 |
The Runaway Jury by John Grisham
Book Summary InformationAuthor: John Grisham Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Published: 1996-05-01 ISBN: 0385472943 Number of pages: 416 Publisher: Doubleday
Book Reviews of The Runaway JuryBook Review: Entertaining but not believable Summary: 3 StarsThe book kept me interested, for the most part, but I never accepted the basic premise: that conspiracies, involving large numbers of people, can be maintained for the long haul. There is always the chance, the fear that just one of those inside the plot will "get religion" or sell their story to the tabloids, in which case there is pluperfect hell to pay. Not even the mob is leak proof all the time.
Conspiracies seem to abound with this jury, and the reader is never quite sure who is doing what and to whom. Piles and piles of money are at stake when a tobacco company is sued for selling the cigarettes that allegedly killed a man. If the suit is successful, more suits will surely follow, and more piles and piles of money will be at stake.
This being the case, it is logical to believe that tobacco companies might want to tamper just a tad with the juries. Ditto on Wall Street. But the people who run tobacco companies are not lamebrains, even though they may not be entirely forthcoming with the truth about their product. They know that if they get caught fixing the jury, the jig is up for them. Subtlety and deniability are paramount. But in this book, those two elements seem to be missing, and that's where the plot falls of its own weight.
The characters are nicely drawn. The courtroom feels real enough. The dialogue is right. Not being a lawyer, I can't comment on the legalities, but they sound OK. All I know is that I didn't accept the basic premise, and that is absolutely essential for the enjoyment of a book.
Summary of The Runaway JuryEvery jury has a leader, and the verdict belongs??to him. In Biloxi, Mississippi, a landmark tobacco??trial with hundreds of millions of dollars at??stake beginsroutinely, then swerves mysteriously off??course. The jury is behaving strangely, and at??least one juroris convinced he's being watched. Soon??they have to be sequestered. Then a tip from an??anonymousyoung woman suggests she is able to predict??the jurors' increasingly odd behavior. Is the jury??somehow being manipulated, or even controlled? If??so, by whom? And, more important,why? Millions of dollars are at stake in a huge tobacco-company case in Biloxi, and the jury's packed with people who have dirty little secrets. A mysterious young man takes subtle control of the jury as the defense watches helplessly, but they soon realize that he in turn is controlled by an even more mysterious young woman. Lives careen off course as they bend everyone in the case to their will.
|
 |
Witness for the Deadby Michael Fredrickson Forge; Published: 2001-04; Hardcover; BookBest price: $1.30Price in other shops: $25.95
Key Witnessby J. F. F. Freedman Dutton Adult; Published: 1997-08-01; Hardcover; BookBest price: $0.87Price in other shops: $23.95
The Hamilton Case: A Novelby Michelle de Kretser Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2004-05-12; Hardcover; BookBest price: $0.49Price in other shops: $24.95
Reckless Homicideby Ira Genberg St. Martin's Press; Published: 1998-01; Hardcover; BookBest price: $2.08Price in other shops: $23.95
Harmful Intent: A Novelby Baine Kerr Scribner; Published: 1999-04-15; Hardcover; BookBest price: $0.59Price in other shops: $25.00
Wrongful Death: A Novel (Lisa Drew Books)by Baine Kerr Scribner; Published: 2002-05-07; Hardcover; BookBest price: $0.01Price in other shops: $25.00
Billy Strobe: A Novelby John Martel Dutton Adult; Published: 2001-09-01; Hardcover; BookBest price: $1.39Price in other shops: $25.95
Nothing but the Truthby John Lescroart Delacorte Press; Published: 2000-01-04; Hardcover; BookBest price: $5.96Price in other shops: $24.95
The Oath (Dismas Hardy)by John Lescroart Dutton Adult; Published: 2002-01-14; Hardcover; BookBest price: $0.88Price in other shops: $25.95
Past Due (Lashner, William)by William Lashner William Morrow; Published: 2004; Hardcover; BookBest price: $2.89Price in other shops: $24.95
|
The Last Jurorby John Grisham Delta; Published: 2006-04-25; Paperback; BookBest price: $2.99Price in other shops: $13.00
A Time to Killby John Grisham Dell; Published: 2004-03-15; Paperback; BookBest price: $4.94Price in other shops: $13.00
The Brethrenby John Grisham Island Books; Published: 2000-12-26; Mass Market Paperback; BookBest price: $0.24Price in other shops: $7.99
The Firmby John Grisham Dell Publishing Company; Published: 1992-02-14; Mass Market Paperback; BookBest price: $1.24Price in other shops: $7.99
The Pelican Briefby John Grisham Island; Published: 1993-03-01; Mass Market Paperback; BookBest price: $0.36Price in other shops: $7.99
The Chamberby John Grisham Delta; Published: 2005-12-27; Paperback; BookBest price: $4.74Price in other shops: $13.00
The Street Lawyerby John Grisham Delta; Published: 2005-04-26; Paperback; BookBest price: $4.50Price in other shops: $14.00
The Testamentby John Grisham Island Books; Published: 1999-12-28; Mass Market Paperback; BookBest price: $1.98Price in other shops: $7.99
The Partnerby John Grisham Dell; Published: 1998-01-07; Mass Market Paperback; BookBest price: $0.99Price in other shops: $7.99
The Rainmakerby John Grisham Delta; Published: 2005-09-27; Paperback; BookBest price: $5.58Price in other shops: $13.00
|