Clanton, Mississippi. Flashes of two drunks rednecks raping a little black girl,Tonya. Pissing on her, burning her while her limbs are tied to trees for them to do whatever they want. The mother is anxious but her father is not, he knows his wife gets worried very easily, he doesn't hurry home, he takes his own time. When he arrives, he sees police cars and then rushes in to find his little girl completely beaten, incapable of talking.

Chief of Police Ozzie has a pretty good idea who did this to that 10 year old little girl but he needs more than a hunch to arrest those two rednecks. He gets the info and they get arrested.

Carl Lee, her father, goes to Jack Brigance, the lawyer who defended his brother and got him out of death row.

He hypothesizes about what could happen if he did kill the rednecks. Jack Brigance tells him what could happen, but not being sure that Carl Lee would do anything doesn't report it, he told Chief Ozzie but neither man believed Carl lee would do anything.

At the end of the bail hearing, the two rapists climb down the stairs in the Court House when suddenly Carl lee comes out of a closet and discharged a M-16 into those two young boys. He kills them and accidentally injures one of the police officers.

He is arrested of course. Jack Brigance decides to take the case, it is, after all, the trial of a life time. If he can get Carl Lee a non-guilty verdict in an all white county for killing two white boys, he would have it all.

What Jack Brigance didn't think about was all the publicity it would get, the KKK coming in, the black associations chipping in too, the media, everyone has its opinion.

The DA is after stardom and the governor's seat and it is the chance of his life too. Carl Lee is risking his life for killing two white boys and assaulting a police officer. Jack Brigance risks his life along those who are close to him, his wife and daughter and dog. Lucien who was disbarred a few years back, Harry Rex, the civil litigator, and his law clerk who is a yankee and against capital punishment.

It is an excellent book. I actually saw the movie before i read the book and was horrified that this could actually happen, the Troopers calling in, the KKK burning crosses and killing people, blacks coming from everywhere. And especially a justice that doesn't function the same way for whites and blacks.

That last bit didn't surprise me much, after all I'm going to be a lawyer and I know Justice is not about being just but about punishing someone and that someone is Carl Lee.

I still wonder if the book is better than the movie. I actually like both a lot. Most of my friends prefer the book but i'm unconvinced. While Grisham has written an excellent book, the movie is much more organized I think.

However that book redeeemed my opinion of Grisham since the first book i read by him was the Street lawyer and as you can see there is no review for it for the simple reason that it sucked so much that i never fisnished it!!!!!

One advice: buy it, borrow it, listen to it on audio tapes, and then see the movie. And DON'T BUY Street Lawyer , it's a waste of money.

If some of you have opinions or would like to write a review on that book, please email me!!!!