John Grisham has written many fine stories in his career and this is one of the finest ones which accurately defines the true meaning of its title. The story does not provide you twists so if The Boys from Biloxi or Sycamore Row were confusing for you, this one will not provide that kind of trouble in understanding.
This is a courtroom drama in which the lawyers are not trying to change the course of the case because the one who is behind all of this is ready to accept everything and face justice. Pete Banning used to live a nice quiet life in Clanton and he was the kind of man who was highly respected in society because of his good behaviour and awesome deeds. His personality made him a yardstick in society.
People of Clanton not only liked Pete they used to love him until the day he broke all barriers and scared his own reputation with his own hands. He was a good father and also a good neighbour who had not brought harm to anyone. Then one day he went to the church with a gun in his hand and killed his pastor and friend.
After the killing, Pete didn’t run away from the spot rather he waited for the police to come and arrest him. It means that he wanted everyone to know that he has committed that crime. When the police arrested him and the case was taken to the court, Pete told everyone that he didn’t want to say anything in his defence. For some, he was ready to commit suicide while the author was of the opinion that he was hiding something big and it should be revealed at any cost. With Michael Beck’s narration, this book is customized for a mature audience.