Resumo de A Time To Kill

Introduction
After wrapping up The Testament, I got a chance to read up A Time To Kill which I took up as soon as I came to know that it was John Grisham's first novel.

The Plot
Carl Hailey is a African American who has a silent settled life. Along with his wife, two sons and a daughter he has a happy little family. Things go awfully wrong when two drunk white dopers rape his 10 year daughter and leave her for the dead. Carl vows revenge and kills the two of them as they are coming out of the court during a hearing of the case.

Carl is promptly arrested and put in jail. Rumours are strife that had he been a white, he would have become a hero, but as an African American, his rights would be clipped and he would be sent to the gas chamber. The only hope for Carl's attorney Jake Brigance is to plead for insanity of his client and hope the jury acquits him of the charges.

But, the case has too many complications. There is a distinct possibility that the jury could be an all white one which might just be biased against Carl. There is also the question of his meticulous planning which can negate any claims of insanity. Added to that there seems to be a re-emergence of the dreaded Ku-Klux-Klan which can added a bloody dimension to the case.

Against all these odds Jake takes up the case and bravely soldiers on for Carl's cause. Does he manage to save Carl? Or does Carl face the gase chamber? Check out this offering from John Grisham for the details.

Critic's Viewpoint
After Testament, this turns out to be the second John Grisham novel with courtroom drama. And as I felt in Testament, I felt again that he should do more of this in his novels. A Time To Kill is a masterpiece for a first novel by an author. All the ingredients of success is right there in it. A gripping and controversial topic, a good storyline, a dash of history and lot of courtroom action.

The story of a African American, whose young daughter is brutally raped, with its racial overtunes becomes a gripping topic for the novel. Add to that a touch of Ku-Klux-Klan and the racial setup is complete. There was a touch of Dan Brown in this aspect of using an old cult in a different era. But, the best parts of the novel are definitely in the courtroom where John has displayed skills of being dramatic without being too artificial or over the moon. So although there is edge of the seat drama, things don't seem overtly out of place.

But, even in this early stages of writing era, we can see him waste a lot of pages in insignificant details which don't add much to the storyline. This characteristic seems to follow in most of his books. I have gone through some of his books by skipping a few pages at a time and still the story seemed the same. If there is one thing that John should seriously look to improve, it is this sheer elongating the story. Maybe his publishers want a fatter book, but whatever the reason, it kills the joy of the book.

Summary
All in all given the fact that this was Grisham's first novel, it is an absolute winner. I would give this book a high 4 star rating for the storyline and its presentation. The one star is deducted for the wasteful pages in the novel.

Statutory Warning: The language used in this novel is quite explicit at times. So use your discretion whether you want to read it or not.

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