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In my opinion, John Grisham is on the leading edge of the legal thriller and has been there for many years. The Client (1993) is a classic example of this sub-genre. Even better Hollywood recognized the intense drama of this story and made a film called The Client ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt01 09446/ in 1994.

The story starts when a lawyer, Romey, drives his car into a secluded area to commit suicide. Mark (eleven) and his brother Ricky (eight) where in the woods smoking cigarettes. When Mark saw the man connect a hose from his exhaust pipe to his window, Mark knew exactly what the man was trying to do. Not understanding his own compulsions, Mark pulled out the hose. After the second or third time, Romey catches Mark and throws the boy into the car.

In the next scene is one of the horrific scenarios concerning an amoral man and a young boy. Romey decides that the boy would provide him company in hell. In the process Romey tells the boy a horrifying story of the killing of a Senator by a Mafia thug. With the help of Ricky, Mark escapes, but they don't escape the horror of seeing Romey stick a gun in his mouth and blowing his head off.

In the aftermath, Ricky becomes comatose and Mark realizes that he is soon to be under instense scrunity from the Mafia and law. He retains Reggie Love as his attorney. Reggie is a fifty two year old woman who has been through a lot -divorce, loss of her children, psychiatric ward, and drugs. Eventually she came clean and finished her law school. By the time she meets Mark, she has only practiced for five years. Her main specialty is juvenile court, children with problems.

In her care, she must tell him the consequences of his actions if he refuses to answer the questions of the juvenile judge. These same questions could get Mark and his mother and brother killed. The movie version of this scene is good, but the book is better because you realize that the judge is really on the boy's side.

Since many of you have already seen the movie, I don't think that I spoil this review by saying that the boy escapes detention, runs to Louisiana with his attorney, and finds the dead Senator in the concrete under a boat. Mark gets his safety, but he loses Reggie Love, his attorney. It is that scene that explains that every action or inaction has a reaction... always.

John Grisham is a great writer with his descriptions and fast dialogues. Before the scene he sets it by describing the players down to the ties they are wearing.

Before you read other legal thrillers, look at John Grisham's style. His works are now the classics of the legal thriller sub-genre.

Learn more about this author, Cyn Bagley.
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