The Pelican Brief (Mass Market Paperback)

by John Grisham (Author) "HE SEEMED INCAPABLE of creating such chaos, but much of what he saw below could be blamed on him..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Orleans, White House, Supreme Court (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
John Grisham's head was full of movies when he wrote The Pelican Brief, which is such a brisk page-turner you could use it to dry your hair. He had Julia Roberts in mind for the heroine, Darby Shaw, a brilliant Tulane law student who comes up with an ingenious theory to explain the baffling assassinations of two Supreme Court justices in one day. They were shot and strangled by ace international terrorist Khamel, who loves the film Three Days of the Condor, but government gumshoes don't get what connects the deaths. Silly government guys! They died so the conservative president, who just wants to be left alone to play golf, will appoint new, conservative justices who will help out a case involving an industrialist who is the enemy of pelicans and other living things. It's all spelled out for them in Darby's brief. She likes to do legal feats to impress her boyfriend, her boyish law prof Thomas (who, like Grisham, prefers to shave at most once a week, and is cool, smart, and antiauthoritarian). The prof likes to paint her toes red, in homage to Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham. (Sarandon also starred in the film version of Grisham's The Client.)

But when Thomas gets splattered by a car bomb meant for Darby, she escapes the hospital and hooks up with a Washington Post reporter, Gray Grantham, who sleuths like the guys in All the President's Men.

Grisham wishes he hadn't written The Pelican Brief quite so quickly (his first novel, A Time to Kill, went through dozens of drafts), but Pelican's very breathlessness contributes to its dreamy, cinematic chase-o-rama atmosphere.

From Publishers Weekly
In this tale of the aftermath of the assassinations of two Supreme Court justices, Grisham delivers a suspenseful plot at a breakneck pace, although his characters are stereotypes. The hardcover was on the PW bestseller list 48 weeks and the mass market was No. 1 last week.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Island; FIRST MASS PAPERBACK EDITION edition (February 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099382911
• ISBN-13: 978-0440214045
• ASIN: 0440214041
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (217 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #413,662 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Brown Pelican by Emily, November 9, 2001

A Kid's Review

"The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham is an exciting novel with an amazing plot. It begins by introducing the character Khamel, a crazed killer who is paid to murder two Supreme Court Justices, named Rosenberg and Jensen, both who have received many death threats but refuse to let the FBI protect them.

In New Orleans at Tulane University, Darby Shaw, an attractive second year law student, was trying to sove the mystery behing the killings. Darby had a thirteen page brief on who she thought killed the justices. The brief was passed on to many people and it finally came to the President, who after reading the report became very scared. The FBI wanted to pursue the lead, but after a phone call from the President that told them to back off it, they decided to look at other suspects.

In the meantime, reporter Gray Grantham received a call in the middle of the night from "Garcia" who said that he might know something about the case.

Darby was on a date with her lover/professor when he got a little too drunk to drive. Darby insisted that she drive or walk, and to her surprise, he told her to walk. When the professor got into his car and started the engine, the car exploded, killing him on the spot. Darby called a friend of the professor, Gavin, and told him what happened because he was the first to see the brief which was later named "The Pelican Brief".

Through all of this chaos, Darby managed to stay alive and found time to meet Gray Grantham in Washington D.C. He learned her entire story and in order to confirm it all, they had to find "Garcia". They knew that he was a lwyer at a small firm in Washington D.C., so they asked the many interns there if they recognized a picture of him. One out of seven did, so they go to meet him. To their surprise, "Garcia" was mugged and killed on the streets.

"The Pelican Brief" is a wonderful book that contains a variety of charaters and twists that I think everyone should read. This book has just about every element that makes up a good book; suspense, mystery, murder, law, and love all put together in a perfect mixture that will make your head spin. John Grisham is an awesome writer and I look forward to reading more of his fantastic novels.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick Beach Read, May 31, 2000

By	Leah Jesse "Giggling Archaeologist" (Victoria, B.C., Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read most of Grisham's novels, and have to say 'The Pelican Brief' is not one of his best. Actually, he's never been able to surpass his first novel 'A Time to Kill', for characters and plot.

The main character, Darby Shaw, is a law student who stumbles upon the conspirators of the assassinations of two Supreme Court Justices. Once this information is leaked she becomes their next target. Of course, she's smart enough not to get killed, but rather is able to escape the bad guys, and find a newspaper reporter who will run the story and blow the conspirators out of the water.

Trouble is the reader doesn't know why Darby's running until two thirds into the book when Grisham finally reveals the contents of the brief. It's evident that this work of fiction was really meant to be a movie script and not a novel. A quick beach read for any Grisham enthusiast.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, July 19, 2002

By	"andyz123" (NJ) - See all my reviews

While the book entertained me, it is certainily not a book for Republicans. Grisham is definately a democrat and some of his stereotypes can be offensive. Besides that, it is certainly an entertaining and often gripping read.