• A Time to Kill

  • By: John Grisham
  • Narrated by: Michael Beck
  • Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (5,454 ratings)

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A Time to Kill  By  cover art

A Time to Kill

By: John Grisham
Narrated by: Michael Beck
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Publisher's summary

Clanton, Mississippi. The life of a 10-year-old black girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her father acquires an assault rifle - and takes justice into his own outraged hands. For 10 days, with burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spreading through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life...and then his own....

©1992 John Grisham (P)1992 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"Grisham's pleasure in relating the Byzantine complexities of Clanton (Mississippi) politics is contagious and he tells a good story.... An enjoyable book." (Library Journal)

"Grisham excels!" (Dallas Times Herald)

Featured Article: The Essential John Grisham in Audio


John Grisham is best known for his fast-paced legal thrillers and mysteries, many of which have been adapted for television and film. Because he’s so prolific and has been writing for decades, it can be difficult to know where to begin when selecting a title from his impressive back catalog. And Grisham is definitely a jack-of-all-trades: he’s written not only legal thrillers, but nonfiction, a series for kids, some humorous novels, and recently, a new mystery series outside of the legal thriller genre. To help you decide which Grisham gem to download next, we’ve compiled a list of the very best.

What listeners say about A Time to Kill

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    4,380
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Nobody will read this review

Any additional comments?

BUT- I wanted to put one anyway. I know this book has been around for a long time. I think I saw the movie many, many years ago.

What a wonderfully written story right? The characters are all believable, the story is truly a reflection of the deep rooted racism in the south. The story is written so well that you can see a movie play out in your mind. You can see it. To me, this is what makes a story great.

The best part about this story is that it still can ring true today. Loved every minute.

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193 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book! Continues to shock you throughout!

Grisham nailed it! Outstanding book! I would recommend this book to anyone! Definitely fires up your emotions!

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43 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good beginning, strong middle, thunderous end.

Fearlessly written. Grisham holds nothing back. This page turner will stir your emotions and force you to look deep inside your soul to face your most honest feelings about a sensitive subject.

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36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A blast from the past!!!

I loved the movie and years later I decided to read the book and boy I'm glad I did. The book goes into so much more detail. Very seldom do you find a book that makes you want to cry, laugh and get mad all at the same time. To think at one time this was a way of life in the south and I'm from the south. Carl Lee and Jake make a great team. I suggest you read this book especially if you've seen the movie. You will love it. John Grisham makes books easy to read and suspenseful all the way through.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not narrated by Micheal Beck

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I bought this book because I so enjoyed Michael Beck's narration on Sycamore Row and the cover lists him as the narrator. I guess I didn't read the book description well enough because it turns out that this is narrated by Alexander Adams and, after the rich southern accents of Sycamore Row, this narration just isn't up to par.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I'm moving on to The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood.

What didn’t you like about Alexander Adams’s performance?

He talks to fast for my liking and his southern accent was not believable. One of the characters sounds like Barney Fife! I've tried to get past it but listening has become a chore. I'm returning this book with after listening to only 27% of it.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I wanted to love it as I did Sycamore Row but it was very disappointing.

Any additional comments?

I encourage listeners to buy Sycamore Row instead.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A time to kill

I was disappointed with the reading of this book. Sentences repeated several times. The reader was not as good as most. All in all, the reader made it worse for the story.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Narration

Excellent story. Excellent reading. Listen to this and then Sycamore Row. The author weaves a tale so vivid you won't be able to hit stop.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

John Grisham's first novel

I first read A TIME TO KILL in hardcover format 30 years ago. Now that another Jake Brigance novel titled A Time for Mercy has been released I decided to use a credit to purchase A Time to Kill before listening to the new Brigance novel.

A Time to Kill is an excellent story well written but it is not of the same quality as Grisham's best works such as The Firm, The Client, The Pelican Brief or the Rainmaker. Michael Beck's narration is superb.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed

A great story with smooth narrative. But a little long and way too many n words. The narrator is superb and you will have no problem following which character is talking. I have no regrets using a credit on this excellent book.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Book

It was a good book. I would read it again. If you like legal thrillers, this is a good book for you.

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6 people found this helpful