I wanted to like this story more than I did. I see what Grisham was trying to do, bring attention to how the death penalty actually works. The story was one of those plots that just kind of plods along. Often I enjoy slow building plots so I’ll give this the benefit of the doubt. I may just be bored enough from 7 months of staying in because of COVID that I wanted something with a bit more action and a quicker pace. It did hold my interest well enough to keep me reading. Just no nights of little sleep because I couldn’t put my book down.

Spoilers.

I would have given this book a 5, but I'm not sure how I feel about the outcome. On the one hand, it did make a more dramatic statement. But, on the other hand, I do like a happy ending.

I was absolutely sure that Donte was going to be saved. Right until he was led into the room and strapped down. The suspense was unbelievable. I saw a review elsewhere and they said it was too predictable. Considering the fact that I never knew whether or not Donte was going to be saved and I was beginning to wonder if they were actually going to find the body when they were looking for it, I would call it anything but predictable.

Another thing I wish was that the police and the prosecutors had just made an honest mistake and done everything by the book. I tend to believe the best in people and I'm really hoping that such behavior does not happen. I could believe the coerced confession part. I imagine cops get quite frustrated. But, what I was really sickened by was the judge. Absolutely no show of impartiality there.

Always enjoy reading John Grisham. He addresses very real issues, his characters could be real people with real struggles. There are alot of problems with our justice system and its morality. Of all the Grisham novels, this one stands out. Good read

I usually find Grisham (and James Patterson, for that matter), too predictable. They've found a winning formula and rarely deviate from it. They've made boatloads of money from it and I know I'm in the minority. However, this was one of the better ones he's written, I think.

It deals primarily with the death penalty and the ethical issues that surround it. Using the story of Donte Drumm, a high senior who is convicted and sentenced to die for murdering a classmate. He maintains his innocence throughout, and at the last minute, the real killer fesses up and the lawyers race against time to get Donte's execution halted. A small-town preacher is dragged into the mix after the real killer, Travis Boyette, attends one of his Sunday services and stops by Keith's office to unburden himself.

This book focused less on the courtroom and legal drama and more on the race against time, the ethics around the death penalty, and how the characters struggle with concept. The book covers a short period of time - Grisham keeps the reader immersed in a period of about a week. The ending felt a little off to me; there was such a dramatic build up but the ending was fairly low-key and nothing remarkable. It was a bit of a let-down, as the pace of the story up to the last few pages was pretty quick. It almost felt like Grisham got tired and wanted to wrap it up already.

Overall, though, a quick and engrossing read.

Another great Grisham novel!

blah.

I wrote a vehement review earlier, but, apparently, it disappeared. I hate this book. The only reason I didn't give it one star is because it was better than Room.

This was a compelling story but doesn't stand out as a particularly strong entry.

Tune in here for a more in-depth discussion on John Grisham: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-20-a-time-for-grisham

Save your time and money and don't read this. The end is absolutely predictable from page 30. It's heavy, sad, hard to read, and is propaganda. Maybe it's good for US citizens, but not good for anybody else.