Rating: 
Summary: A Writer's Nightmare
Review: This book came recommended by a friend. I can't say I've ever been impressed by Grisham's writing. I've seen his writing used in too many examples of what a writer should not do. Nevertheless, I went to the bookstore, picked it up, read the first sentence, then quickly placed it back on the shelf. Here's the fatal sentence:"The shots that fired the bullets were heard by no less than eight people...." Huh? Shots don't fire bullets! Pistols do. Rifles do. Grisham is obviously too much of a lawyer to know that 'report' can also mean the sound of an explosion or a loud noise, as in "The report of a gun." Grisham has had a constant problem with this sort of thing, beginning with his breakout novel, THE FIRM. Oh, he can construct an engaging storyline, but the writing is absolutely attrocious. I can't believe this got past his editors. Had a lesser known writer submitted a manuscript with that first line, it would've been rejected out of hand! What happened with this one? Were they asleep at their desks? Or were they hypnotized by the millions their employers would make off of Grisham's fan base? Neither is good. It takes a better writer and a better first sentence to get my attention and my money. Amazon's scale should be 0-5 stars, not 1-5. I'd rather give this book 0 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Legal Thriller
Review: Author Bio: John Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea in Virginia and Mississippi. He graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, and practiced law for over 10 years. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990. Some of his books include A Time to Kill, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, and The Street Lawyer. Some of his books have been made into films including The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, and The Chamber. His books continue to top best sellers lists around the world. Annotation: As a young lawyer, Clay is employed at a low-paying public defender's position. He is dating a prominent man's daughter, Rebecca, who is constantly offering him high-paying jobs that he repeatedly denies. Rebecca decides she is sick of his low paying job so she leaves him for someone else. Shortly after, Clay has a meeting that will change his life. Soon he is engaged in mass tort lawsuits, which earn him millions. He is pulled into a whirlwind of money, power, and damaging secrets. Evaluation: I became interested in this book because I had seen the movie version of John Grisham's book The Runaway Jury, and I found it to be very original and exciting. The King of Torts dealt with mass tort lawsuits, which I also find very interesting. The plot was very well constructed, and there seemed to be just enough action to keep the reader interested. The different array of characters made it appealing to different types of readers, and it included elements such as romance, deception, greed, and power. There is also a hint of mystery involved, which even added to the quality. At some points in the novel you can't help but feel bad for the young lawyer Clay Carter, and at other times questions his real intentions and morals. He finds himself among some of the top lawyers in the United States, and in turn, would like to acquire the power and wealth they posses. He gets caught up in his newfound money and power, and suddenly must deal with consequences he could have never imagined would happen to him. I would recommend The King of Torts to anyone who is looking for a suspenseful law story with a couple twists and surprises.
Rating:
Summary: Give me a break
Review: Oh no...this is surly not the great John Grisham who wrote this book. Come on. What is going on here. This book is full of trash. Aint written by the Grisham who wrote The Client. Dont waste your money folks.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham's worst, no questions
Review: I won't even get into the boring, predictable and ultimately pointless story. Suffice it to say that a lead character with shaky morals and no redeemable qualities makes for a pretty uninvolving read. A new low for a once great author.
Rating:
Summary: This lawyers morality?
Review: How about the author's morality for taking money for this book? I want my money back!
Rating: 
Summary: Just don't understand . . .
Review: Personally, I thought this was one of John Grisham's best works, so I'm a little taken aback at some of the negative reviews. My favorite all-time Grisham is "The Firm," but "King" follows a close second. I'm not sure about some of the "facts" but I do know that Mr. Grisham writes compelling characters, plots, and settings, and has few equals. Would also recommend another great read, though along totally different lines: "The Bark of the Dogwood" by J.T. McCrae.
Rating:
Summary: I finally just gave up
Review: Are you sure John Grisham wrote this book? It was so unlike his other books. It was so boring I started skipping pages to get to the "good part". Trust me - there isn't a "good part".
Rating:
Summary: Greedy writer takes the money and runs
Review: I was hugely disappointed with this book. I had read a few of Grisham's early books a number of years ago which I enjoyed and recently thought that The King of Torts would be the sort of thing I needed for the beach. Boy, was I wrong. Where Grisham's earlier work (such as The Firm, The Client and The Pelican Brief) were fast paced legal thrillers with nice plot twists, The King of Torts is a moderately paced story about a greedy lawyer with no plot twist. I kept waiting for something to happen - and it never did. Talk about feeling cheated. I'm not sure that Grisham tried very hard with this book. I get the impression that he belted it out rather quickly. He certainly doesn't seem to have spent as much time developing the plot as with his earlier books. Here the main character (Clay Carter) has a major lawsuit handed to him on a plate by the mysterious Max Price. And then when Max Price has served his purpose of short circuiting the plot, he simply drops out of the picture. Why not have the main character do his own investigation to find the case? Why not have Max Price be an old friend of his estranged father or somehow linked to another character in the story? In fact, why not make more of Clay's father as a character. Why not make more of Clay's relationship with his girlfriend? There are plenty of opportunities for Grisham to make this story more complex and interesting but he seems to have missed them all. Not particularly satisfying. Even at his best Grisham is a rather formulaic writer of pulp fiction - but at least you know what you're going to get. Or at least, you should. What was so disappointing about this book is that I didn't get what I was expecting - a decent thriller with a plot twist to enjoy on the beach. Perhaps the irony is that the The King of Torts is a story about a lawyer who gets greedy, doesn't worry about it and then takes the money and splits. What is actually going on is that the author and publisher are churning out pulp to a public that deserves better, not worrying about it before they take the money and split.
Rating:
Summary: It happens too frequently
Review: This book is frightening as one reads how often companies are sued by lawyers hoping to finally "make the big bucks" It was a real page turner/
Rating: 
Summary: thumbs down
Review: The other reviews can give you the necessary information about the plot. As another commentary on the plot, however, I was greatly disappointed. My husband and I both read the book and both kept hoping that there would be some redeeming plot twist. I thought, "Surely it can't just be a tiresome repetition about the main character's increasing lust for power and money?" But alas, it was just that. And then suddenly it just seems to end with a quick, neat, wrap-up.
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