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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I just didn’t care enough about the characters or story. Actually did not finish it. Usually love J Grisham’s books.
The subject matter of a condemned prisoner being saved at the last minute particularly when innocent is something close to the heart to most of us. That is the basis the organization of Guardians we are introduced to in John Grisham’s new novel. Interesting, fun and something thought provoking, I hope we will see more in this Guardian series.
I love anything John Grisham writes. This is a great book for those that follow John.
I enjoyed it very much
“The Guardians” by John Grisham Narrator: Michael Beck
I had been waiting for what seemed like forever for my turn to download this book from my state library. And, I have consumed this story in less than two days which is amazing since this audiobook is just short of a twelve (12) hour read. It is another spell-binding story that truly lives up to the author’s reputation of intense suspense.
When you read this story… be sure to read the author’s note. That note contains an important non-fiction message. This story is worth the wait, but if you are in a hurry it is worth the purchase price. Because this story should be required reading for everyone, in my humble unbiased opinion! Happy Reading ! !
The usual Grisham book but sometimes a bit to wordy. I still liked the book a lot. Maybe just a little to close to reality to make it scary. Grisham knows how to touch real subjects and make them hit home!
The Guardians is a typical John Grisham novel. That is to say, it is well-written and the legal acumen is superb. This book is the story of a storefront legal office in Savannah that scours the prisons for innocent inmates – not only innocent, but who have a decent chance of exoneration by a group of limited manpower and means. The protagonist is Cullen Post of Guardian Ministries, a lawyer who is also an Episcopal priest. He takes on a client, Quincy Miller, who was railroaded on a murder charge in a corrupt Florida town and has been languishing in prison for over twenty years. As the story commences, it becomes known that there are still some bad guys around who would like to keep Miller in jail and the murder case closed. So an atmosphere of danger has been established.
The book faithfully chronicles Post’s investigation of Miller’s case, which takes him back and forth across the southeastern US, where he meets many interesting and well-drawn characters. In the early stages of the investigation, no one outside of Miller and Guardian Ministries even knows someone is looking into the case, so the impending sense of doom is still present, but not imminent. However, Post knows that at some point, the people who engineered Miller’s conviction will become aware of Guardian’s activities, and consequences may ensue.
The climax comes in an unexpected manner about two-thirds of the way through, but then Post and Guardian get the almighty FBI involved, who bring the bad guys are swiftly to heel. So the last third of the book is simply a detailed account of Miller’s exoneration (a foregone conclusion by now), which isn’t really very suspenseful. Grisham has had a problem with endings since he began writing, and he can also become immersed in the legal details that he knows so well, at the expense of the story. That’s why I’ve docked the book a star. However, the Guardians is still a fascinating read, well worth the time.
I enjoyed this book. The plot line wasn’t hugely original but it had pace and was an engaging read. I found some of the character names unusual and hard to remember, but otherwise this was a good read.
Based on a real character and true to life events, this novel of fiction explores what happens to the wrongly convicted. Cullen Post and his colorful associates devote their lives and livelihoods to overturn false convictions, uncovering the confusing mazes of corrupt activities that fall on innocent people. This is a gripping read that is difficult to put down.
Grisham’s The Guardians weaves two true stories together: the plot of a murder never solved while the wrong woman languishes in jail, and the very real innocence projects operating across the country whose mission is to save innocent people from death row. He references one such group and its founder and leader in the forward and acknowledgments. This man becomes a character in the book. It’s a fascinating, enlightening read.
An interesting cast of characters and clients. This the only author to ever really challenge my belief in the death penalty, he definitely plays on one’s emotions.
Not my favorite Grisham book but an important story we ‘ll told. The conclusions were predictable but there were some very interesting characters and some great insights. My favorite of his is the Confession. Similar plot, more suspenseful, edge of the seat, page turning conclusion
A good story that needed to be told.
Great book! One of the authors real life true interest.
The Guardian is a real page-turner as all of his books are. It is about three attorneys whose life work is to free innocent convicts from prison. An inside look at dirty politics interfering with justice. The protagonist’s humor is refreshing as the tension builds…it started out a bit slow and had many characters to keep straight BUT was well worth reading. It all came together. A very exciting and thought provoking novel.
John Grisham demonstrates once again why he remains the undisputed king of legal thrillers with his latest novel, the sensational THE GUARDIANS.
THE GUARDIANS is John Grisham at his finest: tight and polished prose, stellar dialogues, a meticulously crafted plot, and dazzling courtroom drama. The numerous characters are carefully fleshed out, the author’s immense knowledge of the law as never been more evident, as the characters and the legal process are woven into a seamless and thrilling book.
I’m not quite sure what else to say about THE GUARDIANS, other than it is a flawless fast-paced, gripping, and alas, most enlightening story; I could not have asked for anything more. Also, make sure to read the Author’s Notes for a reality check.
John Grisham is at it again with another knocked it out of the park story! The characters are likable and you find yourself pulling for the underdogs which are most of the characters. Grisham highlights the number of prisoners who are falsely accused and in prison and you feel for the tireless attorneys fighting for their release. They are not the glamorous, multi-millionaires fighting for this clients but they are the barely scraping by ones out their fighting. Such a great story!
Exactly what you expect from John Grisham. He is a master and his prose only gets better as the years go by. The story itself keeps you up reading well past bedtime.
There are many innocent people in prison. California builds more prisons than schools, which is sad. Our entire prison system should be reformed somehow. Those involved with Innocence Projects are doing very important work.
I love everyone of his books