The Confession by John Grisham
Review by Cheryl G. (Poncer)
I admit it, I have loved reading John Grisham for years. I have read all of his books, some more than once. A few of them, many times.
Before I found PaperBackSwap, newly released hardcovers were way out of my reach. I would wait for months for his books to come out in paperback, and devour them.
Now I usually have the luxury of reading his books fairly soon after their release dates, thanks to a little research and getting in on the wish lists early.
This was true of The Confession. I was offered this book just a month or so after it was released. But this time it sat on my shelf for a long time. It was the perfect length though for a recent trip to visit friends, and once I opened it, I couldn’t put it down.
The Confession is fiction, but could very well be non-fiction. And I have no doubt that what happened to the young protagonist in the book happens way more times in this country than is acceptable.
The book follows a death row inmate and his attorney through the nightmare of a wrongful conviction. It reveals what power is wielded by prosecutors, detectives and judges who are all too prone to their own human weaknesses. And what can happen to real human lives when that power is combined with a stubborn will to convict someone. Anyone.
Some parts of the book are raw, and my emotions ran high through most of it. I was drawn in to the plight of the characters, the accused, the attorney, the minister who got drawn into the fight to keep this young, innocent man alive. And even drawn into the not so heroic characters, an author following the case to write a first-hand account, the witness who lied at trial placing the accused at the scene of the crime, the warden of the prison, and even a really unsavory ex-convict.
Grisham is a master of character development and this book is no exception, the mother of the victim, the family of the accused, the attorney’s staff, I felt as if I understood them all, from their own points of view.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys courtroom dramas, anyone who is concerned with the death penalty, and anyone who is concerned that we in the United States may be putting to death innocent people. And to anyone who wants to read a really good book
5 Stars
I love Grisham! He is one of my all time favorite writers! I have read ever one of his books I have come across and still have most of them! However I have not read this one. SO, off to find it!
Thanks