The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

...read. I had already seen the film before reading, so should have known where it was leading. But if I told you when I had started reading it, most of you would probably laugh. I guess that's why I am taking so long to keep up with reading people's reviews, though. I am such a hopelessly slow reader I will be lucky to have read twenty books by the time I die. Okay, slight exaggeration there, but basically it can take me a matter of months to get through ...
...the end, I have forgotten most of the story. That could well have been the case for me with this book, but I think it might just have been memorable enough for me to now sit down and write this review. Here goes. === The Story === Set in a place called Biloxi in Mississippi, the ninth tort case against a tobacco company is about to take place, and the whole world is watching. Well, America at least, but aren't they the world these days? Sorry, anyway... ...

Ayesha- 03.09.2008 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

The Runaway Jury is another legal novel by John Grisham. This time, the focus of the story is a lawsuit by widow Celeste Wood against cigarette manufacturer, Pynex. Celeste’s husband Jacob, a lifelong smoker of three packets of cigarettes a day, died at the age of 51 from lung cancer. The focus of the case is Pynex’s liability for Jacob’s death. It is the ninth such case of its kind, and each time so far, the jury has found in favour of the cigarette ...
...court, it sends panic through the tobacco industry, as a plaintiff’s verdict would cause severe damage for all the main players. As such, all four of America’s largest tobacco companies are working together to fight the case in the small town of Biloxi. They have hired undercover legal expert Rankin Fitch to ensure that the trial goes their way, and they have a fund of over $8 million with which to make this happen – by whatever means are necessary, ...

Pumpkin 11.05.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

The Runaway Jury by John Grisham Characters The Jurors 1. Nicholas Easter The main juror who is the centre of attention and the leader of the jury. His past is clouded and is a big worry for both legal teams. He becomes more important as the trial progresses. 2. Jerry Fernandez A gambling man who is going through a divorce and is in love with a fellow juror. He is also Nick's friend so will vote as he does. 3. Rikki Coleman A non-smoker ...
...to play over the trial. She did have an abortion in high school but this never emerged. 4. Millie Dupree Husband Hoppy is one of many people approached by the Big Four Tobacco Companies in an effort to bribe the jury. 5. Angel Weese Wife of Derrick who tries to get a large sum of money from the defence team and thinks that Angel can influence the whole jury. In fact, she is shy and will follow her friends' choice of verdict. 6. Sylvia Taylor-Tatum ...

christopherj84 27.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

...in John Grisham's new novel The Runaway Jury. It's a timely legal thriller: Giant tobacco companies versus the giant anti-smoking lobby. Three-pack-a-day, 30-year smoker Jacob Wood is dead and his widow's lawsuit becomes all things to all involved; plaintiffs' lawyers want to open the door on tobacco liability, and the industry wants it slammed shut. Grisham puts The Runaway Jury's court action in Biloxi and flavours it with the Gulf Coast's gambling ...
...Chamber and more straightforward than The Pelican Brief, Grisham's sixth novel is a lively read that evokes doubt about the sanctity of the U.S. jury system. Enter provocateur Nicholas Easter, part-time store clerk with clean-shaven, boyish good looks. Easter is very "nice" and really wants to appear unbiased about tobacco. There begins the story and suspicions are soon confirmed -- Easter has his own agenda threading through a maze of legal procedure ...

Mohammed 26.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

...such an awful pun for the title of their opinions deserves all the Not Helpful ratings that can be mustered. Apologies and please don't. For anyone who hasn't read or heard about this book it's based around a courtroom battle between a coalition of prominent American Litigators suing Big Tobacco on behalf of the widow of a man who died from smoking, the intention being to set a precedent enabling them to make billions suing on behalf of all smokers. ...
...and is employing the full dirty tricks brigade to stop it. Leading them in this effort is a man who has already fixed several trials on their behalf. But when this trial starts it soon becomes apparent that not everything is a one would expect in an ordinary tobacco action. The jurors are behaving oddly and a Woman outside of the case seems to be able to predict what's going on: Is this an attempt to fix the biggest civil trial in history? And if ...

Sweep1 13.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

The American jury service gets John Grisham treatment in this book, as he tells the story of a manipulated trial. Grisham has proved once again how successfully he can tell a story. The plot of The Runaway Jury is inspired, and as he so often does, Grisham unravels the plot expertly, revealing just enough to keep you reading. I was absorbed in this book from start to finish, and I found the characters interesting. This would make a good read for ...

JaySee 14.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

The Tobacco industry versus the world is the setting for The Runaway Jury. A story of dirty dealings in the Jury box. Another fantastic plot from Grisham keeps you pinned to the book and an astute choice of current legal issues in the battle for tobacco companies trying to keep legal liability at bay. One juror in particular has an ulterior motive and has an uncanny knack of being one step ahead of his pursuers. I have now become the archetypal Grisham ...

MarcusPerkins 14.09.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

The Runaway Jury is a very interesting read, if a little far fetched. The story is very enjoyable and centres around a tobacco trial which has high media interest. The main characters, as you would expect, are the jury members. You get to know the characters very well and can relate to them by the end of the book. The book has many amusing moments in it and is very cleverly written. If you can suspend your belief in patches you will thoroughly enjoy ...

tommy7 12.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

...excellent Grisham book that concerns the Tobacco indsutry. The industry is being sued for millions but can an insider on the Jury get the result the tobacco industry so desperatly need? Can they find out who this person and their background is before it is too late? The story is exciting from the word go with the intrigues of jury selection to the expulsion of some of the jurists for various (fakes) mistransgresions. The book is both fast pased and ...

padders 18.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

...Jury has a leader and the verdict belongs to him. The subtitle was instantly intriguing, but the quality of the story exceeds intriguing. Grisham has proved himself over the course of around a dozen books to be an instinctive storyteller. This book only emphasises this fact. At close to 500 pages, this is one of Grishams longest works, but there is enough suspense and enough twists to easily justify the extra 100 pages or so. Grisham consistently ...
...but the ending contains one last twist which although somewhat predictible, was nevertheless uttterly enjoyable. The pace of this book, is what most impresses me, he is able to keep the book running at a consistent pace, and then every so often springs a surprise which shocks the reader back into life. This is one of those books you cannot put down, anyone who is fasconated by the law profession should buy this book. If you are a regular Grisham ...

ChrisT 08.06.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

...got to be one of the best books I have read recently. It is very cleverly written and interesting. It is very informative about American jury service and trial procedure. One drawback must be that I totally want to do what the main character in the book does. There is a very good moral at the end which is quite unexpected. It is a very manipulative book and it is not entirely clear what the characters motives are and who is involved. It is totally ...

rachel 10.06.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Runaway Jury - John Grisham