Grisham's Best Book by a mile (The Chamber - John Grisham)

Member Name: Martin52

Product:	The Chamber - John Grisham
Date:	17/06/09 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Original, compelling and well-written

Disadvantages: Not necessarily an easy book to read

In my opinion, this is the best book that John Grisham has ever written. It was one of his early novels, issued in 1994, and whilst some of his later stories may be a little simplistic and formulaic, this one certainly isn't.

The story tells of a brilliant young lawyer, Adam Hall, who risks throwing his whole career away to try and rescue an old Klu Klux Klansman who is on death row. The situation is hopeless and it seems a crazy thing for Hall to do, except that the man on death row is his grandfather.

The story has many twists and turns and gives a fascinating insight into life as it was in the deep south of the US before the civil rights movement. Unsurprisingly, from this author, it also brilliantly explains the legal process of putting someone to death in the United States.

The old man on death row is not a likeable character and yet, somehow, as the story goes on, you start to pity him and feel a bit sorry for him. As much as anything else, this book will force anyone who believes in the death penalty to, at least, rethink and reconsider their opinions.

The book is not short, at over 670 pages, but that should certainly not put you off reading this novel. Although I enjoyed reading the book, I felt a bit sad and down by the time that I came to the end of it. It's a very original and compelling story and extremely well-written. It's the sort of story that will remain in your memory for some time afterwards.

I would highly recommend reading it.

Summary: Young lawyer tries to prevent his grandfather from being executed