A Time for Mercy (Jake Brigance #3)

Let me start by saying I love John Grisham. Plus I love books set in Ford County. They are some of my favorite set of characters, places etc. Grisham, as always, is a master storyteller and knows how to keep you hooked. Plus Michael Beck is one of the best narrators I’ve ever heard. As always, he does a phenomenal job. That being said, this was not nearly my favorite book. I do not wish to offer spoilers, but with the way the book was presented… there is pretty much only one way that the book could realistically turn out. Which is what happened. I was hoping for a little more. Not as many twists and turns as I was hoping for, but that being said… It is still a good book and well worth a credit if you enjoy Grisham‘s writings. And yes, like many others, I will probably be one of the first in line to read Grisham’s newest book… Especially if it’s set in Ford County again

I was really excited to get the notification that this book was released. Love Grisham and all his characters. But I was let down. It was hard to find much to like about previously loved characters. And the new characters were a bit much. Then the story wrapped up way to neatly. Well, except one point but I won’t spoil. Lastly, the religious overtones was waaaaay overdone. Just when you think the religious lecture is over, it comes from another direction. I won’t say to skip the book, but don’t expect the normal level of greatness.

I have been a huge fan of John Grisham since high school. However, I have noticed in his previous works that he doesn’t know how to write female characters. They are often awkward or unrealistic, acting more like what men think women should be like as opposed to how women actually act. However, as a law student and now a lawyer, I enjoy good legal thrillers and am willing to look past the fault a lot of male writers possess. The premise of this book, however, was highly sexist, offensive and outdated (even for 1990s!). Moreover, overnight a character I have known for two decades has changed quite a bit even though in the book reality, not a lot of time has passed. At times this book read more like religious propaganda than a legal thriller. Publishing something like this in 2020 is a huge faux pas in my opinion. The only thing I liked was the narration with the exception of the Scottish character, whose voice was forced, fake and ridiculously stereotypical.

I’ve been a long time fan of Grisham but I don’t recall his other books being so religious. This book, however, should be categorized under Christian fiction. Without giving away too much, suffice it to say that as a woman I found many major themes in this book disturbing and offensive. The story takes place in 1990, but has more of a 1950’s feel. It had some good parts, but overall just felt weird and left me with a bad taste.

hard to believe that this is the best grisham could do for a premise. makes it impossible to even read on after it’s established. a joke.

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