Having never read a Grisham, yet having enjoyed some of the many film adaptations, I decided to pick up one of his novels. The charity shop I was in at the time had The Pelican Brief, which begins with the murders of two Supreme Court Justices and then delivers a fast-paced hunt for the people responsible. Unwittingly, law student Darby Shaw writes the brief of the title that gets her involved in a life-or-death conspiracy.
Grisham's easy style and cracking plot coupled with interesting characters and well-researched subjects put me in mind of Michael Crichton, which is never a bad thing. I've seen the Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington starring movie version, but it didn't colour my enjoyment of the novel as I can't recall much about it! I got to enjoy The Pelican Brief with no foreknowledge of the outcome and enjoyed even more for that. Supporting characters are killed off unexpectedly, the motives of high-level government officials are intriguing and Darby Shaw is a sympathetic and resourceful heroine. I really enjoyed the interactions of the Supreme Court with the White House, CIA, FBI and the press, I always find it fun to read fiction set in the world of US government. I'd happily pick up another Grisham tomorrow.
briefly...
An exciting, non-stop chase with characters to care for and lashings of political intrigue.
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