not what you expect from grisham
925244
I was extremely dissapointed in the book-it was nothing like the Grisham books I have loved in the past.  This is not in any way lawyer or crime related.  It is just a simple book about simple people in a pretty simple way of life.  I'd say pass on this one.
4037275
A bit wordy for a Grisham's book and after all the "build up"  and planning, the ending was very predictable.
779487
John Grisham was not at his best here.  The story line wanders and gets side tracked (a lot of time is wasted on sea turtles laying their eggs).  I finished the book but it was because i did not have anything else to read.
2738743
Interesting, but not nearly as good of most of Grisham's books.  Flat ending.
936563
I have always liked John Grisham's work. This one left me a little conflicted. It started out okay. Then it kind of dragged for a bit. Then it became even a little predictable. It was a clever story, and I am glad I read it. I just don't consider it one of his best.
2812542
John Grisham's "Grey Mountain" was a little disappointing.  I love Grisham, and maybe had my expectations too high.  I really got bogged down in details,the long drawn out details of mining coal.  Just wasn't interesting and even though it tied into the plot of the story, it was "too much".
2383899
1ST let me say I love John Grisham but this was not one of his best works.  It was if the story just ended.  You want to see what happens to the characters when you read a book and this one just left you hanging.  Not one story line was finished.  You get to a point in the book and think it must be coming up...then you realize you only have 20 pages left and he can't tie up all the loose ends. The ending of this book was a big disappointment.
3325589
I liked that exposed what's going on with student loans and colleges.  The plot was weak especially the ending.  Not up to Grisham's usual standards.
724953
The book had an exciting beginning but midway through the beginning I checked back to see if the book was written by Grisham - there was no lawyer ... as a matter of fact there is no major character who is a lawyer. There is a lot of interesting reading about the book industry and academia. The primary character is not sympathetic leaving me to question why Grisham had not spent more time in character development. I had the feeling that Grisham, midway through the book, tired of the plot which led to a weak ending. I am glad that I read the book (see comments re beginning and the book industry) but I am not enthusiastic about the book as a whole.
3868608
This book lacks the energy and appeal I expect from Grisham. Familiar anti big law and pro conservationists themes felt like a long sermon on a sleepy Sunday morning. Grisham fans may still enjoy this predictable read.
318192
Grisham's latest lawyer mystery/thriller is a far cry from his earlier idealistic young law practitioners. He is a hard-bitten realist who is literally "a man of the streets." He has no office. Instead his "office" is a customized van with all the necessities: Wi-Fi, computer, refrigerator for beer, and many of the other comforts of a regular office. He has a constant companion and "under-the-table" paid assistant whose name is "Partner." Partner's mother keeps Sebastian Rudd's files in her tenemant apartment and professionally answers his calls all of which receive the same answer, "Mr. Rudd is not in the office at present. May I take a message."

His clients are hardly the wrongly accused or corporate abused of earlier novels. Instead, in one novel, Rudd defends an accused child molester, a cage fighter who kills a man with his fists, and a home owner who shoots and kills a SWAT team member who mistakenly invades his house. Also, thrown in the mix is a former client who is a street gang leader who is out to kill him. Somehow Grisham makes all of these fit into his narrative while having Rudd deal with his bitter lesbian ex-wife and while he is having an affair with his son's school teacher. Rudd's ethical mandate is that every person deserves a fair, no, make that good, defense under the Constitution.

My reasoning for four stars is that often the book feels as if Grisham has taken several book ideas out of the drawer, realized that each did not have the potential for a full novel treatment, so he stitched them together to make one book. The saving grace is that he made it work, and it helps the reader realize that, unlike Grisham's other characters, a lawyer does not deal with one case at a time. On the other hand, I doubt that any lawyer deals with an accused molester, accused cop killer, gang leader, cage fighter, and missing person all at one time.
3311379
I gave this book 3 stars instead of 5 because Grisham let his readers down with this one. With all of his legal thrillers being top-notch, can't-put-down books, this one I had to make myself finish. It was definitely not a legal thriller. It read like a chick flick. The plot was ok, but after 275 million books in print, I know he's got more in him than this book delivered. And the ending was.....well, it just was.  I turned the page before I realized the book was over. Was disappointed on a lot of levels with this one. But he's my favorite courtroom writer, and I'm holding out for another "Runaway Jury", "Client, "Firm"....to come soon.
1385672
I always enjoy John Grisham books.  This one had a different feel for me.  It's almost like a collection of short stories rather than his typical novel.
4870796
Grisham is one of my favorite authors. Most of his novels will keep you up late at night. This one didn't; actually, it had the opposite effect. It read like a documentary and could have been condensed into about half its length. Not wanting to spoil a major plot line, I'll simply say it was ultimately depressing. I hope he writes more novels like "The Firm" in the future. I read fiction for enjoyment and a little escapism. This wasn't either to me.
4348208
Not as good as Grisham's other books. It took over 100 pages to get to the point of the story and I did not find the ending satisfactory. It was a very confusing, complex plot and when I finished reading it I wasn't sure what had really happened.
4563083
Grisham once again goes outside of his normal area but this time he falls far short of meeting his normal standard.  The story idea was good.  The characters started off interesting but Grisham did not develop them.  By the end of the book I did not care about any of them.  I wanted to know more about the Coach, the quaterback, the punter etc.  Grisham needs to go back to letting us meet his characters.
3497370
When I first saw this novel on line, I was looking for another John Grisham book.  Everything about the type set on the book jacket, the author's name, the title and graphic layout screams Grisham...and it fooled me.  I started reading it thinking I had purchased a Grisham book.  It actually tries to read like Grisham - short chapters, great characters, compelling story line - that all eventually fall apart.  It wasn't until about 1/3 through the book that I started thinking "what an odd way to take the story."  So odd that I finally took a good look at the cover...not Grisham, but Graham.  This Joshua Graham guy actually has some potential if he didn't let his ideology destroy his characters, plot and believability. Graham (not Grisham) is so interested in getting his main character convicted so he can be born again and actually hear the voice of God in fire (yep, just like Moses) that he completely ignores the fact that he had already given him an alibi...he was meeting with a client when his family was murdered.  I know it seemed like a great way to get your main character out of the way for the evening, but when no one ever bothers to verify his alibi you kind of lose any remaining believability. It almost feels as if a different person wrote the last 2/3 of the book.  Someone with no since of plot.  I ended up really disappointed.  There was so much this story could have been.