I would have given this book 4 stars but my enjoyment of it was somewhat marred by someone’s review on here spoiling the entire book for me. I know that’s not the authors fault but as the rating system is based on how much you liked it and not on how much you wanted to like it, I guess that’s where we are. Seriously guys, it’s just as not cool to spoil a book as it is a tv show or a movie, especially when there’s a very obvious box to check to hide the whole thing because of spoilers. The whole point to this book is the drama of whether or not they can save the condemned man. If you don’t have that because someone says in their review that he dies then there was kind of no point reading it.

Having said that I did read it and so I’ll tell you what I thought: The people who are complaining that this book is just an advert for the anti-death penalty movement completely miss the point of this book. The death penalty is barbaric, no decent, civilised society should have it, and so the fact that this book highlighted that premise in this way was not a downside to the book at all. I like John Grisham’s work in general although I have found him a little bit hit and miss sometimes, however if this book doesn’t make you feel sick and shake your head in disbelief at America (yes I know it’s fiction but I have a television) then there’s something wrong with you.