A review by latas
A Time for Mercy by John Grisham

4.0

The charming Jake Brigance is back. As one of the characters quotes, if ever I was in any legal trouble, I would surely get Jake Brigance as my lawyer. This book touches on one of John Grisham's pet subjects, the death penalty. Grisham does feel very strongly against it, which is quite evident in every book of his. It was heart wrenching at times. I didn't know that in some states of the US, killing a cop gets a death sentence, even if the killer is under-age. It was sad that many in the town were supporting death sentence for Drew. It was understandable that the sheriff and the cops were against Jake for defending Drew, but it was puzzling that most of the folks in the town supported the cop, who was not always at his best . Charles McGarry and his church supporting Rosie and Keira brought a lump to my throat. John Grisham is the only author who can write so many pages of sad stuff, make me cry and get away with it. I am usually not so forgiving with other authors.
There was a need of good editing. There were lots of repetition, this book could have been easily edited to half the original, without losing anything important. The railroad case was often distracting and the details were repetitive.
I loved the supporting characters of Harry Rex, Lucien Wilbanks and Portia. Sheriff Ozzie lost my respect for him in this book. The mock trial of the Railroad case was fun.
Recommended to John Grisham fans and fans of court room drama. Others may stay clear.