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The Appeal | 
 enlarge | Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Delta
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $6.74
You Save: $7.26 (52%)
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Rating:  517 reviews
Sales Rank: 360
Media: Paperback
Pages: 496
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0385342926
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780385342926
ASIN: 0385342926
Publication Date: November 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
As the author of twenty bestselling books, John Grisham has set the standard for legal thrillers since the debut of The Firm in 1991. Enjoy this Q&A--as well as a personal note to Amazon readers--from John Grisham. 1. Your new novel starts off where most courtroom dramas end--with the verdict. Where did you get the idea to reverse the usual order of events this time around?
The actual trial is not a terribly significant part of the story. Most all of the action and intrigue begins after the trial is over, with the verdict and the subsequent appeal.
2. The Appeal overtly suggests that elected judges can be bought. If the novel is meant as a cautionary tale, what's next--the Presidential primaries?
Why not? Over one billion dollars will be spent next year in the Presidential primaries and general election. With that kind of money floating around, anything can be bought.
3. Speaking of electoral politics, you've been more vocal recently about your political views ... first supporting Jim Webb for Senate and now endorsing Hillary Clinton for the White House. Have you given any thought to running for office yourself?
No. I made that mistake 25 years ago, and promised myself I would never do it again. I enjoy watching and participating in politics from the sidelines, but it's best to keep some distance.
4. This is your first legal thriller in three years. How did it feel to get back to the genre that started it all, and can fans expect another thriller from you next year?
I still enjoy writing the legal thrillers, and don't plan to get too far away from them. Obviously, they have been very good to me, and they remain popular. I plan to write one a year for the next several years.
5. Your nonfiction book The Innocent Man continues to be a bestseller in paperback. In your ongoing work with The Innocence Project, have you come across another story of the wrongfully convicted that begs to be written as nonfiction?
There are literally hundreds of great stories out there about wrongfully convicted defendants. I am continually astounded by these stories, and I resist the temptation to take the plunge again into non-fiction.
6. What's on your bedside reading list at the moment?
1. The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin
2. Eric Clapton's autobiography
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
Product Description
In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.
Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?
The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.
The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave listeners unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 512 more reviews...
 Terribly disappointing and shameful work January 9, 2009
Sheldon Schleppenheimer (Portland, Oregon)
I am a lawyer and an avid reader. I have read several of Grisham's novels. "The Firm" was his signature piece -- it was a spell binding thriller that had the classic "poetic justice" ending. However, his latest novel, "The Appeal" was a tremendous disappointment. Though it was well written and hard to put down, and though it had the crucial elements that makes a legal case novel interesting, it left this reader feeling cheated. There was no poetic justice ending at which Grisham previously excelled. Instead, the story was a triumph of evil over good, of corruption being acceptable, of profit and greed over the suffering of innocent victims of pollution, toxin dumping, and deception. Grisham certainly shows his disdain for evil, corruption, and the other ills depicted in the novel, but he allows those to win out. Justice is denied. I would expect many readers to be angered by Grisham's refusal to do justice and his allowing of the judicial system to be subverted and manipulated by big, unconscionable business and by politicians on the take. Even though that might reflect reality, sadly, it is not the stuff out of which memorable novels are made.
Tbe resolution of the plot in "The Appeal" was so awful that I will no longer buy or read any further works by Grisham. The many hours I devoted to his novel were not worth the time spent, but only because the ending of the story was inconsistent what could have been. It is as if Grisham came close to greatness and then sabotaged his own work with an ending that was simply wrong and unacceptable.
Shame on you, John. Your novel did not live up to the reasonable expectations of your once admiring audience.
Formula Novels January 9, 2009
N. Robb (Seattle)
John Grisham's career reminds me of James Michner (Hawaii, Centennial). For both authors, their first books were exciting and fresh. Once the formula had been set they became predictable. I appreciated Grisham's move to non-fiction in "The Innocent Man". He has gained a voice and an audience and it appeared that he was using that to educate readers as well as providing a gripping tale. For me, real life and interpreting an event's significance are valuable insights an author can provide while engaging the reader with well written prose and careful unwinding of the story lines.
not up to Grisham expectations January 6, 2009
Frank the think tank (newprt beach, CA)
Really drags For some reason I kept plodding through the book- probably thinking that excietment lurked around the corner (didn't). Definitely doesn't belong with Grishman's previous works.
 the appeal January 6, 2009
big (Harwood, MD USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
i gave this as a gift but there person that i gave it too. said it was very good.
The Appeal January 6, 2009
Vanessa P. Logan (Detroit, MI United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I rated this book three stars, but only for the first half of the book. When I read the last page of "The Appeal", I couldn't believe it! I had to reread it, thinking, maybe I missed something. What a payoff to a story that started out to be suspenseful and exciting. I, too, felt John Grisham gave me the runaround. The ending was a virtual slap in the face. But, when I think about it, I really only have myself to blame. I should have known the general style of Grisham's storytelling (rambling and over-the-top) when I read "The Pelican Brief" and "The Rainmaker" (which I never finished). Why do I continue to come back for more, you ask? I love legal and political thrillers and each time Grisham writes a book, I keep hoping for a satisfying ending. However, in all fairness to John Grisham, there are a few stories I did enjoy "The King of Torts" and "The Summons".
I hear that his next book is "The Associate". Sounds intriguing...dare I???
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