The Last Juror (ISBN 1844131599)

Warm novel of the changing times:
The title may suggest a legal thriller but The Last Juror ,while it does revolve around a murder-rape trial and its aftermath is not a bbok that fits snugly into this category.The trial is that of Danny Padgett,a member of a notorious criminal family in Ford County ,Mississipi who kills a young mother while here two young children watch .The case is pretty cut and dried but the family is not above witness intimidation and bribery .Padgett is convicted however but escapes the death penalty ,vowing that if released he will exact revenge on the jury.Nine years later he is free and jury members begin to die . The tale is narrated by the local newspaper owner ,a callow young northener named Willie Traynor who grows to love the community and to observe how it changes over the years -the book opening in the 1970's .The special focus is on his friendshsip with the remarkable black woman ,Callie Ruffin all of whose sons are PHD's and who becomes a surrogate mother to Willie ,sharing insights and philosophies over gargantuan home cooked meals at her home . We trace the evolution of the community through changes both national and local -the integration of the school system and jury system (Callie is a juror at the trial),Vietnam and its impact locally ,the growth of corporate strip mall America and the demise of local ,family owned businessses.It is a warm but not sentimental book and while the court room scenes are handled with genuine drama and insight it is in the picture of a changing ,conservative rural community that the book has its greatest interest It may not appeal to those who like the legal thriller side of Grisham but it is a compelling rural odyssey that manages to be warm ,nostalgic and curiously tough minded all at the same time A slice of Americana that Garrison Keiller fans should like too

The Last Juror:
29 June 2008 - I don't know how this Grisham novel got pasted me for so many years but it was good even though no where near his best.

Faux Southern color and an average plot:
Willie Traynor was born in Memphis, but was educated in at Syracuse. That makes him an outsider, and perhaps a Northerner, in the eyes of small-town Clanton, Mississippi residents. When this fresh out-of-college youngster takes the reigns of the failing local newspaper, therefore, success is dubious. Luckily for Mr. Traynor, a horrifying murder is just the headline to shock his newspaper back to profitability. A young widower and mother is brutally raped and murdered by Danny Padgitt, the scion of an influential outlaw family. Where once the Padgitt family was treated with fearful deference, Willie attacks head-on with bold front page stories and incriminating photography at substantial risk to himself and his business,. Danny Padgitt is ultimately convicted, but surprisingly is spared the death penalty. In open court, he swears revenge on the jury. By greasing the wheels of the Mississippi penal system, the Padgitt family succeeds in getting Danny released after serving only 9 years. Then, jurors start dying. Though the plot is not without interest, this is certainly not one of John Grisham's better novels. The foreshadowing, in particular, seems heavy-handed and will probably, for many, ruin or at least dampen any surprise at the conclusion. I, having decided I had "figured out" the book about halfway through, found it difficult to slog through the last portion of the novel. Likewise, the "Southern" color is laid on pretty heavily and, though I can claim to be no expert, appears fake-y. Bountiful home-cooked meals fixed by a heavy-set, strongly religious, older black woman, for some reason, sets off my cliche-dar. I also found the narrative point-of-view distracting. The book felt, to me, more like an odd memoir than a riveting crime/legal thriller. The book, however, does have the courtroom drama and the supporting extra-judicial action that makes a novel a Grisham novel. The writing is easy and breezy - just the thing to pass some time on a beach or an airplane. As a bonus, you may recognize some of the characters and settings from some of Grisham's other books - perhaps the beginning of a series exploring the depths of Clanton, Mississippi?

Enjoyed it very much, but...:
Warning: Spoilers (sort of) This isn't Grisham's best work, but I still enjoyed it. I thought he captured small town southern life perfectly and I couldn't help but adore Miss Callie. However, for as much of the book is spent on her life, Callie is not very relevant to the central story. The book's ending is kind of a downer. I was left wanting to know what became of Willie. Did he ever see Ginger again? What happened to the Padgitts (aside from Danny)?

A Great Small Town Story of truth and justice:
I thought this story of the little Southern town; its small town newspaper owner and its citizens was just a super read. I enjoyed the world of Willie as he became more known by the folks of this Mississippi hamlet. Mr. Crisham did an excellent jobe of developing his character in such a way that I couldn't help but read page after page wondering what adventure he would stumble into. Without hesitation I would recommend this book to all my friends.