From my early teens onwards I have been an avid fan of the crime genre. This interest most likely can be traced to my formative years of reading where I devoured the adventure/detective tales of Enid Blyton and my brief love affair with Nancy Drew.
However, once I reached highschool I discovered that my love of the adventure/detective genre I had enjoyed as a child could be rediscovered in a genre with a bit more punch. My first experience with the crime genre was with the popular works of John Grisham. In a small space of time I found myself exploring the intriguing and often moving storylines of The Client, The Pelican Brief and A Time To Kill.
As I progressed through highschool, and as Grisham released more novels, I found many more of his novels that were not only entertaining but dealt with various social issues, such as racism, social inequity, environmental sustainability and the ability of big business to corrupt the moral fabric of a community and the individual.
Set almost exclusively in the Southern States of the USA, Grisham explores what is often a complex and delicately balanced social construction. He has an ability to create characters that disrupt the social norm for a greater purpose, although they also usually embody some interesting stereotypes, whether gender based or cultural.
There have been few novels of Grisham's that I have not enjoyed, with the exception of A Painted House. In this novel, Grisham moves away from his usual exploration of the courtroom and the legal system and instead attempts a family saga. The characters and the plot were at best insipid and it was ultimately a struggle to finish the book. While I am a strong believer in the need to try new things, I think this was one occasion where the writer should have stuck with what he knows and does best.
Over the years many of John Grisham's novels have made the leap to the big screen. Whilst they have often drawn big name actors, the only one that I enjoyed anywhere near as much as the book would be A Time To Kill and I have often used it to reinforce the continued use of racial tension as a basis for literary inspiration. As can be seen by anyone familiar with both pieces of work, this piece from Grisham has some interesting parallels to Harper Lee's classic, To Kill A Mockingbird.
For anyone who enjoys the TV shows Law and Order or it's many off-shoots I strongly recommend that you dip into the extensive back catalogue of John Grisham novels that are available.
See link below for a complete catalogue of his work to date.
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