Book Review – The Boys from Biloxi: A Legal Thriller by John Grisham
2022-11-20
If you’re a Grisham fan, you’ve likely already read this. I know I had it pre-ordered for months. I read everything Grisham writes, from A Time to Kill to Sycamore Row to A Time for Mercy, all of the Jake Brigance books, including Sparring Partners.
The Boys from Biloxi - Amazon Promotional Cover.PowerPoint Design Creation by the author.
The Firm was my all-time favorite, and the movie was exciting too.
Although those days for John Grisham are gone as far as his writing prowess goes, we avid readers must accept his faults or find other entertainment. I choose to continue reading everything he writes.
I didn’t love all of his sports-related books, even though I am a super sports fan. But I thought Sooley (27k of the 40k reviewers on Amazon rated 5-stars) was magnificent. IMHO. Form your own opinion.
Sooley was a fantastic basketball story but an even better story about life.
Introduction to The Boys from Biloxi
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two families. One courtroom showdown. • John Grisham’s most gripping thriller yet. • “A legal literary legend.” —USA Today
John Grisham returns to Mississippi with the riveting story of two sons of immigrant families who grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves on opposite sides of the law. Grisham’s trademark twists and turns will keep you tearing through the pages until the stunning conclusion.—Amazon Blurb.
For me, the book started slow and listless. However, this is a saga. Character development and historical significance are always slow and torturous for the avid reader but necessary. However, I think Mr. Grisham has not lost his dynamic flair for writing, and whereas this is not The Firm or A Time to Kill, it is an excellent read.
It rolls along quite well once you connect with the characters.
Biloxi Lighthouse and old house.Steven Martin - Flickr
Summary
Two sons of Biloxi grew up together, played ball (Little League pitchers mostly on opposing teams), and were nearly always together. However, in their teens, they moved in different directions as one boy’s father was a corrupt casino owner on the strip, and the other was the District Attorney’s son.
If you’re familiar with Mississippi, Biloxi, and the Gulf ports, you’ll recognize much of the history within this fiction.
Biloxi was not like a typical resort town. The sheriff took money to look the other way and let casino owners work out their issues with the others.
Biloxi - Keesler Air Force Base TrainingAirmen Magazine - Flickr.
Keesler Air Force Base and the 81st Training Wing are there in Biloxi, so Airmen always tired of training and looking for a fun way to spend their money, gambling, drinking, and hookers mostly.
Hugh Malco, the son of a Dixie Mafia-type casino owner, realizes he is the heir-apparent to the clubs and vices his father owns. He pursues the calling with lust and vigor.
Keith Rudy is a straight-A student who follows in his father’s footsteps - college and then law school. His father becomes the hottest defense attorney in Mississippi. His successful challenge of the large insurance company that doesn’t want to pay the claims for thousands of homes destroyed by Hurricane Camille makes him very popular.
When they asked Keith’s father to run for DA and clean up the Biloxi strip, he was up to the task.
These two sons on opposite sides of the law are headed for a showdown in court.
Narration
The story is told by an omnipotent storyteller or narrator, almost in a documentary or historical style. At times, the characters in the story take over to tell their story, but that is a rare occurrence.
Plot
The plot of The Boys from Biloxi rolls out the reasons for the rise of the Dixie Mafia and why they flourish where surrounding cities and towns are spared the lawlessness.
Theme
The theme is good versus evil and the law versus lawlessness. The book discusses the death penalty, drugs, prostitution, and organized crime.
Setting
The story takes place in the deep south, Biloxi, Mississippi, from Prohibition until early 1980. However, most of the story is from the 1960s onward.
Genre
The genre takes some twists and turns. Unlike most Grisham novels, it is not entirely a legal thriller. As stated above, it is almost a documentary or saga at times.
Although in the opinion of many of his avid readers, he has lost a step or two in his writing, you can’t write a book like The Firm or A Time to Kill every time out. However, even his less-than-outstanding novels are very damn good.
If you want a book as good as The Firm or A Time to Kill, re-read those. I’ve read all the Jake Brigance novels at least twice, except The Reckoning. Although I enjoyed it, I don’t think it was a book to re-read. Just my humble opinion.
I would recommend The Boys from Biloxi to anyone who enjoys a legal thriller or courtroom drama—especially those who enjoy a historical narrative or stories based on real-life events.
Amazon Rating for The Boys from Biloxi
Of the 10,686 verified purchasers who left a review on Amazon, 87% rated the book with 4 or 5-stars. Overall, readers gave it 4.5 out of 5-stars.
5-Stars. Another incredible Grisham book. It's not like his traditional courtroom dramas - this one reads more like a non-fiction historical account of the Mississippi Coast: the immigrants who shaped the area trying to work for a better life, the rise of the seafood industry, in which Biloxi became known as the Seafood Capital of the World, how families banded together after Hurricane Camille.”—Addie W.
1-Star. I have read all of Grisham‘s books, some of them up to four times each. But this book is slow, wordy, with shallow characters, no humor, and unexciting. Not much dialogue, unnecessary history. Almost like he hadn’t decided on one single storyline and had to add a storm in the middle. But I know he wrote this because some of his special phrases are scattered throughout the book. I’m confused as to why his work has gone downhill? Very sad about that.—Pamela Blanch.
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Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Also, a Top Writer in Nutrition, Investing, Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.
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