An overworked public defender is offered a secret deal that makes him rich overnight, and launches him into the high-stakes world of mass lawsuits
Too good to be true
Clay Carter is a weary public defender in Washington, D.C., stuck with impossible caseloads and little pay. When he takes the case of a young man charged with a random street shooting, he expects nothing unusual. Then a mysterious stranger approaches him with an astonishing story about the cause of the crime, and an offer that could make Clay a millionaire, provided he asks no questions.
Who will enjoy it
Grisham fans, readers who enjoy stories about ambition and temptation, and anyone curious about the world of big-money lawsuits.
What you will get
A fast, cautionary legal thriller in which an idealistic public defender takes a secret deal, becomes rich almost overnight and discovers the real price of easy money.
The King of Torts Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Mystery & Thriller · Legal thriller · Mass lawsuits · Washington, D.C.
Length
472 pages · ≈ 14 h
More about this book
The book is a modern morality tale. Clay starts out as a sympathetic underdog, and Grisham makes his rise genuinely thrilling: suddenly there are private jets, luxury homes and fellow lawyers who treat lawsuits against drug companies like a business. The details about how mass-tort cases are found, packaged and settled are fascinating and often shocking.
As Clay's wealth grows, so do the risks. Grisham shows how greed, haste and pressure can corrupt even well-meaning people, and the second half becomes a tense countdown as his empire begins to wobble. The ending is satisfying, if bittersweet, and Clay's lingering feelings for his former girlfriend give the story a human thread.
The original crime that begins the story fades into the background, which some readers may find frustrating, and several characters are more types than people. Still, it is a gripping, readable story with a clear point to make. Grisham, a former lawyer himself, writes the courtroom and boardroom scenes with authority, and he never lets the legal detail slow the pace for long. About 472 pages in the Dell mass-market paperback.
The Firm
The Street Lawyer
The Runaway Jury
The Appeal
The Litigators
The Client
The Pelican Brief
The Broker
Camino Island
The Summons
Eye of the Needle
The Bourne Ultimatum