"The Confession" by John Grisham

Okay, so Grisham was one of the authors that first got me reading thrillers.  That doesn't necessarily mean that all his novels are going to be the same level of thrilling.

Thriller readers, fear not.  There is still plenty of tense story driving in this one.  It will pick you up and take you along for the ride.  I'm just not sure that it's going to whisk you away in a whirlwind the way that some of his first novels did.  Still plenty of driving action, plenty of brisk pacing, plenty of heart-pounding moments.  If you're an adrenaline junkie, this will be more than enough of a fix.

However, if you're not, you'll find this to be a pleasant departure (depending on your politics) from the legal thriller genre.  There's a lot of social commentary in this one.  Perhaps too much, for some.  I like my moralizing well masked and this wasn't particularly.  It's been compared to Upton Sinclair, who frankly is not one of my favs, but I gotta say...I've read his stuff and found it compelling.  Same story here.  If you don't agree with Grisham's premise, you may get a little hot under the collar, but it will definitely give you food for thought.  If you do, you'll find plenty of reasons to rave about it.

Ultimately, The Confession deserves a read, and not just because we "owe" it to Grisham because of his past triumphs.  It stands on its own and would find a voice even without Grisham's name attached.  Get it and enjoy it, whether you're a die-hard thriller reader or not!