A Time for Mercy

Although somewhat long, it was fairly fast paced - one of Grisham's better novels. This is his 3rd novel featuring Jake Brigance and each has had a different storyline. Judging from the vague ending it feels like this story will continue in a sequel. After reading 463 pages, I would have liked more

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resolution.

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A Time for Mercy, John Grisham, Author; Michael Beck, narrator
The year is 1980, the place is Clanton, Mississippi. Drew Gamble is an undersized 16-year-old teenager with a high pitched voice. He has not yet gone through puberty and appears very frail and needy. At 14, his younger sister, although

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emotionally still a child, is beginning to look like a woman, Their mother, Josie Gamble, is very young. She was only 16 when she had Drew. The three of them live with Stuart Kofer, Josies’s boyfriend. Josie works several jobs, and she is grateful for the roof over their heads.
Stuart Kofer is a well-liked deputy in Clanton. Although he drinks, and then becomes a little belligerent, the officers cover for him. He is an angry drunk, though. Alcohol makes him mean. He physically abuses Josie and the kids. They want her to leave him, but they have no place to run. They have already lived in cars, under bridges and in foster homes.
One night, Stuart comes home from drinking and attacks Josie. The children find her unconscious on the kitchen floor. The teenagers believe their mother is dead and their lives are in danger. He often threatened them and taunted them, and this night, they believed, would be no exception. Although he is passed out drunk, after Drew calls 911, he panics and makes a foolish choice hoping to save himself and his sister from harm. He is arrested for the murder of the deputy.
The Gambles are indigent and the judge appoints Jake Brigance, already a known character to Grisham readers, to defend Drew. It seems like a no win situation. No one else would take the case. The town is not happy because they lost a well liked officer of the law, and they resent Jake’s involvement. To the police, the facts sometimes seem less important than the injury to their pride. However, it is a capital crime to murder a police officer. What will justice be in this case? Will justice prevail?
Grisham has written a wonderful novel without abusing the reader with unnecessary sex scene descriptions or foul language. This is simply an excellent story which exposes the flaws in our legal system and “the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to”. He does a masterful job building up the tension leading to the trial with courtroom scenes that are emotional and authentic. The prosecution and the defense are prepared and intense in their presentation of the case, and each of the characters seems real and well developed. The narrator superbly identifies each one with his tone and accents. At the end, the reader will be satisfied with the conclusion and hopeful that Jack Brigance has made a comeback, soon to return again!

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One of Grisham's better efforts. Always maintained that A Time to Kill was his best. This brings back Jack Brigance and another sad and troubling case.

"I was thrilled to see that this latest Grisham was a legal thriller. Grisham is a talented writer across the board, but his legal tales are my favorite. And this latest may well be the best of them! The plot is gripping and the execution is simply fantastic. The behind the scenes machination of a

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trial are fascinating. As is the actual trial. Grisham's own background as a lawyer adds so much to his books. Jake is a great lead and the supporting cast brings back supporting characters from the previous two books. Time and place are brought to life with detailed descriptions. And then there's the loaded question - is murder ever justified?

I chose to listen to A Time for Mercy. The reader was Michael Beck and his narration was perfect for this title. He has created many Southern accents/drawls for the myriad cast of players. Each is just a little bit different and it's easy to know who is speaking. He also does the female/child voices very well. His interpretation of the book is simply wonderful. Beck uses his voice to wonderful effect, capturing the emotions of the characters and the action of the plot. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I become so much more immersed in a story by listening. Five stars plus for this one! I hope we see more of Jake.

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Warning: contains minor spoiler
I understand why it ended the way it did but I wasn’t satisfied. Now I want to know whether such a situation can be allowed to continue indefinitely in a persons life. That would truly be horrific if that is the case.

More stories from Clinton County Louisiana with attorney Jake Brigance caught in a Finacial bind as her has to defend an indigent teen Drew for capital murder and help his mother Josie and sister Kiera to get back on their feet. Stu Kofer, Josie’s deputy boyfriend and a drunk brawler when not in

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duty is the victim. Grisham shows the readers his writing chops with well developed characters, an interesting legal case and enough side stores to keep the reader involved. It’s been too long time since I read a
Grisham novel, guess I will have to return to this master of the legal genre.

