīefore The Firm and The Pelican Brief made him a superstar, John Grisham wrote this riveting story of retribution and justice.

A time to kill book