John Grisham, the best-selling author and master of the legal thriller, has written an thoughtful and eminently readable collection of tales about life – and its often unsavory underbelly – in the sleepy deep-South town of Clanton, Mississippi.

John Grisham Returns to Ford County

Grisham, who practiced law for ten years in a small town much like Clanton, peppers Ford County: Stories with shady legal deals, divorce cases, unfair trials, tampered documents and more. Legal matters play an important role in many of the long short stories, but the Ford County tales are far from being legal thrillers -- they are vivid narratives of pivotal moments in the lives of the town's inhabitants.

While Grisham doesn't hesitate to take cheap jabs at his characters, often seeming to poke fun at their obesity or lack of sophistication, he doesn't so much pass judgment as tell it like it is. Sometimes Grisham's characters get what's coming to them, and sometimes they get off scot-free. Either way, Ford County is hard to put down.

Gripping Tales of Small Town Crooks and Crooked Lawyers

The book opens with "Blood Drive," a rather ruthless roasting of three dim-witted and weak-willed country boys lead astray on a mission to donate blood, and it ends with a surprisingly tender "Funny Boy."

In "Fetching Raymond," a family makes a pilgrimage to the state penitentiary: The execution of the youngest brother. During his 11 years on on death row, Raymond has written a score of atrocious novels, and "mastered" everything from blues guitar to yoga. He bleeds his family for money, assuring them that he's paying a flock of lawyers who can "spring" him at any moment. At the final hour, however, Raymond's frantic fantasy world can't save him from the electric chair.

In "Casino," a seemingly dull man learns to count cards and schemes to take down a casino in order to win his wife back, and "Fish Files" is tale of a mediocre divorce lawyer who hits pay dirt and plans his getaway. In these tales, Grisham demonstrates his extensive knowledge of the legal system. Sometimes tragic and often hilarious, these tales show off Grisham's extensive knowledge of the legal system, yet remain taut, visceral and intriguing.

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