John Grisham delivers a classic legal thriller–-with a twist.In the small Florida town of Seabrook, a young lawyer named Keith Russo was shot dead at his desk as he worked late one night. The killer left no clues. There were no witnesses, no one with a motive. But the police soon came to suspect Quincy Miller, a young black man who was once a client of Russo’s. Quincy was tried, convicted, and … was tried, convicted, and sent to prison for life. For twenty-two years he languished in prison, maintaining his innocence. But no one was listening. He had no lawyer, no advocate on the outside. In desperation, he writes a letter to Guardian Ministries, a small nonprofit run by Cullen Post, a lawyer who is also an Episcopal minister.
Guardian accepts only a few innocence cases at a time. Cullen Post travels the country fighting wrongful convictions and taking on clients forgotten by the system. With Quincy Miller, though, he gets far more than he bargained for. Powerful, ruthless people murdered Keith Russo, and they do not want Quincy Miller exonerated.
They killed one lawyer twenty-two years ago, and they will kill another without a second thought.
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Not unlike carpenters, cooks, and cowboys, writers do a better job if their work is meaningful to them. John Grisham cares deeply about the death penalty. Like Scott Turow, another crackerjack author of legal thrillers, he devotes pro bono time to death penalty litigation on behalf of persons thought to be wrongfully convicted. Perhaps that’s why “The Guardians” (Grisham’s 40th novel!) rises above some other recent titles in literary quality, emotional heft, and overall punch.
The hero is Cullen Post, a former Episcopal priest with a prison ministry who’s now an “innocence lawyer.” They’re the lonely courtroom warriors who spend years trying to overturn tainted convictions. Grisham has always been a master storyteller, and that skill bodes well in a novel with such strong thematic content. “It’s fairly easy to convict an innocent man and virtually impossible to exonerate one,” Post says. Here, Post and his team are up against a twisted justice system, corrupt law enforcement, and a brutal drug cartel. Fortunately, Post has the author on his side.
I love this book. Makes you want to help every person.
A good book from start to finish. This story can happen every day, which is just scary. I enjoyed reading about someone who was able to help.
The Guardians by John Grisham was indeed a page-turner for me. It was a magnificent heart-pounding mystery thriller. The character development, plot, and setting are superbly crafted, enabling the reader to be cleverly reeled into Cullen Post’s world.
The main character, Post, is an Episcopalian priest and lawyer, who fought valiantly for the release of wrongly convicted felons.
For twenty-two years, Quincy Miller was incarcerated for a murder he did not commit. Page by page, the reader followed Post’s efforts to prove Miller’s innocents.
Five stars!
Grisham is excellent as always!
I like that this is based on a true story but is fiction. Nice the hear the history in the epilogue.
Good character development. Made me giggle at the end
I love Grisham books, in that they are my go-to reads when I am not sure what I want to read or am just not feeling one genre or another. His novels are always captivating and take you on a wild ride before leaving you with a fulfilled ending, but not without its twists and turns.
Quincy Miller was a young black man when he was charged with murdering a lawyer name Keith Russo. Quincy had been a client of Russo’s but not how was portrayed in court. He was tried, convicted and sent to death row where he has sat and maintained his innocence for the last two decades. All that got him convicted was testimony from a few shady characters, and some evidence that had gotten “lost” during the investigation.
Cullen Post, a minister and lawyer who works to fight wrongful conviction cases across the country. Albeit lots of letters come in with claims of innocence, Cullen and his team soft through and research all before deciding which ones are worth the time, money and effort. They know not everyone can be saved, but there are a few that the red flags are waving and it’s clear they are innocent.
Quincy, after three years of writing letters to Guardian Ministries, has finally gotten an answer he has been hoping for. Cullen will take his case, and to be prepared for battle. As the days and hours are currently numbered on Quincy’s life, they don’t have too long to prepare and search for evidence and tools needed to get a stay and potentially new trial.
As Cullen and his team research into Quincy’s case and start fresh from the start- they cannot believe he got convicted but as they dive deeper, and start ruffling feathers, they realize there may be more at stake than just the wrong man being convicted and that the roots of this case might just be weaved into the fabric of a corrupt system that is meant to protect and prove the truth of those who are innocent.
This was a very fast paced read, and I would love to read more stories of Cullen trying to prove the innocence of others. It is sad to know that this story is partial based on true cases and that this corruption happens all the time. Money truly talks, and really is the root of all evil.