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A TIME FOR MERCY -- John Grisham
Grisham returns to Clanton, Mississippi and Jake Brigance for a riveting mystery. This is not just a legal thriller, but a full featured character study of a town embroiled in racism and hate. Grisham tells a tale for our time although the setting is 1990.
A 16 year

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old is charged with murder of a deputy and the town is eager to hang him – and his lawyer along with him! Jake is charged with defending the boy and encounters small town wrath with Southern vengeance.
5 of 5 stars

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A thoughtful and fictional examination of a challenging problem: the indigent single mother. While the courtroom drama was captivating the real drama was the personal challenge of the lawyer and the defendant and his family. The characters are all brought to life very skillfully.

In a Time For Mercy, the murder victim is a deputy in Clanton, Mississippi who also happens to beat his live in girlfriend Josie and her two kids and is a mean drunk. One night he hits Josie hard enough to knock her out and break her jaw. Seeing their mother unresponsive on the kitchen floor, 14

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year old Kiera and 16 year old Drew think that Stuart Kofer had finally killed their mother. Drew enters the bedroom where Kofer is passed out. He picks up the 9mm Glock, and at close range, shoots Kofer in the temple. This sets the stage for attorney Jake Brigance to defend the boy. Can he get an acquittal of the murder charge or will the jury find him guilty?

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Grisham's back in Clanton...small town lawyer defends a 16 year old cop killer in 1980. There are many twists and turns and while the characters represent iconic southerners. All the plot loose ends are tied up nicely at the end. At 20+ hours, it can get tedious and repetitive at times. But, all in

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all -- an excellent read/listen.

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I love nearly all Grisham but this one started off slow and predictable. All of that was soon forgotten and as I neared the end of this looooong book (audio), I was deeply sorry it was going to end.

Another typical but slightly better Grisham novel. A sheriff's deputy in small town in Mississippi gets shot by the son of his live-in girlfriend after he comes home violently drunk and almost kills the mother. Drew Gamble is 16 but looks thirteen; his sister kiera has also been abused by the

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deputy. Jake Brigance, local attorney, is pressured into taking the case.

Support for the police is strong in the town regardless of the circumstance and Jake's reputation is shaky due to another case he has been dealing with.

Prejudice, abuse, class culture are all a part of this novel. At times, I felt it was a bit too long and honestly, the ending (the adoption of Kiera's child) seems to be setting up another story to come.

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This book focuses almost solely on Jake Brigance and his interior struggles. He is broke, tired of being on the outs with his small local community, and more concerned with his own success than that of his 16-year-old client who is charged with murder. I got a bit tired of Jake's "woe is me"

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attitude and was downright frustrated with lack of compassion for his client. The writing, as always, is wonderful, but the content left me cold this time.

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I've read other books by this author and other books in this series.

The plot does bring up some good points to think on: how do you determine maturity in a teenager to decide whether he/she should be charged as a juvenile or an adult is one. Even though Drew is 16, he's not yet (apparently) gone

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through the changes of puberty. From the reader's viewpoint, I see him as a scared kid who thought his mom was dead and who was trying to protect himself and his sister and who was worried that the cops both A) didn't arrive soon enough to suit him and B) wouldn't do anything to Stu since he was one of them.

I also don't like that the judge railroads Jake into defending Drew. Jake's pretty much "promised" that the judge will get someone else to take over the case if it goes to trial but then doesn't follow through on that.

We're never really told what Drew's problem was when he checked out, hummed, couldn't remember things--depression? (he was given meds during his short stay at the mental hospital and the prescriptions continued afterward I think). Shock? Some other issue?

The plot doesn't really tell us what happens to Drew in the long run. He's been re-indicted but the story ends before we get to a second trial--and of course, some of the surprises that Jake was able to spring in the first trial won't be as effective the second time around. And how do they expect to keep their adoption information secret if Jake has to reveal it at the second trial to show that Stu was the baby's father?

The plot is plodding at times (usual for Grisham's style).

I'm both happy and sad to see Portia go off to law school. I'm glad because she is motivated and will probably make a great lawyer, and I really hope she does follow through and end up back working with Jake in Clanton. But I'm sad because I've enjoyed having her in the books and now I suspect her part may not be as large--at least in the next book or two.

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A great read! Grisham writes great, taut trial novels. Enough legal details to make you feel like you’re there, not enough details to bore you. He really makes the characters come alive on both sides of the case. If I was in trouble I want someone like Jake Brigance on my side.

