The Pelican Brief

There seem to be three Grishams writing this book:

1. The long-winded Grisham who includes lots of superfluous dialogue when he hasn't given you enough info to connect it to the actual plot.
2. The slightly seedy, sordid, Grisham who hints at all sorts of nefarious goings-on.
3. the Grisham who writes exciting, pacy, action in a page-turning style.

Once you get past Grishams 1 and 2, you get a fun novel that really grips you to the end of the story, but this one is really not as good as 'The Street Lawyer' or 'The Firm'. Grisham fans will want to read it anyway, others might not want to bother.

What a read! (1/1 people found this helpful)

Pelican Brief by John Grisham.

Two Supreme Court Justices are murdered. Their deaths are linked in one way, and this way is told in one legal brief.

Darby Shaw is a determined law student. One speculative legal brief she writes could cause shockwaves in Washington. When her partner is then atomised in a devastating car bomb she realises that the brief is much closer to the truth than she thought. There is only one man she can trust, a reporter named Gray Grantham.

Gray is no more nearer to the truth than she is. He'd been receiving mysterious phone calls from anonymous lawyers and needed to find out more. They eventually meet up. They then set off to find the whole truth about the brief and manage several times wriggle out of danger.

If you enjoy suspense or thrillers, I guarantee you will enjoy this novel. Although it may get slightly confusing during the 1st half when there are 2 or 3 storylines it still is a very compelling read. The pelican brief is certainly a good fiction of the type a select few are capable of writing.

Intense and pacey. (0/0 people found this helpful)

I really enjoyed this book. It is a story which has you gripped from a very early stage.

There are numerous threads of the story which are crafted well into one another as the story progresses. The number of threads adds to the pace of the story, with the reader easily able to keep up with each set of characters, and thier roles in the outcome. The writing is clear, relevant and flows easily, all of which contribute to why it's so difficult to put the book down. The characters are descibed well and are easy to remember which makes it easy for the reader for follow numerous threads as they evolve and merge.

This book also gives an interesting insight into the power and vulnerability of those at the top of the food chain, where the reader feels like they know a bit more about the president's life than when they started the book.

I would definately recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting thriller. I have not seen the film, but it is clear as you read on that this is definatley a book written to be made into a movie.

Buy it.

Didn't the 'Net' copy this novel? (1/2 people found this helpful)

"The Pelican Brief" proved to be a page turner in many parts, but like any good road, had a lot of potholes that slowed down the storyline.
Just imagine with internet technology, all of the plot now seems outdated, it's too easy to browse thru' legal manuscripts online.

There is one thing about Grisham which I find admirable in his writing. He begins with several storyline threads that may seem totally unrelated and then like a master artist, weaves them into the mainstream storyline. A good book and an interesting read. The film too was acted by Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.

Incredible chase (1/1 people found this helpful)

This is the first Grisham where the setting moves from the South to high affairs in Washington DC. I prefer the Southern settings but this is a good chase thriller though at times it seems a bit far fetched in the heroine's ability to escape assassins.. Why would she not run to the FBI earlier? But as usual with Grisham it is a good read though this time I do not see him making any serious points except perhaps it is hard to trust people at the top. I only gave four stars because he has written better books.

John Grisham

Reader Reviews:

A mixture of Grishams (0/0 people found this helpful)

What a read! (1/1 people found this helpful)

Intense and pacey. (0/0 people found this helpful)

Didn't the 'Net' copy this novel? (1/2 people found this helpful)

Incredible chase (1/1 people found this helpful)

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