Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham is about a criminal attorney, Sebastian Rudd, who hangs out with criminals when he is not representing clients, who are charged with or accused of a crime. There are several plots within this book. Rogue Lawyer is separated into six parts, each with multiple chapters. The story is told in the first-person narrative by the protagonist, Sebastian Rudd. This book has all the stress of real life and could work very well as a television series.
The protagonist, Sebastian Rudd, is a jerk with a stinky attitude, but you would want this character for your attorney if you were charged with a crime. He is a self-righteous, pit bull, who believes everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Rudd’s clients may or may not have committed the crimes they are charged with, but he does almost anything to obtain a “not guilty” verdict, a dismissal, or the best possible plea deal if he can. When he is unable to obtain “not guilty” verdicts for some clients, those individuals present themselves as threats to Rudd. The police force contains criminal threats to Rudd as well. Sebastian Rudd is not the most likeable character if he was a real person, but he would be one of the best attorneys if you could possibly afford him.
Grisham captured the chaos of real life in this book. The protagonist, Sebastian Rudd, may be juggling more than one case, threat, or crisis at a time. In real life, problems do not present themselves to us in consecutive order, so we can resolve each one at a time. In real life, we may have multiple professional and personal problems happening all at once. Grisham is able to make his character, Sebastian Rudd, into a three-dimensional person out of ink, paper, and a lot of imagination.
When the book ends, I wonder, “What’s next for Sebastian Rudd?” This character can support a sequel or a trilogy. I think this character is, in many ways, a jerk, but imperfect like anyone. Can he grow into a better man? A better father? His ex-wife and mother of his child is also an attorney and the most hostile baby-mama of all time. Will this woman ever share the parenting responsibilities with Rudd? Being a lawyer is prestigious, but Sebastian Rudd chooses to socialize with criminals when he is not working as a criminal attorney. Who in their right mind would choose to surround oneself with criminals when he doesn’t really need to? What about all those bad guys, who blame him for verdicts that didn’t go their ways? There is a prequel called Partners: A Rogue Lawyer Short Story, which I have not read, but I would love to see Sebastian Rudd’s train wreck of a life carried over into some sequels.
There are times when it seems that John Grisham uses the protagonist, Sebastian Rudd, to comment on social and political problems within the justice system. On occasion within this book, it seems like the character, Sebastian Rudd, or the author, John Grisham, is a bleeding heart liberal, standing on a soapbox, pointing out all the things that are wrong with the false pursuits of justice in American society. It this bothers you, then, don’t read the book. Eventually, the social commentary passes and the story returns to the fictional conflicts within Sebastian Rudd’s life.
Rogue Lawyer is the first book, I have ever read by John Grisham. I have always thought the fame Grisham has an author was just media hype for no good reason, the product of a great marketing campaign, but I can now see that he is very talented. I am very impressed with the complexity of the characters and the plots. If I read any of Grisham’s other books, I would expect the same high quality and complexities.
I highly recommend this book if you like crime dramas and legal dramas on television. Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham should be a television series. I listened to the e-audiobook version of the book from my local library. There is enough chaos happening in this book to support season one if Rogue Lawyer was a television series. The great thing about this book is that it is published as a regular printed book, a large print book, a book on CD, an e-book, and an e-audiobook. If you can find all of these versions of Rogue Lawyer at your local library, you should be able to find a version that is convenient for your lifestyle and abilities.
Reference
Grisham, John. Rogue Lawyer. E-Audiobook. New York: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, 2015.
Links:
Rogue Lawyer at John Grisham’s Official Site
John Grisham Book List at johngrishambooklist.com
Rogue Lawyer at Barnes and Noble
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