Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781529342321
John Grisham’s novel A Time for Mercy is timely as it explores the ways that violence committed by or against law enforcement officials can complicate the pursuit of justice. In this book, he brings back Jake Brigance, the small-time legal eagle star.
The action is set in 1990, in the town of Clanton in Mississippi. A deputy sheriff is shot and killed by the teenage son of his girlfriend. And Jake is appointed by the court to represent 16-year-old Drew Gamble in the shooting of his mother’s boyfriend, deputy sheriff Stu Kofer. There’s no question that Drew pulled the trigger, but Jake faces an ethical challenge over whether the shooting was justified.
Drew contends that he shot Stu in self-defense after believing Stu had killed his mother. Drew, his younger sister and their mother have been living in constant fear of beatings by Stu, who often returned home drunk.
Initially, Jake only wants to handle preliminary matters for the Gamble case until a permanent public defender can be appointed. But deep down, he realises he’s the best chance the Gamble family has.
With public sentiment and fellow police officers standing behind Stu and his family, Jake’s efforts to keep Drew from being tried as an adult and facing possible execution put him at odds with the community.
Meanwhile, Ozzy Walls is the only African-American sheriff of Ford County where Kofer is the only deputy who has died under his watch. His biggest problem is the 911 calls Kofer’s girlfriend Josie Gamble made to report his drunken rampages. But Stu’s colleagues have been covering up for him and now those incident reports have gone missing.
Grisham does a great job of showing just how quickly gossip travels in small towns, and the day after Jake has been appointed, threats begin pouring in to his secretary, his friends, and even to the school where his wife works. While the entire county sees a cold-blooded killer, Jake sees the Gamble family as victims facing the wrath of an entire system and town - a mother and daughter suffering without having done any wrong.
What makes this book exceptional is how Grisham chronicles the impact of race on the system of justice and the fundamental questions behind the motives to murder.
While there are lulls during some of the legal procedural bits, Grisham’s mastery of the courtroom thriller is without a doubt superb and interesting. As usual, he presents a smooth read for the reader.