A fast-paced legal thriller ripe with intrigue, terror, and good Samaritans. The Guardians read like classic Grisham and I loved every minute. Inspired by a true story, the novel is woven elegantly between the courtroom and the small towns of rural America. A hard to put down story!
As always, John Grisham is my favorite author and this book is exceptional reading. I commend those who work so hard to free innocent people from prison and whenever I can, I read books on this subject. God bless each and every one.
John Grisham has written another hit with the Guardians. An attorney was shot at his desk as he worked after office hours. There are no real clues and no suspects to speak of. But Quincy Miller is tried for this murder and is in prison when he is innocent. After being incarcerated for twenty two years Quincy writes to the Guardians. The Guardians is a small group that looks at cases where a person is imprisoned for a crime that they did not commit. Cullen Post one of the founders of the group was an attorney turned minister who works with a handful people and very small budget. What kind of evidence will their investigation turn up? And will they be able to free Quincy? I would definitely recommend this book.
Loved everything about this book! Great Mystery/Thriller. Read it in one day!
4 stars
Ohvey – The first few chapters were good, but then it turned into a preachy book, and every chapter seemed to not only repeat itself but read like a thesis for a criminal justice degree (I should know, I wrote one). There were many characters, and the story jetted off randomly, and chapters didn’t flow into each other. It read like a lot of good notes were put together to make a lack-luster story. I miss Mr. Grisham’s excellent storytelling abilities that were in The Confession, The Last Juror, and The Client. While this had THE in the title, it was anything like THE writing of his past.
Typical John Grisham style. Which I love to read. The characters are well done and the plot is interesting and deals with a subject that you wouldn’t normally know about unless you had direct reason to. I don’t want to spoil the story. I felt that the characters took on a life of their own.
I received a hard cover copy of this book in a contest, and I am leaving my honest review here in response.
I enjoyed The Guardians much more than any of the other Grisham books I’ve read in the recent past. Yes, there were a lot of characters in four states and two legal cases to keep straight, but the author gently reminded his reader as he switched tracks. While the ending was predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey getting there.
I haven’t finished it yet
Grisham is back to his top form.
I’m a sucker for John Grisham’s books. I admit it. I ask for his books for my birthday, for Christmas…snag them when I see them on the shelves–if I don’t already have a copy–and devour the books. For a while now, some of Grisham’s books haven’t been my cuppa. I want mystery, suspense and to turn pages needing to know what would happen next. Some of the recent books haven’t been so gripping in that respect.
This book goes back to what I want to read. It’s gripping, there are characters I worried about and I wanted to see how this would all play out. I mean, the main character is a minister-slash-attorney. I’m snagged. I liked Cullen, the minister/attorney. He’s a bit of a sleaze, but he admits it. He’s also got a big heart. When it comes to helping those who aren’t in the best shape to help themselves and get out of jail, he’s on it. I liked his Don Quixote qualities. I also liked how he devoted himself to his clients, particularly Quincy. Quincy, the lifer accused of killing another being has a gentle giant quality to him. He reminded me of the character from The Green Mile. I wanted him to get his freedom and rooted for both him and Cullen to get what they needed by the end of the book.
This is a quick read and there is one gross spot in the book. It involves alligators in the Everglades and meat. I won’t go into details, but if you’re easily nauseated, then this might be the part to skip over.
But if you’re looking for a book with redeemable characters and an intriguing plot, then this might be the book for you. Recommended.
First audio book I have listened to while working. Kind of fun way to read another book.
This was an interesting legal dram I enjoyed it.
It is a long story about a lawyer who aims to release a wrongly convicted murderer. As the story progresses it delves into the American underworld and the tension mounts as the book proceeds.
The book is about lawyer and reverend Cullen Post who opened a law firm called “Guardians”. He and his co-workers travel the country working on wrongful convictions trying to set innocent convicts free. The main case in the book is about Quincy Miller – a man who was sentenced to death row 22 years ago for a crime he claims he didn’t committ. Post and his team set out to clear Quincy and find the real killer before Quincy is executed. However – many road blocks appear and Quincy is nearly killed to keep the truth from even coming to light.
This was a good book. I have always been a John Grisham fan, and he did not disappoint yet again. It was a good story, and flowed well. Expertly written as usual. I always enjoy a good legal thriller, so I am glad I used my last Audible credit to grab this book – another extremely popular new novel that will be months to wait for through the library.