Grisham has done it again ... terrific ... is nuanced in its moral vision ... Post is a driven and likable loner whom, I hope, Grisham will bring back in future novels. After all, as The Guardians makes clear, there’s plenty of work left for an innocence lawyer to do.
Grisham again delivers a suspenseful thriller mixed with powerful themes such as false incarceration, the death penalty and how the legal system shows prejudice. The Guardian team of characters is first-rate.
With The Guardians, John Grisham is back in top form with his latest legal thriller ... The Guardians is as gripping as it is shocking, with plenty of twists and turns you never see coming. Grisham is our modern-day Dickens and Twain with a social conscience and message, but always the master storyteller to entertain. The Guardians is proof of that.
Post emerges as a veritable surrogate and a mouthpiece for the author and his pet cause. The lessons may become a bit preachy at times, but for the most part Mr. Grisham’s colorful prose is riveting, and the issue is a timely one that can be too easily overlooked.
Grisham novels have a cinematic feel to them. A Time to Kill (1989), The Firm (1991), and The Rainmaker (1995) have all been successful motion pictures. The Guardians could be next on the list; it’s an excellent legal thriller with a strong social-justice component ... Grisham’s readers are legion, and they will be prepped for his latest, which finds the perennial chart-topper in great form.
A lack of nuance mars this novel ... A conspiracy subplot related to one of Post’s cases, involving especially sadistic bad guys and an international angle, feels out of place. Readers who like their legal thrillers dosed with ethical ambiguities should look elsewhere.
