The Appeal | John Grisham

The Appeal | John Grisham | How much for a judge?

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The Appeal

	The Appeal John Grisham Doubleday, 2008 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 444 reviews view larger image
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Politics has always been a dirty game.
Now justice is, too.

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town?s water supply, causing the worst ?cancer cluster? in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.

Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.

The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.

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Palin?

The rise of this judge reminds me an AWFUL lot of Palin's recent entry to the political scene. Out of nowhere, with a wholesome background and almost no political experience, she gets propped up by the good ol' senator and a smarmy political team...hmmm...did McCain read this?

How much for a judge?

Having lived in the US for almost five years I felt that a main reason why it is one of the best countries on the planet is the separation of powers. This great gift, however, is not a given, and is constantly under threat. An example is to appoint judges with a clear political agenda, thereby mixing the legislative and judicial branches, whereas judges should solely uphold the law. The Appeal, which deals with the meddling with the judicial branch of government is therefore close to my heart. Overall, the story is quite believable. If organizations that help you buy a judge don't exist already, they will certainly be there in future. The characters are described in great detail, which helps making this into a 500-page book. As the characters are mostly 1-dimensional a lot of this could have been left out though. In spite of that weakness I enjoyed reading the book a lot and never felt bored while reading it.

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The Appeal by John Grisham

This is the best book John Grisham has written. Everyone should read it now. Certainly before 11/4. It's not only a page turner but also a thought provoker.

Good return from Grisham

I caveat this review with the mention that I read very few books of fiction. When I do I prefer Grisham style business/law stories.

The book had a very slow start for my taste, but about half way in I started to get very interested. I will concur with another reviewer that Grisham rather abruptly ends the story....much faster than he started it. Would have liked more details on how things went down in the end.

It is a good read for the simple fact that much of his story really does play out in states and counties around America. Scary thought that makes we want to be more aware of the real life political races in my back yard.

I enjoyed the book but be prepared for a few boring chapters as he lays out the history. Worth it in the end though.

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