A Time To Kill
By Jeff R., Burnt Hills, NY
A Time To Kill by John Grisham is a superb legal thriller about racism, murder and revenge. The novel is Grisham's first book, yet it doesn't contain the possible inferior qualities of many first books. It is the story of a black father, Carl Lee Hailey, in the deep South whose daughter is raped by two drunk white men. He decides to do justice on his own and kills the two men as they walk to their cells. A white lawyer, Jake Brigance, takes Hailey's case, which makes for an exciting, suspenseful story. Through gunfire and bombs, rallies and riots, the novel also contains a certain amount of sentiment and feeling.
This novel was good, as are all of Grisham's other novels (including The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, and The Chamber). The book shows the awful reality of discrimination and the actions of the Ku Klux Klan. However, the best thing about A Time To Kill is the way that Grisham relays what each character is thinking. Many novels you may read in school will teach you about the facts of discrimination and racism, but this novel does that and more in a more exciting, interesting way. .
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