Book Review: The Last Juror

The Last Juror on amazon.com

Reader Rating = ********** (10/10)

Salaams! Just finished another GREAT Grisham book that I thoroughly enjoyed and heartily recommend: The Last Juror.

This book chronicles the interesting career of Willie Traynor, a young 23 year old "northern" (from Memphis) who ends up purchasing a dying small county weekly newspaper in Mississippi in the 1970's. It is not one of Grisham's legal thrillers, although there is some good courtroom drama following a grisly murder around which much of the book revolves.

Don't expect the non-stop action of a book like The Firm or The Partner; this is more a portrait of small town Mississippi and some of its colorful characters, both black and white. This novel is more along the lines of Grisham's A Painted House, combined with a sort of Mitfordian (Jan Karon) atmosphere where you get to know the idiosyncrasies of its small town characters. Has some classic portraits of some real rednecks! :-)

Grisham manages to have his lead character investigate all 88 churches in the county, leading to some very interesting portraits of varied southern church life. Interestingly, there are several places where some of the Good News is brought to light, not least through a long-term relationship which Willie develops with a matronly black mother of eight children (all but one who earned Ph.Ds and became college professors around the country) who shares with him and prays for his soul regularly--over incredibly sumptuous meals each Thursday lunch!

It was a very satisfying read all-around.

All for now--wes

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"If you're not standing on the edge,
you're taking up too much room."
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