Padma Wulandari

The Boys from Biloxi: A Legal Thriller

Book by John Grisham

DETAILS

Publisher : Doubleday (October 18, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 464 pages ISBN-10 : 0385548923 ISBN-13 : 978-0385548922 Item Weight : 1.78 pounds Dimensions : 6.48 x 1.39 x 9.53 inches Best Sellers Rank: #14 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Political Thrillers (Books) #8 in Suspense Thrillers #11 in Genre Literature & Fiction , #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. For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings. The vice was controlled by small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumored to be members of the Dixie Mafia. Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends, as well as Little League all-stars. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith’s father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to “clean up the Coast.” Hugh’s father became the “Boss” of Biloxi’s criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father’s footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father’s clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom. Life itself hangs in the balance in The Boys from Biloxi, a sweeping saga rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters. Read more

REVIEW

John Grisham's latest novel, The Boys from Biloxi, is an odd book in one special way. I've read a lot of Grisham's novels and also most of Don Winslow's recent novels, and for at least the first 40 percent of the book, I would have sworn that I was reading a book by Don Winslow. Two Croatian families have settled in the Biloxi area and find American success stories, one by becoming the dominant crime family in the area and the other by adhering to the law, with the male protagonist becoming a lwayer and then the county district attorney. You can easily figure out where the conflict is coming from. Sons of both of these families know each other, play baseball together, and follow their in their father's footsteps ... all the way to the end. It's not that the plot has many major surprises, but it is still very well done. The male characters are well drawn, but I think that the book suffers lot in that Grisham almost totally ignores the women in these families. I don't know why he does this. In the past, Grisham has done a very good job of developing some women characters. But not in this book. I would almost give the book three stars for this fault, but overall it's good enough to push it into the four star range. There is a really good part of the book that deals with how Jesse Rudy, who becomes the first lawyer in the Rudy clan before he becomes the county prosecutor, takes on the insurance companies who are not settling claims for the damage caused by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and achieves great success in forcing payment for claims. The crime in the Biloxi area is something I know a little about. After graduating from Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) in 1943, my father's first assignment was as a young second lieutenant in the military police at Keesler Field. The soldiers and airmen are mentioned a good bit in the book as customers of the joints run by the crime families. My father told me stories about Biloxi, but I know he left out almost all of the salacious details. What he told me was wild enough. so I had a personal interest in reading about the early post WW2 times covered in the book. Recommended for all fans of John Grisham novels.

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