A Time to Kill: A Novel (Jake Brigance Book 1) Kindle Edition

Grisham is my favorite. I’ve read all of his books multiple times, and I’m starting all over again. He’s a brilliant writer the way he develops the story. Usually the first chapter for most writers is boring and many readers abandon a book because it couldn’t hold their attention. Not John. He’s magical at developing the characters and the plot so as to keep the reader’s attention.

Good story line and progress through the tale. Clear, distinctive character development. Excellent narrator. What’s not to like? You read it and tell me what you think.

I love this book and have read it a few times over the years. This was the first time I listened to the audio book and loved it until chapter 38. The narrator changed and it was jarring. It did change back eventually which was good but I just thought it was strange that it changed. Regardless, it's worth listening to and I highly recommend it!

After reading virtually all of Grisham’s novels and finding out that this was one of his first was hard to believe. For me this book is in the top three that i have read over the years. I now understand why it was resurrected by his fans years after being rejected when it was first written. Great story and much insight into the racial issues that plagued the South.

From the first page, I was hooked. Excellent story line and it kept my attention. The characters became real as did their lives.

A Time to Kill is the first novel by acclaimed author John Grisham published in 1989 and instantly became a masterpiece in legal thriller genre. A Time to Kill takes place in Clanton, Mississippi and revolves around Carl Lee Hailey, Black, father of four children, three males and one 10-year-old female child named Tonya Hailey.One dreadful day while returning from the grocery store, Tonya was abducted by two racist white `rednecks' named Billy Ray Cobb and James Louis Willard. They brutally rape and beat Tonya and dump her in a nearby river after a failed attempt to hang her. She is rescued by fishers and survives. Both the rapist are arrested.Both men now indicted in rape and attempt to murder of Tonya but Carl Lee fearing all jury members will be white and acquitting - he kills both the accused using a M-16 machine gun by executing a well thought out plan.Carl Lee is charged with capital murder. Despite efforts to persuade Carl Lee to retain high-powered attorneys, he elects to be represented by his friend, white attorney Jake Brigance. Jake Brigance who once acquitted Car Lee's brother Lester in a capital murder case in Clanton.The book is set in fictional town named Clanton, Missisipi. Clanton is the mixture of both blacks and whites but city has 76% of whites whereas blacks consists only 26% of total cities population. The marrow-deep racism still exists in Clanton and white people getting acquitted in criminal cases compared to blacks are very common in Clanton as majority of jury(or most of the time all jury) member are white.This case of Carl Lee becomes a national sensation and every lawyer in the country wants to take this case for free. The quiet looking Clanton city is now filled with reporters and strangers. And to make things more complicated to defense lawyer Jake Brigance, the long forgotten and believed to be lost hundreds of years ago - Ku Klux Klan comes back to life in Clanton. The marrow-deep racism and presence of Klan members are handled pretty well in this book. The brutal attacks of the Ku Klux Klan on those who directly or indirectly involved in the defense of Car Lee Hailey puts them on par with the rapists.All the characters in this book are well thought and well-developed, specially the Jake's character. You can feel the tension mounting up as the trial date comes near and near. Though trial of Car Lee won't take place until the climax of the book. But the events which happens in Clanton before Car Lee trial either the coming Ku Klux Klan or NAACP lawyers who want to take the case from Jake are handled really well.Dialogues are well crafted and is crackling, specially dialogues between Jake and Roark. How the rape and aftermath of the murders effect the folks of the city both white and black is handled well. The psychological effect of rape on victim and victims family is handled well. It's really heart-braking when doctor tell Tonya's mother that Tonya will not have any child in the future.The way the legal system works in criminal cases and how people try to twist these systems either by purchasing one of the jury member to result in hang jury or by choosing all white jury or by presenting false witness or by using insanity defense to defend the victim very well handled and described in such way that even a novice to law can understand it pretty well.This book is well written and at times hard to follow as it has more description than dialogues but once you start reading - it's really hard to put this book down.A sequel named `The Sycamore Row` will be released next month written after 25 years of publication of A Time To Kill. Can't wait to read it.A Time To Kill is highly recommended for anyone who want's to read a good thriller.

‘A Time to Kill’ is Grisham’s first novel and in it his remarkable talents are displayed. His characters are unique and quirky, their dialogue spot on. This novel takes place in northern Mississippi in 1984. Jake is the flawed protagonist. He is likeable, smart and sassy, but his flaws sometimes grated on me. He basks in the media sunshine in the beginning but criticizes his nemesis, Buckley, for doing the same thing. Later in the book Jake avoids and even hates the media interest. He refers to them as vultures. At least Buckley is consistent in wanting their attention. Jake’s drunken mentor, unlikeable but intellectual Lucien, states that “Our legal system does not permit vigilante justice.” He also advises Jake that his client, Carl Lee is guilty of the murder charges. “Guilty as hell.” He wants Jake to plea to save him from the death penalty. But Jake insists on presenting an insanity defense even though he admits he doesn’t believe his client was insane. The quest for justice is lost in the bigger quest to win and become rich and famous. So much for lawyers’ righteousness.The other giant social obstacle that Grisham tackles (to some degree) is racism in the deep south. The intolerance is shocking at times, that these attitudes remain prevalent into this time period. It would be more believable in the 1950’s. Throughout the book and the characters within Grisham’s writing displays the indifferent insolence in some characters, extending to outright bigotry in others. In today’s world all of this is unacceptable, of course, but in this world of rural Mississippi even the good guys profess racial detriments while the antagonists are downright haters.POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEADIn the end Grisham offers no positives to this social enigma. The ending of the book, although expected, seems rushed, even contrived. Better to trim some of the fluff from the middle and lengthen the uncertainty at the end. At any rate, I would not have expected the jurors to be so easily persuaded. So, I think this is a really good book, but it isn’t perfect by a country mile.

The book was so fantastic compared to the movie! Loved it! I was just spellbound from the very beginning! Thanks for your book!