The Confession - Book Review(s)

I began reading John Grisham novels back before "The Firm" came out as a movie.  For years, I couldn't wait for the next one, and read everything he published.  Beginning with "The Chamber," my enthusiasm began to wane.  While I still read all the books, I found them uneven in appeal.  Some I liked as well as ones previously read, but others began to strike me as more and more preachy on social issues and more formulaic in the plot development. 

In fact, before "The Confession," my favorite more recent Grisham book was "Playing for Pizza" which is a significant departure from the legal thriller Grisham is famous for.  In "Playing for Pizza" a career backup NFL quarterback enters a game when the starter is injured and loses the big game through spectacularly bad play costing his team the playoffs.  His NFL career thus down in flames, the quarterback (who has no other marketable skills) leaves the US to quarterback an American football team in the Italian league.  The book is an interesting amalgam of sports with a "fish out of water" story of an American who knew nothing of other cultures being immersed in the very different lifestyle in Italy and coming to love it.  It is a quick and interesting read.  Now, for my thoughts on "The Confession." 

In "The Confession," Grisham returns to the legal milieu.  But while there is some suspense, it is not exactly a legal thriller in the same vein as his others.  Like so many of his more recent offerings, it is a book with a social message.  Grisham uses the novel form to address the subject of false confessions, police misconduct, and the death penalty.  Maybe it is just me, but in this book I found the writing to be less preachy, but perhaps more effective at getting his point across because of it.

Those who have followed real life cases involving these subjects will recognize Grisham's novel incorporates events from many different real life cases, obviously with fictional characters and fictional details added to the mix.  If Grisham keeps this up, he will work himself back into my - can't wait for the next one - author list.