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The major murder trial is dominating local news, but 13-year-old sleuth Theodore Boone has other things on his mind. He has been accused in a robbery and must fight hard to clear his name. As one might predict, John Grisham has cooked up another suspenseful courtroom installment in his young reader series. A Barnes & Noble children's bestseller; now in trade paperback and NOOK Book.
While working as an attorney, Grisham witnessed emotional testimony from the case of a young girl's rape. Naturally inquisitive, Grisham's mind started to wander: what if the terrible crime yielded an equally terrible revenge? These questions of right and wrong were the subject of his first novel, A Time to Kill (1988), written in the stolen moments before and between court appearances. The book wasn't widely distributed, but his next title would be the one to bring him to the national spotlight. The day after he finished A Time to Kill, Grisham began work on The Firm (1991), the story of a whiz kid attorney who joins a crooked law firm. The book was an instant hit, spent 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise.
With the success of The Firm, Grisham resigned from the Mississippi House of Representatives to focus exclusively on his writing. What followed was a string of bestselling legal thrillers that demonstrated the author's uncanny ability to capture the unique drama of the courtroom. Several of his novels were turned into blockbuster movies.
In 1996, Grisham returned to his law practice for one last case, honoring a promise he had made before his retirement. He represented the family of a railroad worker who was killed on the job, the case went to trial, and Grisham won the largest verdict of his career when the family was awarded more than $650,000.
Although he is best known for his legal thrillers, Grisham has ventured outside the genre with several well-received novels (A Painted House, Bleachers, et al) and an earnest and compelling nonfiction account of small-town justice gone terribly wrong (The Innocent Man). The popularity of these stand-alones proves that Grisham is no mere one-trick pony but a gifted writer with real "legs."
Grisham has the right to approve or reject whoever is cast in movies based on his books. He has even written two screenplays himself: Mickey and The Gingerbread Man.
Baseball is one of Grisham's great loves. He serves as the local Little League commissioner and has six baseball diamonds on his property, where he hosts games.
The accused was a wealthy man by the name of Pete Duffy, and his alleged crime was murder. According to the police and the prosecutors, Mr. Duffy strangled his lovely wife in their attractive home on the sixth fairway of a golf course where he, the accused, was playing golf that day, alone. If convicted, he would spend the rest of his life in prison. If acquitted, he would walk out of the courtroom a free man. As things turned out, the jury did not find him guilty, or not guilty.
This was his second trial. Four months earlier, the first trial had ended suddenly when Judge Henry Gantry decided it would be unfair to continue. He declared a mistrial and sent everyone home, including Pete Duffy, who remained free on bond. In most murder cases, the accused cannot afford to post a bond and stay out of jail while waiting on a trial. But because Mr. Duffy had money and good lawyers, he had been free as a bird since the police found his wife's body and the State accused him of killing her. He had been seen around town—dining in his favorite restaurants, watching basketball games at Stratten College, attending church (with greater frequency), and, of course, playing lots of golf. As he waited on his first trial, he seemed unconcerned with the prospect of a trial and the possibility of prison. Now, though, facing his second trial, and with a new eyewitness ready to be used by the prosecution, Pete Duffy was rumored to be very worried.
The new eyewitness was Bobby Escobar, a nineteen- year-old illegal immigrant who was working at the golf course on the day Mrs. Duffy was murdered. He saw Mr. Duffy enter his home at about the same time she died, then hurry away and resume his golf game. For a lot of reasons, Bobby did not come forward until the first trial was underway. Once Judge Gantry heard Bobby's story, he declared a mistrial. Now, with Bobby ready to testify, most of the folks in Strattenburg, who had been closely watching the Duffy case, were expecting a guilty verdict. It was almost impossible to find someone who believed Pete Duffy did not kill his wife.
And it was also difficult to find a person who did not want to watch the trial. A murder trial in the Strattenburg Courthouse was a rare event—indeed, murder was rare in Stratten County—and a large crowd began gathering at 8:00 a.m., just after the front doors of the courthouse opened. The jury had been selected three days earlier. It was time for the courtroom drama to begin.
At 8:40, Mr. Mount got his eighth-grade class quiet and called the roll. All sixteen boys were present. Homeroom lasted for only ten minutes before the boys went off to first period Spanish with Madame Monique.
Mr. Mount was in a hurry. He said, "Okay, men, you know that today is the first day of the Pete Duffy trial, round two. We were allowed to watch the first day of the first trial, but, as you know, my request to watch the second trial was denied."
Several of the boys hissed and booed.
Mr. Mount raised his hands. "Enough. However, our esteemed principal, Mrs. Gladwell, has agreed to allow Theo to watch the opening of the trial and report back to us. Theo."
