I'm a John Grisham fan who has read all of his books. This book started off with a good story line and even had an interesting twist: it was told from the perspective of an observer who was a journalist. Some characters from past novels even make a reappearance: Judge Omar Noose and renegade lawyers Lucien Wilbanks and Harry-Rex Vonner (A Time to Kill). I enjoyed the central plot - a town's concern over the murder of some jurors by, it is suspected, the person the jurors sentenced to life in prison. The personal growth of the young, liberal journalist in a southern, Christian town and his work to revive the local paper, and the relationships the young journalist develops with some of the residents is also entertaining. The story runs well and keeps the reader's attention but is, unfortunately, wrapped up rather quickly.

If this had been written by a different author, I would have accepted the abrupt ending but I've come to expect more from Grisham. When considered in the company of his other novels, the sudden ending of this book makes it an average read.