If there is such a thing as an archetypal John Grisham novel, it would most likely be a taut thriller, usually involving an intrepid individual taking on a shady cabal. But Grisham has deviated from this script in his recent novels. Gray Mountain was more of a character study of a young Biglaw associate dealing with the aftermath of losing her job due to the financial crisis. The novel contained little plot and seemed to end in the middle of the story. Rogue Lawyer was an improvement over Gray Mountain, but it was also atypical for Grisham because it was a series of vignettes about the same attorney. Unsurprisingly, Grisham goes back to his sweet spot in his latest novel The Whistler, which contains an entertaining plot but little character development.
The Whistler centers around Lacy Stoltz, an attorney employed as an investigator for the Florida State Board on Judicial Conduct (the “BJC”), a state entity that investigates judges for ethical violations. Lacy receives a tip that Florida state court judge Claudia McDover is involved in a massive corruption scandal. The tipper – who does not have firsthand knowledge of McDover’s activities but has received second-hand information from the titular whistleblower – explains to Lacy that McDover has overseen every single case pertaining to the effort to build a gigantic casino on land belonging to the fictional Native American Tappacola tribe. McDover’s decisions paved the way for the construction of the casino and several other nearby developments, to the benefit of mysterious mobster Vonn Dubose. In order to ensure that the casino was approved by the tribe, Dubose framed Junior Mace – one of the lead opponents of the developments – for the murder of fellow opponent Son Razko; McDover presided over Mace’s murder trial and made several pro-prosecution decisions. In return for her support, Dubose has paid McDover millions of dollars in skimmed casino profits. Lacy, her partner Hugo Hatch, and their boss Michael Geismar begin to investigate McDover and soon find themselves in danger of becoming targets of Dubose.
The plot is classic Grisham, a tight, entertaining thriller that moves at a very quick pace and is never boring. Grisham meticulously depicts the BJC’s investigation of McDover and later the investigation by other governmental agencies into one of Dubose’s other crimes. The novel contains little mystery – the tipper immediately accuses McDover and Dubose and explains their scheme in detail – but this helps provide the book with a narrow focus and enables it to avoid overreliance on red herrings. My one complaint with the narrative is that the climax is not particularly exciting and does not contain much potential danger for the main characters.
4 Ways That Lexis® Create+ Delivers Personalized Legal Drafting
Lexis Create+ merges legacy drafting tools with AI-powered assistance from Protégé and secure DMS integration enabled by the Henchman acquisition.
Grisham also delves into the controversial world of Native American casinos. Grisham has clearly done his research, and the novel expertly explains hot-button issues with which I was not previously familiar, such as casino dividends paid to members of certain tribes.
John Grisham
Grisham also deserves credit for setting the novel at the BJC, as the world of investigating judicial misconduct is not exactly a popular subject in legal entertainment. Undeterred, Grisham deftly explains the BJC’s purpose and limitations of its power. Occasionally this comes in the form of clunky dialogue in which BJC employees explaining the rules of the BJC to each other, but this is excusable given how unfamiliar this agency is.
Grisham’s effort to provide characterization for Lacy is half-hearted. Lacy’s major trait is that she is single despite being in her mid-thirties, a characteristic that several others comment on. Aside from some limited scenes about her recovery from a major trauma, Lacy is mostly an uncompelling cipher. And even though she is the target of the BJC’s investigation, McDover’s motivations, besides pure greed, remain mostly hidden. The most interesting character in the book is probably Lacy’s obnoxious brother Gunther, a businessman from Atlanta who essentially sets up a portable office in the hospital room in which Lacy is recovering and annoys every doctor and nurse. At least Gunther has a distinctive personality.
8 Tips For Creating A Comprehensive ‘AI In The Workplace’ Policy
Corporate investment and usage in generative AI technologies continues to accelerate. This article offers eight specific tips to consider when creating an AI usage policy.
Due to the novel’s strong plot, The Whistler is an entertaining read for fans of Grisham who do not mind a lack of character development. But readers who enjoyed Rogue Lawyer’s unusual format will probably be left wanting more.
The Whistler [Amazon (affiliate link)]
Harry Graff is a litigation associate at a firm, but he spends days wishing that he was writing about film, television, literature, and pop culture instead of writing briefs. If there is a law-related movie, television show, book, or any other form of media that you would like Harry Graff to discuss, he can be reached at [email protected]. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.