The King of Torts

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Don't take me wrong, I like Grisham's novels, I'm not a big fan, but I enjoy reading his books nonetheless. He is not a master storyteller but he writes enjoyable stuff. A master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos' - Irish Independent Masterful - when Grisham gets in the courtroom he lets rip, drawing scenes so real they're not just alive, they're pulsating' - Mirror

One day he reluctantly takes on the case of Tequila Watson, a man accused of a random street killing.The man explains to Clay that his defendant was on a drug called Tarvan, which was amazing at cleaning up junkies had one serious problem-- after about a week of being off the drug, some of it's users had the uncontrollable urge to kill--totally at random. The drug company was now asking Clay to pay the victims' families (and Clay) a substantial sum of money to keep the story quiet. Clay agrees-- and so begins his slippery journey with big pharmaceuticals and mass cases. But as he digs deeper, Clay stumbles upon a conspiracy too horrifying to believe. A pharmaceutical giant has been secretly and illegally testing a new drug on addicts - one that helps stop addiction, but which drives them to random acts of violence. The biblical principles in this novel are obvious. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. The rich man went away sad when Jesus suggested he should give up his wealth. Another man stored up wealth in barns but was called a fool when God took his life and he wasn't prepared to meet his Maker. We are told not to love the world or anything in the world. There are numerous warnings about those who choose money over God. Even from a less religious perspective we know that absolute power corrupts absolutely.... Clay felt a bit sorry for himself when he saw that Rebecca was getting married. "Find me a girlfriend," he barked to Jonah.

Another interesting story by Grisham, about the corruption in legal practice and greedy lawyers taking advantage of clients. It almost felt like a Mobster film, where the main character starts out from beneath, slowly works his way up making it to the top, then in the end everything goes south and starts to crumble. Clay's financial/legal hubris knows few bounds, and soon he's overextended, his future hanging on the results of one product liability trial. The tension is considerable throughout, and readers will like the gentle ending, but Grisham's aim here clearly is to educate as he entertains. He can be didactic ("'Nobody earns ten million dollars in six months, Clay,'" a friend warns. "'You might win it, steal it, or have it drop out of the sky, but nobody earns money like that. It's ridiculous and obscene'"), but readers will applaud Grisham's fierce moral stance (while perhaps wondering what sort of advance he got for this book) as they cling to his words every step along the way of this powerful and gripping morality tale. (On sale Feb. 4) He agrees to never disclose why exactly his client went berserk and killed a man, and in return a mysterious man named Max promises him a whole new career with an opportunity at doing settlements for millions. Clay felt a little bad about abandoning his principles, but the Porsche and the expensive town house looked good and he had cut some of his colleagues into his good fortune. While Clay is slowly recovering in the hospital, Rebecca shows up to tend to him, having divorced her husband and estranged herself from her father. Regaining her love helps Clay take calmly the final blow to his career: the jury in Arizona has rejected the Maxatil tort suit, and all the millions which Clay invested in Maxatil goes down the drain. Clay is forced to declare bankruptcy, close down his firm, give up his assets, and surrender his license to practice law. The FBI stops pursuing their case against Clay due to the loyalty of an old friend who refuses to provide incriminating evidence.Clay, an experienced public defender, knows where to look for evidence that isn’t easily or readily available. He scours seedy parts of the city to find potential sources and witnesses that might help the case. During his investigation, Clay stumbles upon the records of another man who was convicted of murder. The man had no motive for killing a stranger, and he didn’t feel in control of his body. This makes Clay believe there’s something more disturbing going on than a random killing. Most people are chasing money in some form or another. The point that this novel makes is that even when one gains more of it than they know what to do with. They will not be happy. It brings out the consequences in terms of friendships, relationships, health and just generally the emptiness of a life focused on temporary things that will be worthless in eternity.

Ever seen those ads on TV where the actor playing the lawyer looks at you straight in the eye and appeals to you," If you or a loved one, has taken this medication...etc. etc., call toll free, you may be entitled to some money…?"This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. ( March 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) The Maxatil case collapsed and Clay went bankrupt. "Oh, Rebecca," he sighed, "leave your husband and let's just live on love and goodness and air." Meanwhile, after some attentive investigation by Clay into the murky drive behind his latest client's crimes, a dark stranger by the name Max Pace who represents a pharmaceutical company drops into Clay's life and offers him an opportunity to make riches. However, this would be by changing teams to settle potential lawsuits of families affected by both his client's crime and a slew of other criminals in the D.C. area who have been influenced to commit the crimes. Representing all these families early in a class-action lawsuit a.k.a. a mass tort, would stop cold the chance the lawsuits going to a courtroom trial and avoiding potential sky-high punitive penalties against the influencing organization responsible. The main character really didn't appeal to me. He was a guy who had a fortune handed to him, blew it all on stupid shit, made stupid decisions, and basically screwed himself, and yet still comes out unscathed.