I’m a big fan of audiobooks. My latest favorite is John Grisham’s A Time for Mercy. His long-time narrator Michael Beck is superb at bringing Grisham’s words on the page to life as we listen, differentiating and interpreting the numerous characters who appear in this book.
The author takes us back to the world of Jake Brigance in A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row, perhaps my favorite of Grisham’s books, along with this new one. And even though thirty years have passed since the publication of A Time to Kill, only five have passed in Clanton, Mississippi, the setting for all three books in a pre-digital world (there is definitely something calming about a world without cell phones).
Once again, Brigance is broke, he’s taking on an impossible case where there is little financial incentive, and the town turns against him. And, once again, in Grisham’s masterly writing, we’re rooting for this flawed lawyer in today’s world that doesn’t much like lawyers. You can’t help but love Jake Brigance, his eclectic team, and long-suffering wife. Forget 5 stars. This book is 10!!