The Rainmaker

John Grisham's novel, The Rainmaker, narrates the tale of a young man, fresh out of law school, who takes on one of the most formidable, dishonest, and brutal corporations in the United States and uncovers a sophisticated, multibillion-dollar insurance fraud. Rudy Baylor meets his first "clients," Dot and Buddy Black, when he is compelled to provide free legal advice to a group of elderly people during his last semester of law school. Their son Donny Ray has leukemia and is nearing death; yet, his insurance company has steadfastly refused to cover his medical expenses. Rudy is initially dubious, but he quickly comes to understand that the large company has been treating the Black people in a shockingly unfair manner, and that he may have come upon one of the biggest insurance frauds ever discovered, as well as one of the most significant and profitable cases in civil litigation history. The issue is that Rudy is facing one of America's top defense lawyers—and one of the country's most influential industries—head-to-head and is completely bankrupt, jobless, and without legal experience.