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Summary: Can this be John Grisham?
Review: I've read all of John Grisham's books and was severely disappointed with this one. There was no character development, I never could figure out if I liked or even disliked Clay Carter because I didn't know him--or any of the other characters. The book read (or listened, as I did audio) like transcripts--I even found myself re-checking the jacket to make sure this was listed as fiction. There was no conflict until the last of 8 tapes--and I can't say that I cared once it arrived. I had much higher expectations when I got this book, I've really enjoyed all Grisham's other books, even the 'unusual for him', Painted House and Skipping Christmas.
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Summary: Grisham trades in Mississippi roots for enjoyable tale.
Review: After a stint in discussing non-legal matters, John Grisham returns to the genre that made him famous. The aptly names 'King of Torts' deals mainly with both the legal and political aspects of tort law, something he briefly touched upon in his excellent The Runaway Jury.
Gone are the local Mississippi lawyers and judges, as Grisham continues to digress further from his own roots; in their place are presidents, fortune 500 CEOs, and the top lawyers in the country.
Although Grisham has not lost his knack for storytelling, and King of Torts is certainly a compelling and exciting read, this book lacks the heart and sympathetic emotion provoked by his previous works. There is no loveable child or even adult wronged by the cruel world; the audience is torn between disliking and feeling empathetic towards the main character. Instead, Grisham presents a grim look into the world of not only tort law, but also social conditions, politics, and greed.
Though the story, when contemplated apart from the book, is quite implausible, Grisham does manage to present it in a believable way. Although the King of Torts could certainly be written in more elaborate prose, it makes a good read that audiences should enjoy.
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Summary: This is Grisham?
Review: This is the first Grisham book I have read. It started slow. Around page 80 the story got interesting and remained that way to the end, although nothing was gripping. As a lawyer, I liked the basic story line. However, if this book is typical of Grisham's writing, then in my view his success is in his ability to spin an good story line, not in his actual fiction "writing" ability, which seems to be quite mediocre.
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Summary: All Hail the King
Review: Yes! Finally mr. grisham is back with a juicy book! This book carries the story of a young lawyer faced with ethics, money, romance. The main character is believable and I felt compelled to see the affect of his decisions. I really didn't know how it would end, which was great!
Rating: 
Summary: not bad...but not the best
Review: I was quite excited to pick up the new Grisham book, but must admit I was disappointed in what I read. I found the book, on the whole, predictable and dry, and while I normally read straight throuogh his books this one I put down halfway through and then only idly picked it up again to finish. In my opinion, it wasn't quite up to snuff and not really worth the read.
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Summary: Another rags to riches
Review: This is a pretty good book, a quick summer read. Book races to the finish with rags to riches, back to rags familiar theme.The main character goes from nothing to a 100 million dollars in less than a year. How do you lose that much money, well read it and find out. Hint, those Gulfstream's are expensive. Gives a decent account of tort law and how these lawyers are the only one getting rich, while the people they are helping are pawns in the game between lawyers and big business.
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Summary: Grisham is still the king
Review: If you've stopped reading John Grisham for whatever reason, it is time that you pick up one of his new ones and continue to enjoy. His writing never seems to stop entertaining and showing the reader another hidden aspect of the law. The King of Torts, though, is a little longer than what I expected. Only after finishing the book did I see the need for the entire length. The King of Torts is a great read and as comfortable as a favorite chair.
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Summary: Easily Misunderstood
Review: I think a lot of readers are missing what Grisham is up to. He is no longer interested in merely contriving a mystery, but in delving into the ambiguous nature of contemporary law and morality. In "King Of Torts" we find ourselves watching--and knowing it's coming--a human traffic accident. And it's never clear which side we're on, even at the end. Do we applaud the hero or condemn him? Would we want to sue a big corporation if we were injured by a faulty product? How much is it worth? Are greedy lawyers the enemy? Well, if they are, who else would represent us? It's not always easy to figure out American justice, but this is a fun way to learn about torts and [waste] a weekend at the same time.
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Summary: Boring-Predictable
Review: I've been disillusioned with John Grisham for quite some time now. His latest books have just not measured up to the earlier ones, which feature thrilling plots and characters that you care about. This isn't one of those earlier books. Frankly, the minute that Clay Carter "sold his soul" for 15 million dollars (in the first few chapters of the book), I could predict the plot and the character development in two seconds. And I was pretty dead on. The rest of the book is a dreary bore; attempting to give the reader a lesson in ethics, integrity, and doing the right thing. The problem is that Grisham is using Clay Carter, who has just taken 15 million for participating in a massive cover up with a big-wig pharmacutical company. With that small problem stuck in my mind, it was totally impossible for me to note or care when Clay suddenly decides to make it all better or do the right thing. Which was basically how I felt about all of the characters, from Clay's shallow, materialistic ex-fiance (real love-give me a break) to Clay's boring, narcissistic father. Take it from me: skip this one, go back and read "A Time to Kill", "The Firm", or "The Rainmaker". It will be time better spent.
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Summary: Smutty, but successful Grisham page-turner.
Review: In his latest legal thriller, John Grisham tackles the world of mass tort litigation, where lawyers sign up thousands of clients in class action lawsuits. They tap into goldmines by forcing companies guilty of selling bad products to settle out of court, typically raking in millions of bucks in fees themselves because of the sheer numbers. The protagonist is Clay Carter, a nobody at the Office of the Public Defender, who stumbles into a huge settlement that begins a meteoric rise for him to become the king of torts, earning millions. Who is the mysterious contact who is feeding Clay inside information to accomplish all this? Clay's increased richness is combined with an increased nastiness, and it takes some surprises to bring him to repentance "He was ashamed of his greed and embarrassed by his stupidity. It was sickening what the money had done to him." The story-line is quite gripping, probably because we identify with the hero, and his rise to success appeals to our own inate desire for instant wealth. The protagonist has both virtues and vices, and we must both love and hate him at the same time (although the supporting cast of characters is rather cardboard and lame). There is a moral lesson in Clay's changing characterization, as he falls to the very depths of character and greed that he himself first despised. Clay's rise and his fall is didactic, because ultimately Grisham wants us to be somewhat sickened by all the greed of money hungry mass tort lawyers. But while the filthy rich lawyers with their glitzy personal jets and bought women soon lose their appeal because of their nastiness, has the money itself lost its appeal for readers? It could be argued that by the last page, our love of money which made the plot so gripping is still rather intact. And some of the other smut we've encountered in the process isn't quite wiped clean either. At times Grisham is surprisingly and plainly smutty - the unmarried hero is sexually active, and although Grisham doesn't give us all the details of what happens in bed, he doesn't suggest it is wrong either. There are even a couple of sly references to homosexuality and bisexuality that were unnecessary. While the morality tale about greed is crystal clear, it's a shame that Grisham appears to let some other morals slip in the process, or at least fails to make clear the lines between good and evil behaviour in other respects. At the end of the day, like the main character, this morality tale is itself flawed and incomplete. The plot isn't entirely credible either, especially the way in which Clay became chosen as the lawyer elect in the first settlement. But if you can look past these weaknesses, this is another Grisham novel that can be enjoyed for what it is - a suspenseful legal pageturner. This is not Grisham at his best (The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker), but it isn't Grisham at his worst (The Summons) either. Let's hope that Grisham has finished his own personal fall, and is on the rise again.
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