Summary Of The Book A killer’s sneakers whisper across the floor of a fancy home in suburban Georgetown. Far away in a gay movie theater in Washington, D.C., a patron is strangled to death. The breaking news across America the next day is that of the shocking assassination of two of the country’s Supreme Court Justices. Darby Shaw, a young law student in New Orleans drafts a legal brief. To her, it is just a brilliant guess, but in the corridors of power at the Washington establishment it is considered a political dynamite. Soon, she finds herself a witness to a murder that was actually intended for her.
Going into hiding, she realizes that there is just one trustworthy person who happens to be an ambitious reporter. The reporter is the only person who can help Darby fit the pieces of the deadly jigsaw puzzle. A cover-up that is very violent is being staged between Louisiana and the inner sanctums of the White House. Someone has stumbled upon Darby’s shot-in-the-dark legal brief and will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of this heinous crime and preserve the secrets of the Pelican Brief.
Published in the year 1992, The Pelican Brief’s film adaptation was released in the following year. It starred Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington as the main protagonists.
About John Grisham John Grisham is one of the leading authors specializing in the legal-suspense genre. Among the many books he has authored, some are A Time To Kill, The Rainmaker, The Client, and Sycamore Row. Known famously for his legal-suspense thrillers, the author has broadened his scope from law to writing in general about the rural south over the years. He has also dabbled in sports and comedy fiction. Grisham was born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. After completing his accounting major at Mississippi State University he graduated in law from the University of Mississippi School of Law in the year 1981. Then, he practiced law for close to 10 years in Southaven. In 1983, he was elected to the State House of Representatives and served there until 1990. It was at the DeSoto County courthouse one day that he overheard the testimony of a 12 year old rape victim that inspired him to write his debut novel, A Time To Kill, that was published in June 1988. He is the author of many popular novels that have managed to remain on the bestseller list for a very long time. Many of his novels have been adapted into feature films and have also gone on to become Hollywood blockbusters. He married Renee Jones and has two children. Apart from writing, Grisham is passionate about baseball and also devotes his time to various charitable causes.
Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991. Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jury award of $683,500--the biggest verdict of his career. When he's not writing, Grisham devotes time to charitable causes, including most recently his Rebuild The Coast Fund, which raised 8.8 million dollars for Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He also keeps up with his greatest passion: baseball. The man who dreamed of being a professional baseball player now serves as the local Little League commissioner. The six ballfields he built on his property have played host to over 350 kids on 26 Little League teams.
