#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - John Grisham's first novel is a searing courtroom drama that probes the savage depths of racial violence and introduced the world to fearless lawyer Jake Brigance."John Grisham may well be the best American storyteller writing today."--The Philadelphia InquirerThe life of a ten-year-old black girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless white men. The mostly white town of Clanton in Ford County, Mississippi, reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime--until the girl's father acquires an assault rifle and takes justice into his own hands. For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life--and then his own. Look for all of John Grisham's gripping Jake Brigance novels: A Time to KillSycamore RowA Time for Mercy