The Confession

A Novel

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

An innocent man is about to be executed.

Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high-school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

"John Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we’ve got in the United States these days." ( The New York Times Book Review)

©2010 Belfry Holdings, Inc (P)2010 Random House Audio

Another great Grisham novel

This was an enertaining and engaging story. Narrarator was easy to listen to. Would reccommend this title.

Freakin Awesome

I love John Grisham. Every book is on the same subject but so different everytime. This one was a page turner. I didn't want to get out of the car each day (I listen on the way to work and home each day). Great narration, great story, predictable ending, but still felt complete at the end.

Loved every second of this book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I was always a fan of John Grisham in the 80's. So glad to love every page (audio) again.

What did you like best about this story?

Everything

Which character – as performed by Scott Sowers – was your favorite?

Travis Boyette - his character came across creepy and sick, yet you wanted to hear more - voice portrayed character perfect

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

never wanted this book to end!!

Slow moving and dragging

Typical John Grisham, however the story drags on and on. Hats off to Scott Sowers, the narration was great, and made me listen to the entire book.

I didn't hate it...I didn't love it....

I have read all of John's books and can't say I have been disappointed in any of them, until maybe now. While I felt that the theme is one that should be thought about and discussed, and the characters were okay, I didn't fall in love with any of them like I normally do. Maybe it was the guy who reads, because I have to agree with the other reviews, I did not think he was very good - the characters just seemed fakey or something. Not sure. Anyway, overall it was a good message, the book is structured interestingly and as always, Grisham is very detailed in the law. It was pretty preachy - not that I personally agree or not - the narrator came across as 'preaching' instead of telling a story.

Excellent

This story is both disturbing and riveting! It makes you wonder how many innocent men and women have been wrongly executed. Beautifully written with interesting details about the court system and a lesson in how important it is for us to know the character of those we elect who can hold life and death in their hands.

Astonishing

A real eye opener. So far the best by the author and I think his non fiction the innocent man is the inspiration

Heavy-handed but still very good

Typical John Grisham. Protagonists are flawed but enlightened, quirky but likable while the antagonists are one dimensional and invariably white Christian. That said, the premise grabs you firmly and the story takes you on an emotional roller coaster. Overall, a compelling story and a great performance.

Scott Sowers brings the story to life!

Great performance and a powerful story. After the execution though, the story lost a bit of the tension and became a bit less interesting. However I really liked that it painted a realistic picture. Great book. Recommended by biblical Hebrew teacher in Divinity Faculty.

Great story!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Confession to be better than the print version?

I have not seen the print version, but use audiobooks because of vision problems.

What did you like best about this story?

I was in suspense from the start to the finish.

What about Scott Sowers’s performance did you like?

He did a good job of changing his voice for the different characters. I would have difficulty remembering what voice I did for which character.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but I would ruin it for anyone who hasn't listened to the book if I said what it was. The entire book was good and kept me up late at night listening.