In a weedy lot on the outskirts of memphis, two boys watch a shiny Lincoln pull upt ot the curb… Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his younger brother were sharing a forbidden cigarrette when a chance encounter with a suicidal laywer left Mark knowing a bloody and explosive secret: the whereabouts of the most sought-after dead body in America. Now Mark is caught between a legal system gone … gone mad and a mob killer desperate to cover up his crime. And his only ally is a woman named Reggie Love, who has been a lawyer for all of four years. Prosecutors are willing to break all the rules to make Mark talk. The mob will stop at nothing to keep him quiet. And Reggie will do anything to protect her client — even take a last, desperate gamble that could win Mark his freedom… or cost them both their lives.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from John Grisham’s The Litigators.
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Grisham at his best
One of the best books, I have ever read. It’s a must read!
I liked this book much better than some of his others. This one wasn’t bogged down by legalese as much. I enjoyed the kid’s side of the story best. It had some humor, raw emotion, and empathy. Mark is a scrappy street-wise genius and I was in awe of his survival skills. Waiting to see if he would spill his guts to the authorities kind of dragged out a bit but it still kept me on the edge til the last page.
I skimmed a bit over the long detail of the mafia case but loved the relationship between tough, young Mark and his lawyer Reggie. Her mother, Mama Love, has a huge heart taking in troubled kids, plus her cooking sounded delicious! The ending was worth waiting for and did not disappoint. In fact, it almost made me cry.
I read this book 25 years ago, when it came out. For research, I’m reading through a stack of legal thrillers. I picked this one up again and it’s as if I was reading about Mark and Reggie, et al. for the first time. True, I didn’t remember the story, but not because it isn’t memorable. The passage of time and hundreds more books read wiped my memory. This ranks as one of Grisham’s best for me.
Keeps you interested
Typical Grisham
I feel like this is the weakest of all of Grisham’s novels, but it is still a decent read. Even the best storytellers will occasionally be just OK.
A very good book. If you like stories involving lawyers and action packed – Grisham is your man.
Wonderful read it you are a fan of john