legal thriller – Pleasant Nights

Title: The Boys From Biloxi

Author: John Grisham

Genre: legal thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

John Grisham is hit or miss for me. His early stuff, like A Time to Kill, is great. The Innocent Man was excellent. The Last Juror was awful. So, when I saw this one on NetGalley, I had no idea what version of Grisham I was going to get. And although this one took me over two weeks to get through, it was only because I’ve been so busy at work. I was excited to read more, every time I picked up this book.

From Goodreads: For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings. The vice was controlled by a small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumored to be members of the Dixie Mafia.

Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends, as well as Little League all-stars. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith’s father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to “clean up the Coast.” Hugh’s father became the “Boss” of Biloxi’s criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father’s footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father’s clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.

Life itself hangs in the balance in The Boys from Biloxi, a sweeping saga rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters.

I had to check a few times to make sure this book was actually a novel. It reads like non-fiction, very matter-of-fact. Maybe that’s how Grisham is writing these days, but I couldn’t believe it was fiction. That didn’t detract from my enjoyment, however. There’s not a lot of surprise here. The good guys are good. The bad guys are bad. And the Malco and Rudy families are pulled in several directions. Watching it all play out was the most interesting part. I really enjoyed this book and put it up there with his early works.

Take It Back

Title: Take It Back

Author: Kia Abdullah

Genre: legal/domestic thriller

I don’t read enough books by Muslim authors, and this is a failing on my part. Not only do I want to support the community, but I also want to learn more about the Muslim ethnicity. So when I stumbled upon this book, I was eager to read and understand a bit more. Even though this book is fiction, being written by a Muslim author brings a level of authenticity to it. And I’m glad to say this book was really excellent overall. I definitely recommend it.

From Goodreads: The Victim: Jodie Wolfe, a physically flawed 16-year-old girl accuses four boys in her class of something unthinkable.

The Defendants: Four handsome teenagers from hard-working immigrant families, all with corroborating stories.

The Savior: Zara Kaleel, a former lawyer, one of London’s brightest legal minds, takes on this case. She believes her client, even though those closest to her do not.

Together, they enter the most explosive criminal trial of the year, where the only thing that matters is justice for Jodie. But this time justice comes at a devastating cost.

Poor Jodie. What a sad character. She was born with facial deformities and has grown up being called every taunting name, shunned from society, stared at by strangers, just a terrible world. Her father left after seeing her face, and her mother treats her like garbage. Jodie just wants to be loved and accepted like any other teenage girl. So, when she approaches Zara with the story of being gang-raped, Zara immediately takes her side and learns the boys she is accusing are Muslim, as is Zara. As much as Zara wants to support her community, she can’t just ignore Jodie’s claims. The Muslim community supports the accused, Zara is drawn into scandals, and plenty of people think Jodie is lying for attention. The plot just kept drawing me in. Did the boys do it? Whew… the story that unfolds is worth reading. I really enjoyed this book and wavered between Jodie telling the truth vs not. I won’t say how the book ends, but I will say I was left satisfied.