The Judge's List by John Grisham
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Web ID: 13390942Book the Judges List.
Love this book. Good reading.
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Return of a Great Character!
Our faith in the legal system is based on the supposition that those elected to interpret our laws themselves reverently adhere to the laws of the land. In 245 years of the union, no sitting judge has ever been accused of murder… until now. Celebrated legal author John Grisham once again returns to the world of legal investigator Lacy Stoltz with his latest novel, “The Judge’s List.” Twenty years ago, constitutional law professor Bryan Burke was brutally murdered. Without evidence, leads, or suspects, the police investigation eventually went cold and was forgotten by everyone except his daughter. Jeri Crosby has spent the last 20 years obsessing over her father’s murder, and not only has she uncovered a suspect, but she has discovered seven other victims killed in the exact same way. Each victim knew and drew the ire of her suspect, a wildly popular circuit court judge. Crippled by the fear of what becomes of those that anger the judge, she constantly lives in fear of him discovering her private investigation. Rather than going to the police, she turns to Lacy Stoltz, the brilliant legal investigator from Grisham’s “The Whistler” who is tasked by the Board on Judicial Conduct with investigating complaints against sitting judges. For the first time in her career, she isn’t investigating negligence or corruption, she’s investigating murder. Knowing full well what happens to those that end up on it, both Lacy and Jeri must tread carefully if they expect to stay off “The Judge’s List.” As a longtime fan of John Grisham, I’m sorry to say I’ve been slightly underwhelmed by his last couple of novels. While I remain an avid fan of his writing, it feels as though he’s stepped away from the sub-genre that defined his career, specifically the legal thriller. While “The Judge’s List” is a story about lawyers and judges, this is anything but a legal thriller, but more a character study into the consequences of loss and obsession. As a character study, the strongest element of the story is the characterization developed throughout. The protagonists are two dynamic, fierce women with haunted and traumatizing pasts. They are terrified by the danger inherent in both of their investigations but face that terror with determination and courage at every step. Furthermore, the antagonist, Judge Ross Bannick, is a terrifically multi-dimensional character. Blending righteous causes for revenge with frivolous imagined slights, Grisham crafts a wonderful dichotomy between Bannick’s reputable professional and social life with his twisted murderous alternate life. Watching him instantly switch between these two halves of his personality, even during brutal murder scenes, is chilling and brilliantly rendered on the page. The dialogue between the characters serves as a nuanced extension of terrific character building by adding crisp and textured layers to already well fleshed out characterization. Grisham utilizes the third person perspective with Lacy, Jeri, and Judge Bannick serving at the POV characters. The results, however, are a mixed bag. With the protagonists, the third person perspective creates distance and builds suspense and intrigue, however, when that perspective shifts to Judge Bannick, the story is robbed of most of its tension. Dropping into his perspective in the first act kills the tension far too soon by confirming many of the suspicions raised early in the story. I spent most of the time from Bannick’s POV hoping for some level of misdirection or twists that would allow us to mistrust his narration, sadly those twists never materialize. Knowing too much about the “bad guy” too early steals many of the thrills from this thriller. The novel centers primarily around the concepts of revenge and righteous justice, but sadly, these thematic topics are quickly brushed over and are never plumbed to their true depths. An opportunity to explore these deeper issues never materializes and are treated in a far too pedestrian fashion. As always, Grisham’s classic prose are smooth and immersive. His evocative language perfectly captures the desperation of the characters and creates a deeply rooted sense of foreboding that permeates every page. The story is enjoyable, engaging and a lot of fun to read, the characters are endearing and leap off the page, and the concept of a murderous sitting judge is compelling in the extreme. Unfortunately, the twists, turns, and reversals of fortune that one expects from a classic thriller never materialize and what we see is largely what we get. Fans of Lacy Stoltz will love seeing her back in action, but die-hard fans of legal thrillers may be left hoping for a bit more to sink their teeth into.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book
I could not put this book down.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Heart Pounder
All Grisham’s talents are on display. In addition to his ability to thrill, this book is a fascinating account of how to catch a judge who happens to be a serial killer.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Another Great from Grisham
I don't think Grisham is capable of anything less than great. No disappointment here.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Pure fiction - but a good story nonetheless
I’ve never read a bad John Grisham book. This one is no exception. An interesting story about a sitting judge who is a suspected serial killer trying to avenge anybody who ever wronged him and the informant and investigator who pursued the case. The technology angle is a little far fetched but other than that it will keep you interested the whole way through.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Suspenseful Thriller
The Judge's List By John Grisham Lacy Stoltz, the heroine in "The Whistler", is back in this book, working for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. As its name implies, this is an underfunded government agency that handles complaints about judges in state courts. Generally this I a rather boring job, which involves investigating claims and taking action as needed. But one day, Lacy is contacted by an extremely nervous and frightened woman who believes that a judge is, in fact a brilliant and cunning serial killer. This is a first – and sets the ball rolling for a thrill ride, a game of cat and mouse like Lacy has never seen before. This is one of Mr. Grisham's best endeavors over the past several years. The major players are well defined and the killer's ability to thwart his pursuers is amazing. Judge Ross Bannock will make your skin crawl! This is a quick but fascinating read for those who enjoy suspenseful thrillers.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Apt title
Finally found a book I really enjoyed.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com