Produktdetails
- Verlag
- Random House LLC US
- Erschienen
- 2010
- Sprache
- English
- Seiten
- 432
- Infos
- 432 Seiten
243 mm x 167 mm - ISBN
- 978-0-385-52804-7
Besprechung
"The Confession is the kind of grab-a-reader-by-the-shoulders suspense story that demands to be inhaled as quickly as possible. But it's also a superb work of social criticism in the literary troublemaker tradition of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle....Brilliant"--Washington Post
"Grisham is the master of the legal thriller."--USA Today
NO ONE KEEPS YOU IN SUSPENSE LIKE AMERICA S FAVORITE STORYTELLER
The secrets of Grisham s success are no secret at all. There are two of them: his pacing, which ranges from fast to breakneck, and his Theme little guy takes on big conspiracy with the little guy getting the win in the end. Time magazine
The law, by its nature, creates drama, and a new Grisham promises us an inside look at the dirty machineries of process and power, with plenty of entertainment Los Angeles Times
With every new book I appreciate John Grisham a little more, for his feisty critiques of the legal system, his compassion for the underdog, and his willingness to strike out in new directions. Entertainment Weekly
John Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we ve got in the United States these days. The New York Times Book Review
Grisham is a marvelous storyteller who works readers the way a good trial lawyer works a jury. Philadelphia Inquirer
A mighty narrative talent and an unerring eye for hot-button issues. Chicago Sun-Times
A legal literary legend. USA Today
Kurztext / Annotation
Holiday gift giving will be a breeze this fall when John Grisham's latest legal thriller lands on the shelves. Filled with the intriguing twists and turns that have become Grisham's trademark, this newest novel will prove once again that no one keeps readers in suspense like America's favorite storyteller.
Textauszug
Chapter 1
The custodian at St. Mark s had just scraped three inches of snow off the sidewalks when the man with the cane appeared. The sun was up, but the winds were howling; the temperature was stuck at the freezing mark. The man wore only a pair of thin dungarees, a summer shirt, well-worn hiking boots, and a light Windbreaker that stood little chance against the chill. But he did not appear to be uncomfortable, nor was he in a hurry. He was on foot, walking with a limp and a slight tilt to his left, the side aided by the cane. He shuf ed along the sidewalk near the chapel and stopped at a side door with the word Of ce painted in dark red. He did not knock and the door was not locked. He stepped inside just as another gust of wind hit him in the back.
The room was a reception area with the cluttered, dusty look one would expect to nd in an old church. In the center was a desk with a nameplate that announced the presence of Charlotte Junger, who sat not far behind her name. She said with a smile, Good morning.
Good morning, the man said. A pause. It s very cold out there.
It is indeed, she said as she quickly sized him up. The obvious problem was that he had no coat and nothing on his hands or head.
I assume you re Ms. Junger, he said, staring at her name.
No, Ms. Junger is out today. The u. I m Dana Schroeder, the minister s wife, just lling in. What can we do for you?
There was one empty chair and the man looked hopefully at it. May I?
Of course, she said. He carefully sat down, as if all movements needed forethought.
Is the minister in? he asked as he looked at a large, closed door off to the left.
Yes, but he s in a meeting. What can we do for you? She was petite, with a nice chest, tight sweater. He couldn t see anything below the waist, under the desk. He had always preferred the smaller ones. Cute face, big blue eyes, high cheekbones, a wholesome pretty girl, the perfect little minister s wife.
It had been so long since he d touched a woman.
I need to see Reverend Schroeder, he said as he folded his hands together prayerfully. I was in church yesterday, listened to his sermon, and, well, I need some guidance.
He s very busy today, she said with a smile. Really nice teeth.
I m in a rather urgent situation, he said.
Dana had been married to Keith Schroeder long enough to know that no one had ever been sent away from his of ce, appointment or not. Besides, it was a frigid Monday morning and Keith wasn t really that busy. A few phone calls, one consultation with a young couple in the process of retreating from a wedding, under way at that very moment, then the usual visits to the hospitals. She fussed around the desk, found the simple questionnaire she was looking for, and said, Okay, I ll take some basic information and we ll see what can be done. Her pen was ready.
Thank you, he said, bowing slightly.
Name?
Travis Boyette. He instinctively spelled his last name for her. Date of birth, October 10, 1963. Place, Joplin, Missouri. Age, forty-four. Single, divorced, no children. No address. No place of employment. No prospects.
Dana absorbed this as her pen frantically searched for the proper blanks to be lled. His response created far more questions than her little form was designed to accommodate. Okay, about the address, she said, still writing. Where are you staying these days?
These days I&rsq
Langtext
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER An innocent man is about to be executed. Only a guilty man can save him.
For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn t care. He just can t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.
Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.
Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what s right and confess.
But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they re about to execute an innocent man?
Don t miss John Grisham s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!
Über den AutorIn
John Grisham is the author of forty-seven consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include The Judge's List, Sooley, and his third Jake Brigance novel, A Time for Mercy, which is being developed by HBO as a limited series.
Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.
When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.
John lives on a farm in central Virginia.