Rogue Lawyer: A Novel

Rogue Lawyer is the 26th stand-alone novel by popular American author, John Grisham. Sebastian Rudd is a rogue lawyer. He defends criminals no-one else will touch; he is unpopular with criminals and with the police, so unpopular that his last office was fire-bombed; he is not above cheating, especially when he believes the other side is doing it; he says he fights bad systems and hates injustice.

After finishing parts one and two, the reader could be forgiven for thinking that the book is going to be a collection of anecdotes about cases Rudd has won or lost, but persistence proves that Grisham is giving his character a back-story, so that his behaviour later in the book seems consistent. Rudd does spend quite a bit of time justifying his actions, though, especially when it comes to his broken marriage, his obsession with cage fighting and his interactions with his seven-year-old son.

This is a legal thriller that touches on wrongful arrest, trial by media, death row, and death by SWAT team. There is a dramatic prison escape, a car bombing, more than one kidnap, several cage fights, sex trafficking, and a SWAT assault, all against a background of conflict with Rudd’s ex-wife over visitation rights. The size and nature of back-room court deals, if accurate, is quite an eye-opener. Not Grisham’s best, but still a good read.

With thanks to TheReadingRoom and Hachette for this copy to read and review