The Confession by John Grisham

I'm not much of a fan of Grisham since his early books. Most of what he has written follows the same theme: central character is a rogue trying to swim upstream in a legal battle. This book is not much different except that it addresses a sensitive subject: the death penalty. The storyline does not blur the issue of innocence; in Grisham's world the convict is absolutely-without-a-doubt innocent. The reader must lose all faith and confidence in the judicial system in order for this story to work. (including the ignorance and prejudice of every single person in the legal systems, save the central character who is trying to fix things). On the other hand, I did think Grisham portrayed the pastor well--he never had the pastor cuss or swear, never had him step outside his faith. The death chamber scene was pretty awful--especially since by that point the reader completely understands how everybody was wrong and the death sentence is a horrible miscarriage of justice. Still, it is a pretty emotional scene. I'm not sure Grisham had any "point" to make in the book except that it is pretty clear he does not support the death penalty. I think if Grisham had created a world that was less black and white (no racial pun intended), a reader might be more inclined to examine the death penalty. As it is, Grisham's heavy handedness against the death penalty doesn't do much to sway the opinon of those who support it.