Sparring Partners: Novellas

"Homecoming" transports us back to Ford County, the made-up location of several classic tales by John Grisham. Although he is returned, Jake Brigance is not present in court. He has been asked to assist an old buddy, Mack Stafford, a former Clanton lawyer who, three years before, became into a local celebrity when he embezzled money from his customers, filed for bankruptcy, divorced his wife, and absconded from his family in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again—until now. Now that he's returned, Mack is relying on Jake and Harry Rex, his old friends, to get him back. His return home did not go as expected.

Three hours before his execution, young Cody Wallace is introduced to us in "Strawberry Moon," a novel about a death row convict. His attorneys are unable to rescue him, the courts close their doors, and the governor rejects a last-minute plea for mercy. With time running out, Cody has one more request.

The Malloy brothers, Kirk and Rusty, are the "Sparring Partners." They are two accomplished young attorneys who took over their father's once-thriving practice when he was imprisoned. Rusty and Kirk despise one another and only communicate when absolutely essential. The only person the partners trust, Diantha Bradshaw, is left to handle the mess left by the firm's collapse. Will she be able to rescue the Malloys, or does she decide to attempt to save herself for the first time in her career?

These three novellas, which alternate between being tense, funny, poignant, and powerful, are among the best tales John Grisham has ever written.

* Ten minutes and thirty hours *