Publication Date: July 19, 2011
Publisher: Vintage
Page Number: 528
The best part of this book is for writers and that was at the end in the author's note. After the thanks to particular people, Grisham started with the following. "Some overly observant readers may stumble across a fact or two that might appear to be in error. They may consider writing me letters to point out my shortcomings. They should conserve paper." He ends the paragraph with the following sentence. "My hope is that the errors are insignificant in nature." With this in mind, yes, Grisham stretched the truth a little bit, but I did not notice it with my discerning eye as I sometimes do when I read a book.
I knew from the start John Grisham was not going to end the novel on a high note. As readers we want a sliver of light in the reality of a controversial subject such as the death penalty, which is the main subject matter of this book. What John Grisham did well was be a fiction writer. He allowed the characters to speak for what they believed in and allowed the honest mistakes professionals make along the way play out that unfortunately sometimes leads to resignations, firings, outcasts to the public, and in the most severe case of death.
What better location to have a major part of this story take place in Texas that has a high number of prisoners on death row. But as most of us know, people tend to be equal opportunists when it comes to crimes such as rape, kidnapping, and murder. So, when Travis Boyette (no relation to Boyd Boyette from The Client and one of my tiny criticisms as there are many other names, Grisham could've used besides Boyette) contacted a pastor named Keith Schroder, it propelled the story across state lines to Missouri.
There are three parts to this book. The first part is "The Crime." The second part is "The Punishment." The third part is "The Exoneration." You probably can see where the story is going. One of my favorite chapters as a reader was Chapter 7 where the defendant, Donté Drumm wrote his version of his confession when he was with the detective Morrissey and Kerber without any adult with him as he was juvenile at the time. While Dante has supporters and people in his corner, Robbie Flak as his lawyer along with Keith Schroder and Travis Boyette as he nears his execution is not as powerful as the governor and judge presiding over the last-minute court proceedings to grant a stay of execution.
Religious people can find reasons to reject the death penalty as much as non-religious people can find reasons to support the death penalty and vice versa. So, the relationship of religion and faith in relation to fate and acceptance in relation to truth and reality is how the book ends. For all the revenge in the mind of Robbie Flak, all the confusion in the mind of Keith Schroder, and all the numbness in the mind of Roberta Drumm, it is Donté Drumm and Nicole Yarber who are the victims but not the only ones.
