It was one of those raw, windy, dreary Monday afternoons in February when gloom settled over the land and seasonal depression was rampant. Court was not in session. The phone wasn t ringing. Petty criminals and other potential clients were busy elsewhere with no thoughts whatsoever of hiring lawyers. The occasional caller was more likely to be a man or woman still reeling from holiday overspending and seeking advice about unpaid credit card accounts. Those were quickly sent next door, or across the square, or anywhere.
Jake was at his desk upstairs, making little progress with the stack of paperwork he d been neglecting for weeks, even months. With no court or hearings scheduled for days, it should have been a good time to catch up with the old stuff the fish files that every lawyer had for some reason said yes to a year ago and now just wanted to go away. The upside of a small-town law practice, especially in your hometown, was that everyone knew your name, and that was what you wanted. It was important to be well thought of and well liked, with a good reputation. When your neighbors got in trouble, you wanted to be the man they called. The downside was that their cases were always mundane and rarely profitable. But, you couldn t say no. The gossip was fierce and unrelenting, and a lawyer who turned his back on his friends would not last long.
His funk was interrupted when Alicia, his current part-time secretary, chimed in through his desk phone. Jake, there s a couple here to see you.
A couple. Married but wanting to get unmarried. Another cheap divorce. He glanced at his daily planner though he knew there was nothing.
Do they have an appointment? he asked, but only to remind Alicia that she shouldn t be bothering him with the foot traffic.
No. But they re very nice and they say it s really urgent. They re not going away, said it wouldn t take but a few minutes.
Jake loathed being bullied in his own office. On a busier day he would take a stand and get rid of them. Do they appear to have any money? The answer was always no.
Well, they do seem rather affluent.
Affluent? In Ford County. Somewhat intriguing.
Alicia continued, They re from Memphis and just passing through, but, again, they say it s very important.
Any idea what it is?
No.
Well, it wouldn t be a divorce if they lived in Memphis. He ran through a list of possibilities Grandma s will, some old family land, maybe a kid busted for drugs over at Ole Miss. Since he was bored and mildly curious and needed an excuse to avoid the paperwork, he asked, Did you tell them that I m tied up in a settlement conference call with a dozen lawyers?
No.
Did you tell them I m due in federal court over in Oxford and can only spare a moment or two?
No.
Did you tell them that I m slammed with other appointments?
No. It s pretty obvious the place is empty and the phone isn t ringing.
Where are you?
I m in the kitchen, so I can talk.
Okay, okay. Make some fresh coffee and put em in the conference room. I ll be down in ten minutes.
(2)
The first thing Jake noticed was their tans. They had obviously been somewhere in the sun. No one else in Clanton had a tan in February. The second thing he noticed was the woman s smart short haircut, with a touch of gray, stylish and obviously expensive. He noticed the handsome sports coat on the gentleman. Both were well dressed and nicely groomed, a departure from the usual walk-ins.
He shook
Langtext
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER John Grisham is the acknowledged master of the legal thriller. In his first collection of novellas, law is a common thread, but America s favorite storyteller has several surprises in store.
Homecoming takes us back to Ford County, the fictional setting of many of John Grisham s unforgettable stories. Jake Brigance is back, but he s not in the courtroom. He s called upon to help an old friend, Mack Stafford, a former lawyer in Clanton, who three years earlier became a local legend when he stole money from his clients, divorced his wife, filed for bankruptcy, and left his family in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again until now. Now Mack is back, and he s leaning on his old pals, Jake and Harry Rex, to help him return. His homecoming does not go as planned.
In Strawberry Moon, we meet Cody Wallace, a young death row inmate only three hours away from execution. His lawyers can t save him, the courts slam the door, and the governor says no to a last-minute request for clemency. As the clock winds down, Cody has one final request.
The Sparring Partners are the Malloy brothers, Kirk and Rusty, two successful young lawyers who inherited a once prosperous firm when its founder, their father, was sent to prison. Kirk and Rusty loathe each other, and speak to each other only when necessary. As the firm disintegrates, the resulting fiasco falls into the lap of Diantha Bradshaw, the only person the partners trust. Can she save the Malloys, or does she take a stand for the first time in her career and try to save herself?
By turns suspenseful, hilarious, powerful, and moving, these are three of the greatest stories John Grisham has ever told.