When Carl Lee Hailey guns down the hoodlums who have raped his ten-year-old child, the people of Clanton see it as a crime of blood and call for his acquittal. But when extremists outside Clanton hear that a black man has killed two white men, they invade the town, determined to destroy anything and anyone that opposes their sense of justice.

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THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER

John Grisham's first and most shocking novel, adapted as a film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey

When Carl Lee Hailey guns down the violent racists who raped his ten-year-old daughter, the people of the small town of Clanton, Mississippi see it as justice done, and call for his acquittal.

But when extremists outside Clanton - including the KKK - hear that a black man has killed two white men, they invade the town, determined to destroy anything and anyone that opposes their sense of justice. A national media circus descends on Clanton.

As tensions mount, Hailey hires the inexperienced Jake Brigance to defend him. It's the kind of case that could make a young lawyer's career.

But it's also the kind of case that could get a young lawyer killed.
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The original, epoch-defining Jake Brigance novel. Brigance returns in SYCAMORE ROW and A TIME FOR MERCY.
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'A master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos' - Irish Independent

'John Grisham is the master of legal fiction' - Jodi Picoult

'The best thriller writer alive' - Ken Follett

'John Grisham has perfected the art of cooking up convincing, fast-paced thrillers' - Telegraph

'Grisham is a superb, instinctive storyteller' - The Times

'Grisham's storytelling genius reminds us that when it comes to legal drama, the master is in a league of his own.' - Daily Record

'Masterful - when Grisham gets in the courtroom he lets rip, drawing scenes so real they're not just alive, they're pulsating' - Mirror

'A giant of the thriller genre' - TimeOut