John Grisham’s novel “The Judge’s List” isn’t bad, but isn’t one of his better ones. I usually like Grisham, and even when he misses, I still like reading his books. He is a master at pageturners where the characters run from page one till the last page. However, “The Judge’s List” felt too much like a novel which became a big chase scene, and Grisham also made the mistake of revealing who the killer was way too fast.
The plot is about a woman who suspects a sitting Florida judge of killing her father, and has devoted many years of her life to tracking him down. She turns to Lacy, a woman who runs an origanization which deals with complaints made against crooked judges. Together they try to piece together clues that this judge is the one who is a serial killer, and if that is true, he would be the first judge in American history to be convicted of murder.
Cat and mouse thrillers aren’t new, but I felt like Grisham revealed that the judge is the killer way too fast. I would of been more enthralled if he drawn out the suspicion more and didn’t automatically switch to chapters where the judge is the obvious murderer. I felt like a bit more mystery would have made this a better novel. I know Grisham doesn’t really write mysteries. He writes thrillers, which don’t have to necessarily be mysteries. However, this one could have been so easily a mystery.
Overall, the novel becomes a bit of a long chase, and I got a bit bored by the end. It’s still a fine pageturner, but I wish it was a bit more drawn out without such an instant reveal. I feel that would make the book a better read. Also, the villain was a bit too evil, to the point he felt a little cartoonish. Grisham is a good writer, but this wasn’t one of his better ones.
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