The Runaway Jury B3

Trennon Leavitt
B3
The Runaway Jury
John Grisham
560 Pages
*****
I recommend this book for anyone who likes a book that has lots of different plots that all come together at the end for a suspenseful conclusion. People who don't like a courtroom setting probably will not like the book. It does have some language in it that people might find offensive so if that is a problem for you, this book is not for you.

The book starts off in Biloxi Mississippi, where a group of jury consultants study possible jurors. The case they are consulting for is between Celeste Wood (Her husband was a smoker and died because of it) and the cigarette company, Pynex. On the Pynex side, Rankin Fitch is the head of the jury selection, and he has never lost a verdict before. The prosecution has less expierenced jury selectors, but has the better lawyer. The jury is selected, and the trial begins. One day in court, a woman named Marlee hands one someone a note to pass on to Fitch. The note contains information about what the eleventh juror, Nicholas Easter, will be wearing the next day. It turns out she was right about what he would be wearing, and she keeps correctly predicting the actions of the jury. As time goes on, Fitch learns that Marlee has someone, Easter, on the inside, and he realizes that Easter can control not only the jury's movements, but also could produce a verdict for either side. Near the end of the trial, Fitch makes a deal with Marlee, 10 million for a verdict in favor of Pynex. In the end, he finds out that Marlee's parents both died of lung cancer just after he makes the deal, gets double crossed and loses the lawsuit.

This book was great because of the complexity of the plot. There were 2 or 3 plots lines running at the same time and they all tied in very greatly throughout the book. I also liked the how realistic the courtroom actions were, it seemed like it could happen for real. It really keeps you guessing with all the plots, more then once was there a time when it feels like the whole story was turned completely around. It was also a good read because it was never filled with boring pages. All of it was fast paced and fun to read.

Honestly, my favorite part in the book is too long to put in as a paragraph or sentence...so hopefully the explanation works. There is a part where Fitch starts to doubt if Marlee can really deliever a verdict. So in response, Marlee has the jurors sequestered and two of them kicked off the jury. Fitch then realizes just how much power she and Nick Easter have within the jury.

I like this part because it really shows how easily they can control the actions of individual jurors. It really puts a new sense of urgency to finish to book to see how everything all plays out.