Sycamore Row

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Michael Beck

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham returns to the iconic setting of his first novel, A Time to Kill, as Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a controversial trial that exposes a tortured history of racial tension.

“Welcome back, Jake. . . . [Brigance] is one of the most fully developed and engaging characters in all of Grisham’s novels.”—USA Today

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy white man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and defense attorney Jake Brigance into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County’s most notorious citizens, just three years earlier.

The second will raises many more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

Look for all of John Grisham’s gripping Jake Brigance novels:
A Time to Kill
Sycamore Row
A Time for Mercy

Critic reviews

“Powerful . . . immensely readable . . . the best of his books.”—The Washington Post

“One of [Grisham’s] finest . . . Sycamore Row is a true literary event.”—The New York Times Book Review


Praise for the novels of John Grisham

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

“In all of Grisham’s best books . . . the reader gets good company, a vigorous runaround and . . . a bit of a legal education.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Grisham’s books are smart, imaginative, and funny, populated by complex, interesting people.”—The Washington Post

“The law, by its nature, creates drama, and a new Grisham promises us an inside look at the dirty machineries of process and power, with plenty of entertainment.”—Los Angeles Times

“John Grisham owns the legal thriller.” —The Denver Post

Storytelling at the highest level

Would you consider the audio edition of Sycamore Row to be better than the print version?

Yes. The reader enhanced the novel by his authentic, soft, lovely Southern accents--plural because the different characters had different voices. That is hard for me to do in my head.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did not want to quit listening to this book. The story line was compelling. The characters seemed realistic and interesting. I would love to have another just as interesting right now but they are hard to find.

Grisham is Back....Maybe His Best!

Everything about this book was perfect.... the pace, in depth character development, engaging plot, perfect narration, it all just works. This is a driveway book....I was sitting in the driveway not wanting to get out of the car, I just had to finish the chapter. This book is about family, race relations, money, alcohol, cancer, a courtroom trial, all set in the deep south. Y'all will just love this book; promise!

Couldn't have enjoyed it more!!

This is my first experience with a Grisham book and I couldn't be more pleased. I tend to shy away from blockbuster authors, as many keep producing long after they have run out of ideas, use ghost authors, or rest on their laurels in some other way.

From the start of this novel, I was riveted and hated to interrupt my listening. When I wasn't listening, I was thinking of the story and where it was going and plotting how I could get back to it.

I don't need to rehash the story line--it has been described very adequately here. What I particularly liked was that there was no unnecessary filler or overly descriptive writing. Everything that Grisham writes is relevant to his story and is in a logical progression. You really feel that this book was well-researched and planned out. The characters were believable--I cared what happened to them, even the unlikeable ones!

The story was so well-narrated. Michael Beck did an exemplary job of doing individual voices and accents, of which there were many. He added to the listening experience. Although I consider this a stand-alone book, I am going to listen to the prequel.

Very highly recommended.

Sequel to A Time To Kill (sort of)

I loved Grisham's 'A Time To Kill' focusing on the murder of two dirtbags who raped Carl Lee Haley's daughter and left her for dead. Carl Lee gets his revenge by killing the rapists in cold blood in the court, and then his lawyer Jake Brigance goes to bat for him. I loved everything about the story and I even really liked the movie adapted for the book.

'Sycamore Row' leaves us at the time after Carl Lee was voted innocent by a jury, and we find out what Jake and family are up to. His scuzzy divorce attorney buddy and his mentor are still around; one being the same money grubbing smart mouth and one is eccentric and often drunk, respectively. Jake and wife are still raising their daughter Hannah is small town Mississippi, where racial tensions aren't much improved.

Jake finds himself the lawyer for the estate of one of the wealthiest men in Ford Country, Seth Hubbard was a man who kept to himself and didn't appreciate his greedy family. He was dying of cancer, and he made a hand written will in place of the document he had already drawn. The hand written will was entrusted to Jake and the main difference between the new will was that it cut his family completely out of the picture. Instead, Seth leaves almost all of his money to his black maid. The question of course, is why on earth would he do such a thing? There is a courtroom battle ahead with all kinds of action and twists and turns, and we gradually discover more about Seth's past and how it ties in with the present.

The story flows nicely and I really enjoyed hearing from some of my favourite old characters again. I did not think the story was as interesting as 'A Time To Kill,' however I hope Grisham writes another book with the same characters because I really enjoy their chemistry. The book was hard to put down and I probably listened to it on and off for for straight days until it was over. The narration is SUPERB- what an incredible job! I just felt that the story was sub par when comparing to the first of the 'Jake Brigance' series.

Overall, I would highly recommend this audible book. Good story, great presentation, and a nice visit with the past.

Finally a Complete Story

Grisham is a talented author who's recent books lacked the needed kick of a great ending. "Sycamore Row" fulfills the missing element in Grisham's recent novels, a great end. This novel is full of intrigue, drama, characters and a storying that's a page turner. I hope the future presents us with more of the same.