Theodore Boone jumped to his feet, and, like the lawyers he watched and admired, walked purposefully to the front of the room. He carried a yellow legal pad, just like a real lawyer. He stood by Mr. Mount's desk, paused for a second, and looked at the class as if he were indeed a trial lawyer preparing to address the jury.
Since both of his parents were lawyers, and he had practically been raised in their law office, and he hung out in courtrooms while the other eighth graders at Strattenburg Middle School were playing sports and taking guitar lessons and doing all the things that normal thirteen-year-olds tend to do, and since he loved the law and studied it and watched it and talked about little else, the rest of his class was quick to yield to Theo when discussing legal matters. When it came to the law, Theo had no competition, at least not in Mr. Mount's eighth-grade homeroom.
Theo began, "Well, we saw the first day of the first trial four months ago, so you know the lineups and the players. The lawyers are the same. The charges are the same. Mr. Duffy is still Mr. Duffy. There is a different jury this time around, and, of course, there is the issue of a new eyewitness who did not testify during the first trial."
"Guilty!" yelled Woody from the back of the room. Several others chimed in and added their agreement.
"All right," Theo said. "Show of hands. Who thinks Pete Duffy is guilty?"
Fourteen of sixteen hands shot upward with no hesitation whatsoever. Chase Whipple, a mad scientist who took pride in never agreeing with the majority, sat with his arms folded across his chest.
Theo did not vote, but instead became irritated. "This is ridiculous! How can you vote guilty before the trial has started, before we know what the witnesses will say, before anything happens? We've talked about the presumption of innocence. In our system, a person charged with a crime is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Pete Duffy will walk into the courtroom this morning completely innocent, and will remain innocent until all the witnesses have testified and all the proof is before the jury. The presumption of innocence, remember?"
Mr. Mount stood in a corner and watched Theo at his best. He had seen this before, many times. The kid was a natural on his feet, the star of the Eighth-Grade Debate Team, of which Mr. Mount was the faculty adviser.
Theo pressed on, still pretending to be indignant at his classmates' rush to judgment. "And proof beyond a reasonable doubt, remember? What's the matter with you guys?"
"Guilty!" Woody yelled again, and got some laughs.
Theo knew it was a lost cause. He said, "Okay, okay, can I go now?"
"Sure," Mr. Mount replied. The bell rang loudly and all sixteen boys headed for the door. Theo darted into the hallway and raced to the front office where Miss Gloria, the school's secretary, was on the phone. She liked Theo because his mother had handled her first divorce, and because Theo had once given her some unofficial advice when her brother was caught driving drunk. She handed Theo a yellow release form, signed by Mrs. Gladwell, and he was off. The clock above her desk gave the time as exactly 8:47.
Outside, at the bike rack by the flagpole, Theo unlocked his chain, wrapped it around the handlebars, and sped away. If he obeyed the rules of the road and stayed on the streets, he would arrive in front of the courthouse in fifteen minutes. But, if he took the usual shortcuts, and raced through an alley or two, and cut across a backyard here and another one there, and ran at least two stop signs, Theo could make it in about ten minutes. On this day, he did not have time to spare. He knew the courtroom was already packed. He would be lucky to get a seat.
He flew through an alley, got airborne twice, then darted through the backyard of a man he knew, an unpleasant man, a man who wore a uniform and tried to act as though he were a real officer of the law when in fact he was little more than a part-time security guard. His name was Buck Boland, (or Buck Baloney, as some people whispered behind his back), and Theo saw him occasionally hanging around
the courthouse. As Theo flew across Mr. Boland's backyard, he heard a loud, angry voice. "Get outta here, kid!" Theo turned to his left just in time to see Mr. Boland throw a rock in his direction. The rock landed very close by, and Theo pedaled even harder.
That was close, he thought. Perhaps he should find another route.
Nine minutes after leaving the school, Theo wheeled to a stop in front of the Stratten County Courthouse, quickly chained his bike to the rack, and sprinted inside, up the grand staircase and to the massive front doors of Judge Gantry's courtroom. There was a crowd at the door—spectators in a line trying to get in, and TV cameras with their bright lights, and several grim-faced deputies trying to keep order. Theo's least favorite deputy in all of Strattenburg was an old grouchy man named Gossett, and, as luck would have it, Gossett saw Theo trying to ease his way through the crowd.
"Where do you think you're going, Theo?" Gossett growled.
It should be obvious where I'm going, Theo thought quickly to himself. Where else would I be going at this moment, at the beginning of the biggest murder trial in the history of our county? But being a wise guy would not help matters.
Theo whipped out his release from school and said, sweetly, "I have permission from my principal to watch the trial, sir." Gossett snatched the release and glared at it as if he might have to shoot Theo if his paperwork didn't measure up. Theo thought about saying, "If you need some help, I'll read it for you," but, again, bit his tongue.
