* John Grisham is one of America’s most successful modern writers
* Many have been adapted into film and TV series
* Check out the list below to find your next New Year’s read
John Grisham is one of the most popular novelists working in America today, with books that have been translated into over 42 languages, and have been adapted into movies, TV shows and most recently, a Netflix documentary mini-series. A former criminal lawyer himself, he also served in the Mississippi House of Representatives for six years, and his books often address law and politics in the deep South. After finding wide spread success with his second novel, The Firm– later adapted into a film starring Tom Cruise, and an NBC series- he left law to pursue writing full time, later branching into young adult novels and even penning a screenplay. Having sold over 275 million books, his popularity is unquestioned, so whether you’re a longtime Grisham fan or have yet to read one of his works, we’ve picked a few of our favorites below.
1. The Reckoning: A Novel
Set in Mississippi in 1946, The Reckoning follows a celebrated WWII veteran and beloved father who one day wakes up, drives into town and kills a man, refusing to reveal his motive upon his arrest. There begins a gripping tale that weaves together past and present to reach a thrilling conclusion.
2. The Rooster Bar
Mark, Todd, and Zola all assumed massive debt in order to attend a for-profit law school, only to discover that many of its students rarely pass the bar. Upon further investigation, they find that their law school is one of a chain run by a shady New York hedge-fund, and they hatch a plan to reveal the truth and get their money back.
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3. The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
John Grisham’s first non-fiction book, The Innocent Man, has recently been adapted into a mini-series by Netflix, and follows the trial of two murder cases in Oklahoma in the 1980s. Before you spend a weekend binge watching the docu-series, immerse yourself in the New York Times Bestseller written by one of America’s most popular writers.
4. Camino Island: A Novel
This heist novel revolves around the secretive, high-brow world of the rare book trade, as a novelist with writer’s block gets offered a generous sum to go undercover in an exclusive literary circle, and find the culprits behind a recent heist at the Princeton Library.
5. The Whistler: A Novel
Another #1 New York Times Bestseller by the prolific writer, this novel follows Lacy Stoltz, an investigator in the Judicial Conduct department, who is assigned a case that accuses a prominent Florida judge of rampant corruption. Although justice is important to her, she must ask herself if it’s worth her life.
6. The Litigators
Finley & Figg is a haphazard law firm with no real ambition past making a quick buck, and the only place that will hire David Zinc, a recently sober former corporate lawyer. The group decides to take on a case against Varrick Labs, a pharmaceutical giant, claiming their biggest drug has been causing heart attacks. What initially seems like a great way to make some money quickly reveals a wider conspiracy at hand.
7. Rogue Lawyer: A Novel
Named one of the best books of 2015 by both The Washington Post and NPR, the novel follows a lawyer with a unique style- he has no office, just an armored van, equipped with a bar and leather chairs, that he works out of. His clients are unorthodox and often dangerous, but he’s propelled by his desire to give everyone a fair trial.
10 Books That Made The New York Times’ Bestsellers List of 2018