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

Great book

Loved it! Great suspense. I always appreciate it when the story is wrapped up well and you aren't left hanging.

Excellent story, keeps you on the edge of your seat

I listened to the whole book all at pnce. It’s great for keeping you awake while driving. It certainly made me think about the death penalty and how we can possibly know for sure that someone is guilty and deserving of death.

the confession

excellent story! gives you an idea of why capital punishment is not the answer as humans make mistakes and and innocent men pay the price

A great listen

Grisham at his best. This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

I couldn't stop reading (listening) it

Fantastic book. Unbelievable that someone could be manipulated into confessing even when innocent. I have heard before that the police were able to lie to suspects but this was so gut wrenching it tore my heart out!

Love his books!

Loved it John Grisham never disappoints. Always enjoy his writing! Look forward to new material!

Gripping (mostly!)

Classic Grisham, a few more surprising twists than usual, a fast read, riveting in several places, a little too in-your-face self righteous about the death penalty, but well worth the read

I'll Confess

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I want to say upfront that I like JG. His books are usually easy to read/listen too. I seem to consistently have an issue with his endings. The Confession is no different. I enjoyed the book's details but the last few chapters fall flat.

Would you be willing to try another book from John Grisham? Why or why not?

I'm a sucker for any legal drama/thriller so I will continue to check out any and all of JG's books

Have you listened to any of Scott Sowers’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first listen to Mr. Sowers. His reading was a major reason that I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

Do you think The Confession needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No enough of this story is enough

Worth your time.

Good story; a bit long but the reader will keep your interest until the end.

The Death Penalty VS The System

I enjoyed both the reader and the story in Grishom's novel The Confession. As an opponent of the death penalty, Grishom blames the wrong element - the penalty prescribed for heinous crimes. Certainly Grishom's novel makes one rethink their own position in regards to the death penalty.

In the end, using only Grishom's story as the argument, it is not the penalty that fails but rather the system. Regardless of the penalty, the system allows wrongful convictions especially when prosecutors, investigators and judges worry more about win records, play judge and jury themselves and use trickery to convict.

With no death penalty, these wrongfully convicted persons merely languish hidden away in prison. Grishom's character found his treatment in prison unbearable. With no death penalty bring forth an eventual time table, even less would be done to exonerate those wrongfully convicted.