Sparring Partners: The Number One Sunday Times bestseller - The new collection of gripping legal stories

All of Grisham books are looked forward to

Homecoming: Following on from Fish Files (taken for the Ford County collection), Jake Brigance makes an appearance, this time helping his old friend, Mack Stafford, who disappeared a few years previously. This is an enjoyable story, and a welcome return for Mack.Strawberry Moon: Cody Wallace has three hours to live – not yet thirty he has been on death row for half his life. Before he dies, he wants one thing. Interesting take on the evils of capital punishment.Sparring Partners: Kirk and Rusty Malloy inherited the law firm Malloy & Malloy when the founder, their father, went to prison for killing their mother. They hate each other, but the partnership agreement forces them to preside over the failing firm ‘together’. Diantha Bradshaw is the de facto managing partner of the firm, and both brothers trust her. As the firms troubles get worse, with Bradshaw save the firm, or herself. Despite being a short story, it takes a little while to get going. The three Malloy’s are far from sympathetic, but get going it does.Overall three good additions to the Grisham catalogue and worth a look.

Bought this book not knowing it was a compilation of 3 unrelated short stories. The first ended abruptly just as you were getting into it, the second was not that riveting and the third was OK. Alright as a ‘stocking filler’ but nowhere as good as a Grisham novel!

Read this book on holiday. Great book storey line keeps you griped and interested. Value for money.

Kindle version 304 pages.Grisham's first novella collection - 3 stories.Homecoming - p. 6 - 128.Features Jake Brigance helping fellow lawyer who stole and disappeared with clients money.Good story, builds well but rushed ending.Strawberry Moon - p.129 - 179Death Row inmates last 3 hours.Concentrates on the inmate as opposed to the legal system.Gives an insight into his survival and importance of books and reading to escape his confinement.Good story.Sparring Partners - p. 180 - 304.Feuding law firm partners and their imprisoned father.Bribery, pardons, double dealing.Features some court room action.Good story.StrengthsStrong familiar characters/location.Traditional Grisham themes.WeaknessesAbrupt/quick ending.If a longer novel ending would develop slower.Well worth a read for all, especially fans.Covers traditional Grisham topics well.Would recommend The Chamber as a traditional Death Row novel and The Runaway Jury for court room action.

Thoroughly enjoyed this the 20th book by JG that I’ve read. He’s my favourite author and never disappoints the reader.

Excellent book - thank you!

Do not be confused as others have been, "Sparring Partners" is not a full-length story it’s a collection of three shortish stories from John Grisham and that's where its problems start and finish. Because that's just what they are, simple short and seemingly incomplete lacklustre stories, and don’t expect a big twist that draws them all together because there's nothing to connect them.The first of the stories, "Homecoming" is about a small-town lawyer who disappeared under a cloud and wants to come home, hence the title. But wait haven't we read something similar before in "The Partner" [5 stars], only that time it was more complex and way more interesting and it had a satisfactory ending with a great, if obvious, twist as the eponymous partner gradually turned from villain to righter-of-wrongs. Sadly however in "Homecoming" the partner only goes from unconfirmed villain to confirmed villain before the story peters out. (3 stars at a push)The second "Strawberry Moon" is about [another] death row inmate, this time one with a few hours left to live. Again haven't we read something similar before in "The Confession"? But in this case nothing much actually happens in the inmate's final hours, although as the tale unfolds and the events leading up to the inmate's arrest, conviction and execution become clear a Grisham makes a strong case for abolishing the barbaric death penalty emerges and, if nothing else here, for that alone Mr Grisham should be praised. (2 stars plus a bonus 2 stars for presenting an argument against the death penalty)And finally the eponymous "Sparring Partners" are two lawyer brothers who have inherited a law firm but won't speak to each other. The brothers are diametrically opposed in just about every way that Grisham can imagine, with the exception of their attitude to their father, the law firm's disgraced disbarred former senior partner now languishing in gaol. At this point I'm beginning to lose the will to write this review because this is a little story that has been padded out to 40% or thereabouts of this book, and the inevitable outcome is all too obvious as the story unfolds but there's a lot of fluff to get through before you get there. (2 stars)And that's it, it's all in a word: disappointing.

Good read

Have almost all his books, and I have enjoyed reading all of them. Some I read twice

Each story stands alone and we move from a story about a rascal with a good heart, through death row, to a Law Firm not big enough for the partners.

I like short stories for a change and these were a good and entertaining read. Did at times seem a bit dated so could heve been written earlier and taken out of the drawer but lucky they were !!!

I really enjoyed the latest collection of short legal stories by Grisham, one of my favourite writers. The story, " Robbery Moon " was exceptionally good.