Gossett said, "This is from school. This is not a pass to get inside. Do you have permission from Judge Gantry?"
"Yes, sir," Theo said. "Let me see it." "It's not in writing. Judge Gantry gave me verbal
permission to watch the trial." Gossett frowned even harder, shook his head with great
authority, and said, "Sorry, Theo. The courtroom is packed. There are no more seats. We're turning people away."
Theo took his release and tried to appear as if he might burst into tears. He backtracked, turned around, and headed down the long hallway. When Gossett could no longer see him, he ducked through a narrow door and bounced down a utility staircase, one used only by the janitors and service technicians. On the first floor, he eased along a dark, cramped corridor that ran under the main courtroom above, then stepped nonchalantly into a break room where the courthouse employees gathered for coffee, doughnuts, and gossip. "Well, hello, Theo," said lovely Jenny, by far Theo's favorite clerk in the entire courthouse.
"Hello, Jenny," he said with a smile as he kept walking across the small room. He disappeared into a utility closet, came out the other side onto a landing which led to another hidden staircase. In decades past, this had been used to haul convicts from the jail to the main courtroom to face the wrath of the judges, but now it was seldom used. The old courthouse was a maze of cramped passageways and narrow staircases, and Theo knew every one of them.
He entered the courtroom from a side door next to the jury box. The place was buzzing with the nervous chatter of spectators about to see something dramatic. Uniformed guards milled about, chatting with one another and looking important. There was a crowd at the main door as people were still trying to get in. On the left side of the courtroom, in the third row behind the defense table, Theo saw a familiar face.
It was his uncle, Ike, and he was saving a seat for his favorite (and only) nephew. Theo wiggled and darted down the row and wedged himself into a tight spot next to Ike.
Anonymous
Posted May 16, 2012
In the first book of the theodore boone series you are amazed at the legal action and hunger for more. The second book failed, and this book regained the theodore boone books lost dignity. A well crafted mystery, Theo is accused of stealing 20,0000 dollars in electronics. He fights toclear his name with helpful advice from Ike. Wondering about the Dufffy case? An exciting event tales place in the first chapter. Read the book to find out what it is! Believe me, read it. I love this book so much.
22 out of 29 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 20, 2012
I Also Recommend:
A very talented author. I enjoyed the story. The ending was great too.
14 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 15, 2012
I dont know how the auther can make such an addicting book. This boook is awesome. The auther is awesom.
10 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 9, 2012
I've read all the books in the serie and they are all so good I am not going to post anything about the books or stuff like that(basiclly spoilers) so i hope you buy it and really enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 7, 2012
I have read all three of the books and i think that John Grisham should make a big movie that features all three books in it. Personally i would spend a week out in the heat till opening day if there was a movie
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 28, 2012
Great
5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 18, 2012
Oh my gosh I couldn't wait to read this book sooooooo much! John Griaham is suchhhh a good author.
5 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 5, 2012
I really wish i could read it but im out of money and whoever thinks this series is aweful they are so wrong!
4 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 25, 2012
I havnt read it yet but i heard its good
4 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 17, 2012
I love it i have read all of the series
4 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 22, 2012
His books are amazing
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 19, 2012
Awesome! This was my first John Grisham novel (my dad made me read it
because I am going into the fifth grade gifted class at my school) and
it had me reading until the last word! I liked it so much that i had to
get another one of his books. It is a great book for readers who like
books full of suspense.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 5, 2012
Grandma and teacher who can hardly wait for the next one. Excellent and engaging plot.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 1, 2012
I really do like this series, but this last book was a little slow. I don't like the direction that Theo's uncle is taking him but I do think that it will really be a great chance to explore Theo's relationship with his parents and to further explain Ike's lack of relationship with Theo's parents. More true to life than maybe comfortable for some, but if you are willing to admit that children are forced by the times that we live in to grow and mature faster than previous generations then you can follow this series.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 2, 2012
I thought the book kept u on ur toes but i was dissapointed that the duffy trial didnt end :(
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 17, 2012
But i think it was purchased twice overall great book.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 10, 2013
The series is amazing....... I got a bunch of my frienndds to read it I love it !!!!!!! This book is just as great and attaching
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 9, 2013
John grisham is one of the best authors of one of the series ofbooks i love. Great begining and ending in all three of his thoedore boone books. Hope he does more books like this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 4, 2013
GOOD SERIES-EVEN FOR BIG KIDS.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 4, 2012
:)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Big trouble is brewing for Theodore Boone. While all of Streenburg anxiously awaits the new trial of infamous murder suspect Pete Duffy, problems arise for their own kid lawyer. There's been a robbery and Theo is the accused. His reputation is on the line, and with the evidence building against him--and dangerous threats looming--Theo will do whatever it takes to prove his ...