Another good one from Grisham. This one takes place in Ford County, Mississippi during the 1940s, prior to and after WWII. Pete Banning is a war hero that suffered through and survived the horrifying Bataan Death March in the Philippines during the early days of the U.S. involvement in the war. He returns home, broken but alive, to go back to his loving wife and family on his farm in the county. But then one morning, he drives into town and cold-bloodedly shoots and kills the church pastor, Dexter Bell. So why did he do this? All Pete can respond is "I have nothing to say."
This was a very tragic novel for Grisham showing how this act tore apart his family and farm that had been owned by the Bannings for generations. The book was divided into three sections. The second was a long narrative about what happened to Pete during the war including the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the Bataan march as well as in the prison camp where Pete was later interred. Really horrific stuff! Pete's experiences during the war were probably what led to why he could commit a cold blooded murder. But his motivations were the mystery of the novel and kept me in suspense until right up to the last pages.
This was also another example of Grisham's excellent portrayals of characters in the South. During the time period of the novel, blacks were definitely treated as second class citizens and Grisham is able to show this in his vivid prose. This was the sixth Grisham novel to take place in Ford County, following A Time to Kill, The Summons, The Chamber, The Last Juror, and Sycamore Row. I have only read two of these other novels so guess I need to catch up...
This was a very tragic novel for Grisham showing how this act tore apart his family and farm that had been owned by the Bannings for generations. The book was divided into three sections. The second was a long narrative about what happened to Pete during the war including the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the Bataan march as well as in the prison camp where Pete was later interred. Really horrific stuff! Pete's experiences during the war were probably what led to why he could commit a cold blooded murder. But his motivations were the mystery of the novel and kept me in suspense until right up to the last pages.
This was also another example of Grisham's excellent portrayals of characters in the South. During the time period of the novel, blacks were definitely treated as second class citizens and Grisham is able to show this in his vivid prose. This was the sixth Grisham novel to take place in Ford County, following A Time to Kill, The Summons, The Chamber, The Last Juror, and Sycamore Row. I have only read two of these other novels so guess I need to catch up...
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