As much as I generally love John Grisham novels, I thought this one dragged on for too long. We didn't even arrive at the beginning of the crucial trial until the three-quarters mark of the book. The courtroom scenes were great as usual, though, and the way the story ended, there's sure to be a

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sequel at some point. There will be further adventures for Jake Brigance!

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This story takes place five years after Jake Brigance managed to get Carl Lee Hailey off for murder. This case involves 16 year old Drew Gamble who has killed a deputy and Jake is chosen to defend him. This another John Grisham page turner.

Jake returns to Clayton. Everything goes badly everything goes well a nice little novel to help me through the holiday hours. recommended for summer reading.

Another enjoyable read from Grisham. At 464 pages, perhaps a little long as a result of the many sub/side-plots and characters. The characters and settings were well developed throughout the novel as was the main plot line.

Clinton, Mississippi, 1990. Jake Brigance finds himself involved in a shooting of a policeman when the court appoints him to defend Drew Gamble, a timid sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering a local deputy. Many in Clayton want a swift trial and the death penalty, but Jake digs in and discovers

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that there is more than meets the eye. Jake’s fierce commitment to saving Drew from the gas chamber puts his career, his financial security, and the safety of his family on the line.

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TW: mild spoilers, reference to alleged sexual offender

Jake Brigance returns for a third attempt at making a name for himself as a lawyer. As other reviews have noted, the plot is rather similar to A Time to Kill, the first appearance of Atty. Brigance in 1989. The circumstances of the killing are

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different: 1. a white teenager kills a white police officer, as opposed to a black mill worker killing white thugs; 2. the boy avenged the purported death of his mother, while the man avenged the rape of his daughter; 3. the boy's sister winds up pregnant by the dead man, whereas the little girl is robbed of her ability to have children of her own.

These differences in plot carve enough space between the two novels so as not to detract from the pleasure of reading whichever one the reader picks up last. I personally read A Time to Kill after Grisham's 1991 novel The Firm, and both after their respective cinematic adaptations. Setting the differences aside, however, key themes emerge from both novels: injury and revenge, the dangers of alcoholism, the desperation of poverty, and, perhaps most importantly, the dynamics of power and powerlessness. Drew Gamble (A Time for Mercy) and Carl Lee Hailey (A Time to Kill) are both on the disadvantaged end of societal scales. This power-distance dynamic does not play out only in the rural American South, but they are quite prominent in this area of the country.

I disliked some of the subplots, especially the marginal appearance of former District Attorney Rufus Buckley, Jake's legal antagonist from a Time to Kill. Though it may have been a bit of fan-service to mention Buckley as a potential election opponent of Judge Omar Noose, it seemed silly to quote Buckley at the end of the novel, giving him a chance to take a swipe at both Jake and the judge. (Not for nothing, the memory that Buckley was portrayed in the movie by a certain disgraced actor made the character's appearance in this novel feel a bit icky.)

Overall, the novel was a fine revisit to Ford County. While not as famous to literary nerds like nearby Yoknapatawpha, Ford County is the home of setting of several of Grisham's works, and the two names are likely to be irrevocably associated in the minds of Grisham's fans.

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Jake Brigance returns with a capital murder case. Drew Gamble has shot and killed his mother’s boyfriend, a policeman, after he beat up his mother. Drew is only 16, but looks a lot younger. Jake becomes a pariah in Clanton, Mississippi and his income dries up as the town turns against him for

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taking the case. Jake masterly defends Drew and becomes involved with his family. This is the third book in the Jake Brigance series.

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Grisham fans will not be disappointed in his latest book. Jake Brigance is back and still suffering from taking on unpopular cases. And as often is the case, Grisham gives readers a moral question to ponder as he tells the story of a 16-year old he is defending on a murder charge. Drew murdered the

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abusive man he, his sister and mother live with. No one denies that, but the challenge is the cause. Was he justified in doing it? Of course, with Grisham there’s more layers to the story.

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A 16 year old boy, Drew Gamble, and his sister, Kiera, are huddled in their room, terrified. Their mother's (Josie's) boyfriend-a cop-Stuart, has come home drunk and starts beating Josie. They believe she is dead when they creep from their room. Drew picks up Stuart's gun and kills Stuart.
Jake

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Brigance is appointed to be the attorney defending Drew.
The case follows Jake as he becomes involved in the Gamble family and their personal situation. The legal system seems to be against Jake because the child killed a cop.
The case brings out legal tactics and personal feelings. An emotional story.
I liked it, but I thought it was a bit long.

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