Review written and read live on the show by Brian Lowen 17th April 2014
Another excellent
book from the ‘new’ John Grisham.
The story starts
off quite dramatically with a rich film star in his chauffeured limousine
accepting the plaudits of his fans as he drives through Austin, Texas.
One particular
blonde bimbo takes his eye so he invites her into his car, gives her alcohol
and cocaine, gets her high, then rapes her in the back of the car when they are
out of town.
He thinks she has
fallen asleep, but later finds that she is dead so they speed through the night
and dump her in a roadside ditch near the little town of Freidricksberg.
The story then
switches to Chicago and the Hardin family. Beck is a successful lawyer earning
good money, but his perfect world collapses when his wife Annie dies of cancer
and he is left to bring up his two young children, Meggie and Luke. He just
cannot manage a full time job and bring up his children so he decides his only
way out is to resign his job, sell his house and move back to his childhood
home that he has not visited for the last twelve years. He was born on a large
ranch in Freidricksberg but left after his Mother died. His Father, who gave
him a hard time as a kid, never the less is glad to have him back home.
Now we see how the
first two chapters of the book come together as he learns from his old college
chum, Aubrey, that his daughter, Heidi
was brutally murdered and dumped in a roadside ditch, but her killer has never
been found. Beck is therefore determined to track down this famous film star to
make him pay for his crime. He feels he owes it to Aubrey, but we do not learn
why until later in the story.
We learn some
interesting historical facts about this part of Texas. It is not blacks against
whites here as there are no blacks. The community is split three ways: there
are the old Germans who set up the original colony of Freidricksberg who do not
get on well with the Anglos – the white Americans, and certainly have nothing
to do with the Latinos – the Mexicans, mostly illegal immigrants from across
the border, who keep their heads down and do not cause any trouble for fear of
being deported back to Mexico.
Beck naturally
gets involved with all three communities as he continues his investigation.
A thoroughly
enjoyable story with some good characters that puts out a powerful message that
one should always stand up for the right. Well recommended.
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