The Pelican Brief

Summary Of The Book
A killer’s sneakers whisper across the floor of a fancy home in suburban Georgetown. Far away in a gay movie theater in Washington, D.C., a patron is strangled to death. The breaking news across America the next day is that of the shocking assassination of two of the country’s Supreme Court Justices. Darby Shaw, a young law student in New Orleans drafts a legal brief. To her, it is just a brilliant guess, but in the corridors of power at the Washington establishment it is considered a political dynamite. Soon, she finds herself a witness to a murder that was actually intended for her.

Going into hiding, she realizes that there is just one trustworthy person who happens to be an ambitious reporter. The reporter is the only person who can help Darby fit the pieces of the deadly jigsaw puzzle. A cover-up that is very violent is being staged between Louisiana and the inner sanctums of the White House. Someone has stumbled upon Darby’s shot-in-the-dark legal brief and will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of this heinous crime and preserve the secrets of the Pelican Brief.

Published in the year 1992, The Pelican Brief’s film adaptation was released in the following year. It starred Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington as the main protagonists.

About John Grisham
John Grisham is one of the leading authors specializing in the legal-suspense genre.
Among the many books he has authored, some are A Time To Kill, The Rainmaker, The Client, and Sycamore Row.
Known famously for his legal-suspense thrillers, the author has broadened his scope from law to writing in general about the rural south over the years. He has also dabbled in sports and comedy fiction.
Grisham was born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. After completing his accounting major at Mississippi State University he graduated in law from the University of Mississippi School of Law in the year 1981. Then, he practiced law for close to 10 years in Southaven. In 1983, he was elected to the State House of Representatives and served there until 1990. It was at the DeSoto County courthouse one day that he overheard the testimony of a 12 year old rape victim that inspired him to write his debut novel, A Time To Kill, that was published in June 1988. He is the author of many popular novels that have managed to remain on the bestseller list for a very long time. Many of his novels have been adapted into feature films and have also gone on to become Hollywood blockbusters. He married Renee Jones and has two children. Apart from writing, Grisham is passionate about baseball and also devotes his time to various charitable causes.