Sycamore Row: The edge-of-your-seat courtroom drama from the number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author (Jake Brigance Book 2)

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SOME CRIMES CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN.Seth Hubbard has waited a long time for revenge.He was haunted his entire life by something terrible he saw as a child: and now he's dead, he's not going to let the past die with him.Disinheriting his wives and children, he has left his vast, secret fortune to his housemaid and appointed Clanton's famous lawyer, Jake Brigance, to uphold his last request.Now Jake must defend the will - whatever the cost...💥350+ million copies, 45 languages, 10 blockbuster films: JOHN GRISHAM IS THE MASTER OF THE LEGAL THRILLER💥 Reader reviews of Sycamore Row: 'The writing and pace are flawless' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'An excellent courtroom drama'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Brilliantly written'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Outstanding'⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'A must read!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Product Details

Manufacturer

by John Grisham (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

ASIN

B00D8CSVLW

Customer Reviews Summary

Seth Hubbard was dying of terminal cancer and in extreme pain, so it was not altogether surprising that he had chosen to end his own life. Much more surprising was that, the day before, he had handwritten a new will, leaving the bulk of his substantial fortune to his black housekeeper and specifically cutting out his own children and grandchildren. He had also left clear instructions that he wanted Jake Brigance to be the legal representative for his estate and to fight any challenges to the will `to the bitter end.'This book takes up the story of Jake Brigance three years after the end of the Carl Lee Hailey trial (A Time To Kill). Jake still hasn't recovered financially from the loss of his house, and the expected rush of clients after the Hailey trial hasn't materialised. So the idea of a case like this, with a guaranteed generous hourly rate for his work, strongly appeals. And when it becomes clear that Seth's family intend to throw everything they have into challenging the will it looks like it'll be a long case. Jake's determined to take the dispute before a jury, mainly because he loves the thrill of a court appearance.The question of why Seth would have left such a will is a matter of hot debate, with the majority view being that Lettie Lang must have been something more to him than just a housekeeper. But Lettie seems as bewildered as everyone else and maintains that their relationship was never more than that of employer and employee. So Jake's old boss, Lucien, and Lettie's daughter Portia set out to investigate the past...Grisham shows all his usual skill in this book - a great first chapter that hooks the reader straight away, an interesting plot, strong characterisation and the suspense of a jury trial with both sides pulling unexpected ambushes at the last moment. As in A Time to Kill, race is a major theme - the general feeling that Seth should not have cut out his own children is compounded by a belief amongst some of the white people that no black person deserves to have been left so much money. Greed figures prominently too - the greed of Seth's unloving children scrambling for their share, Lettie being inundated with requests for help from relatives she wasn't even aware she had, and, not least, the greed of the lawyers all trying to manipulate the case so that they get a healthy cut of the proceeds of the estate.This book doesn't have quite the same impact as A Time to Kill - Grisham has toned down the overt racism of the earlier book, presumably so as not to offend modern sensibilities, but it leaves this one feeling a bit sanitised. However, as a standalone, this is a very readable and enjoyable story. The twists were a bit obvious, I thought, meaning that the ending didn't have as much surprise value as I feel Grisham intended, and the last chapter was pretty saccharin even for Grisham, as well as seeming a bit too rushed and neat. But the quality of the writing, the characterisation and the contrast of darkness and humour mean that this still stands up well as one of Grisham's better books, leaving me hoping he will revisit Ford County and Jake Brigance again in the future. 4½ stars for me - so rounded up.