Gray Mountain

While John Grisham deftly juggles the multiple subplots in this legal mystery, Catherine Taber's narration is subpar. With the exception of Southern lilts, which are appropriate for a story set in rural Virginia, she simply doesn't distinguish men and women enough. Her pacing has too many pauses, halting an engaging story that features a young, furloughed lawyer. Grisham's ending, though a bit rushed, sets up the potential for a sequel. Here's hoping Taber steps up her game or another narrator is brought in. M.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

September 29, 2014
Expect the expected in this tepid legal thriller from bestseller Grisham (Sycamore Row) that may be the debut of a series character. When Wall Street law associate Samantha Kofer loses her job in the 2008 financial meltdown, her mega-firm offers her the prospect of a return to long hours and dull work after a year's furlough as an unpaid intern for a nonprofit organization. Despite the volunteer nature of such work, Samantha discovers competition for the slots available fierce, and seizes the chance, after numerous rejections, to work at the Mountain Legal Aid Clinic in Brady, Va., population 2,200. In the Appalachian coal town, Samantha finds herself a fish out of water in more senses than one. She needs to adjust to living in a community with fewer residents than her old office building, as well as dealing with real people's problems rather than document review. Grisham movingly portrays the evils of Big Coal and the lives it has ruined, and most readers will rapidly turn the pages, but the subtlety and full-blooded characters that mark the author's best work are sadly absent. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company.