The latest from the bestselling legal thriller author is a high-stakes thrill ride through the darkest corners of the Sunshine State, focusing on Lacy Stoltz, an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct.
...the Grisham formula hasn’t gotten old. Or older. When he’s on his game, as he is with his latest, The Whistler, it really works ... Despite the bits of leaden language, Lacy does manage to come to life on the page. The Whistler also has a strong and frightening sense of place, painting part of the Panhandle as a lawless region where terrible things might happen, and do. And Mr. Grisham deserves credit for dependability: He is at heart an optimist who believes that wrongs can be ferreted out and righted. We could use a little of that these days.
...[a] riveting new novel ... Grisham has been criticized for not writing strong female characters, but Stoltz is finely drawn ... As ever, Grisham sprinkles The Whistler with sharp observations about lawyers.
[We get] are the ingredients of a good thriller. They’re just presented in mystifying order. Grisham’s last big narrative flashpoint comes about a third of the way into the book, and from there, it’s only a matter of tying bows on the plotline. Without any tension, it’s inoffensive but also uninteresting ... Grisham’s legal knowledge is impressive, and his ability to convey it unparalleled in popular fiction. But that’s not enough to sustain a novel without suspense.
