I have been a fan of Grisham’s legal thrillers for as long as I can remember. I once paid to hear him talk about his latest book in North Carolina, and was impressed by his oratory, and the ability to field questions about his writing. Not to mention the middle-aged fan club that was swooning around him.

I have devoured, and sometimes re-read every one of his works… until I picked up ‘The Boys from Biloxi.’ I hate to admit it, but I just couldn’t move past half the book.

The story is set in Biloxi, Mississippi all right, but a Grisham ‘Legal Thriller’ it is certainly not.

To say the book was boring would be an understatement. The narrative simply doesn’t cut it; it is tedious and implausible. Very little dialog and rambling series of events that transcend a few generations.

Is it just me, or the Grisham spark is fading?

Comments

TheChocolateMelted t1_jduq2x4 wrote on March 27, 2023 at 10:20 AM

If you've enjoyed all of them so far, it's a bit brutal to say the spark is fading from just this one. It might be that he's trying something new - and it wouldn't be the first time - or that this one is just not for you. And that's okay too. But don't give up on an author who has hit the mark for you so many times based on just one misstep. As many negative things as I might have to say about him, I've got to admit that he deserves better than that.

Honestly, I feel a bit jealous that you've appreciated him for so long. Or maybe it's a feeling of respect? It's wonderful to think there are people like you out there who have kept up with him.

SuccessfulLoser- OP t1_jdv2rsr wrote on March 27, 2023 at 12:38 PM

> I've got to admit that he deserves better than that.

I agree that saying "spark is fading" was a bit of exaggeration on my part. Perhaps to draw attention to my point.

But give up on him? No way!

MotherBleuBelle4 t1_jduljux wrote on March 27, 2023 at 9:17 AM

I say fade/fad I long ago stopped reading his books became cookie cutter 👎🏽

boxer_dogs_dance t1_jdvqd68 wrote on March 27, 2023 at 3:32 PM

Sooley was an excellent book about a young basketball player.

Pickle_12 t1_jdwhoii wrote on March 27, 2023 at 6:27 PM

But that ending….Come on. Ridiculous

Mtn_star t1_jdytkji wrote on March 28, 2023 at 4:32 AM

Then there is Playing for Pizza

MarcoPolocompi t1_jdusbs9 wrote on March 27, 2023 at 10:49 AM

He has been writing for 30+ years now. Not sure if the quality of writing has gone down as I don't read much of his work.

What I have read has been a pleasure and The Innocent Man still stands out as one of the more interesting books I read as a younger person.

In any case I've always enjoyed his work and hopefully this was just an outlier or something.

SuccessfulLoser- OP t1_jdv2tll wrote on March 27, 2023 at 12:38 PM

> In any case I've always enjoyed his work and hopefully this was just an outlier or something.

Yes. Certainly felt like an outlier

Rt_66 t1_jdv3ryo wrote on March 27, 2023 at 12:46 PM

It's just you, great read.

elizabeth-cooper t1_jdvc1q4 wrote on March 27, 2023 at 1:53 PM

It's on my to-read list, but I don't have high hopes. Grisham's last good book was The Racketeer, published in 2012.

SuccessfulLoser- OP t1_jdvil0u wrote on March 27, 2023 at 2:40 PM

> Grisham's last good book was The Racketeer, published in 2012.

The Whistler, Camino Island and The Guardians were good too. And that's probably why I felt a bit underwhelmed by this latest book.

elizabeth-cooper t1_jdvmlmr wrote on March 27, 2023 at 3:07 PM

I thought they were awful and was on the verge of permanently giving up on his books, but The Judge's List (sequel to The Whistler) wasn't bad so I'm giving him another chance.

naked_nomad t1_jdvrj6v wrote on March 27, 2023 at 3:40 PM

I personally liked "The Boys from Biloxi." There was probably a good bit of truth and history woven into the pages. If you remember History from school you know how BORING it can be coming straight out of a text book. I liked History and considered a Degree in it but it was still BORING for the most part.

SuccessfulLoser- OP t1_jdyqcub wrote on March 28, 2023 at 4:01 AM

> I liked History and considered a Degree in it but it was still BORING for the most part.

Probably why I couldn't get into this 'historic' novel.

PhotographHuge1007 t1_jdwiqfi wrote on March 27, 2023 at 6:34 PM

Boys from Biloxi....I loved it. It was a different kind of book but does have a decent legal element to it

I do think his later books aren't as good as his early books but that is a complaint you can make against other authors eg Patricia Cornwell

spaghoni t1_jdxowl7 wrote on March 27, 2023 at 11:14 PM

I enjoyed his legal thrillers when I was younger but my favorite book is A Painted House. It's the only JG book I've read multiple times. It's a great piece of southern literature.

leegunter t1_jdy7nko wrote on March 28, 2023 at 1:33 AM

A Painted House is a top 5 book for me.

PrincessNapoleon44 t1_jdzjav9 wrote on March 28, 2023 at 10:17 AM

I’ve enjoyed Grisham for decades & was looking forward to this one. It was a punish and I struggled to finish. Would have benefited from some pruning (in fact a lot) and the editor needs sacking. The repetition, plot holes, and general mistakes weren’t good. The central characters weren’t enticing either.

Having said that - the premise of the story was great and I did learn a lot about the times and region.