I have been waiting on another John Grisham short story collection since Ford County. I think Grisham is a master at all that he does, but the short form is a real gift that 'd like to see him explore more fully. Sparring Partners is a three-story novella. The first story brings us back to a character in Ford County who is seeking redemption. The second is about a death-row inmates last hours and the third was an empowering story with an neat twist. My only complaint is that I wanted more stories! Brfavo, Mr. Grisham, you've done it again. And please give us another short story collection soon.

I wanted to like these more than I did. Novellas seem like they are too short to really get into the character's feelings and motives. I enjoyed the Jake Brigance story and feel that could have been a full length novel. Grisham does a great job getting you invested in his characters and this book is no different. I enjoyed the second story a little less as the convicted murderer who was found guilty at 15 leaves a lot more to be explored on how we as a society condemn teenagers for life. All in all I am glad I got the chance to read it but long for the full length Grisham show where he can flex his muscles a bit more.

John Grisham’s latest book , Sparring Partners, is a collection of three “novellas”. I’m not a big fan of short stories. They never seem to be long enough to develop the characters and story lines sufficiently. Having said that, I must admit, I throughly enjoyed these three short novels.

The first one , Homecoming, brings back some old favorite characters. Jake Brigance ( A Time to Kill) and Harry Rex are called on to help an old friend, Mack Stafford. Mack divorced his wife, left his kids, closed his law office and let town three years earlier. Rumors have it that he stole money from his clients. Now, with the help of Jake and Harry, he wants to return to see his ailing wife and kids. Having meet some of the characters before, it didn’t have an underdeveloped feel. Very entertaining.

Next was Strawberry Moon. Cody Wallace, a twenty-nine year old inmate on death row, has been in prison for 15 years. This story takes you through his last few days on death row. Ver somber and thought-provoking.

And last but not least was Sparring Partners. Rusty and Kirk Malloy are running the family law firm since their father was sent to prison for killing their mother. With lots of twists, turns, conniving and back-stabbing, this one was the most like old-school Grisham.

Overall, I was surprised to enjoy this as much as I did considering the short-story format. Fast-paced and entertaining, I would recommend this to fans and non-fans of short stories alike. Grisham fans will not want to miss the collect of novellas.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Sparring Partners by John Grisham is a collection of three novellas, each of which is very well-written, distinctive in setting, theme and tone, and makes for an intriguing read. I thoroughly enjoyed the collection and would definitely recommend it to both longtime fans of Grisham and also as an interesting introduction to those who are yet to read any of his novels.

“Homecoming” revolves around Mack Stafford, a former lawyer and resident of Clanton, Mississippi, and friends with lawyers Jake Brigance and Harry Rex (who also happens to be his lawyer). Mack disappeared from Clanton after divorcing his wife, declaring bankruptcy, and closing his practice rumored to have skipped town with his clients’ money due to them as part of a settlement. Three years later he makes contact with Jake and expresses his desire to return to Clanton, meet his ex-wife who is terminally ill and reconnect with his daughters who he had left behind. However, his homecoming is more complicated than he anticipated with his family wanting to have nothing to do with him and suspicions about his indiscretions leading to potential legal problems for which he requires the assistance of Jake and Harry. This novella was an average read and my least favorite among the three. With a few familiar characters (it was great to revisit Ford County with Grisham) and many new ones and an intriguing start, it did have some interesting moments but I was a tad disappointed with the way the story ultimately panned out. (My Rating: 3.5/5)

“Strawberry Moon” is an engaging story revolving around 29-year-old death row inmate Cody Wallace, who is hours away from being executed. Incarcerated for a home invasion that resulted in the deaths of his brother/partner in crime and the two residents of the house they were in the process of burgling, his appeals and requests for clemency have been denied and now he waits for the inevitable. The narrative gives us a snapshot of his life on ‘The Row’ and takes us through his final interaction with his lawyer, the prison doctor, the chaplain, his warden, a surprise visitor he has been corresponding with and the guard on duty who grants him his final wish. This was a moving and thought-provoking read. You cannot help but feel sympathy for Cody who was arrested at the young age of fourteen and ponder over the justification for capital punishment. (My rating: 4.5/5)

“Sparring Partners” revolves around St. Louis based law firm Malloy & Malloy and the Malloy brothers Rusty and Kirk who couldn’t be any more different in nature, management styles or political inclinations and hardly speak to each other and mostly communicate through ‘unofficial third partner’ Diantha Bradshaw. However, together they run the family law firm after their father was incarcerated for manslaughter and duly disbarred, though his devious efforts to manipulate from behind bars remain a constant factor of irritation. Unfortunately, the firm is in a downward spiral. While the brothers and Diantha are concerned with the survival of the firm, each of them is also motivated by self-interest and is looking to grab a larger slice of the pie from a settlement that Malloy Sr. has kept hidden with the help of his lawyer without him knowing. What follows is a thrilling sequence of events involving collusion and deceit, bribery and political corruption and financial fraud. The fast-paced narrative, well-developed characters and intriguing plot kept me glued to the pages with this one. (My rating: 4.5/5)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the digital review copy . All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Sparring Partners
by John Grisham
Pub Date: May 31, 02022
Doubleday
Jake Brigance 3.5
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I have read everything Grisham has written and he is very popular at our library.
Sparring Partners by John Grisham is a collection of three novellas, each of which is very well-written, distinctive in setting, theme, and tone, and makes for an intriguing read. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and would definitely recommend it to both longtime fans of Grisham and also as an interesting introduction to those who are yet to read any of his novels.
Good book! I will purchase it for our library.
4 stars

Grisham has a way with words and creating unforgettable,characters. In this novella and short stories he once again proves he’s the master of his trade. The first brings back Jake Brigance as he and Harry help a friend escape justice. Not my favorite because there was too much procedure and law in it for me and the story ended too abruptly. The second story was beautifully written about a boy who was sentenced to die at age of 15. Now 29 he’s hours away from the death penalty. The third is a tale of two brothers who constantly disagree which is also a great story.

Sparring Partners by John Grisham is a collection of three novellas being published at the end of May. In “Homecoming,” Grisham takes fans back to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of many of his earlier books. The familiar character Jake Brigance is featured in this story about a fellow lawyer named Mack Stafford who three years ago left his family and disappeared to some foreign country, supposedly with a fortune. Mack has had a change of heart, and he calls on Jake to help him return to the United States. He wants to make it up to his ex-wife, who is dying of cancer, and give his daughters a home. What are the chances? Slim to none, according to the family. Yet, a headstrong daughter has another opinion.

“Strawberry Moon” introduces the reader to Cody Wallace, who is sitting on Death Row three hours away from his execution. He and his brother never had a chance, born to a prostitute who did not want them. Both escape foster care, living off the land, looting houses, pawning the items for cash. One fateful night, something went deadly wrong. Even though he wasn’t even armed, Cody was sentenced to death, and now all avenues have been exhausted. Cody has one final request. It is simple, costs nothing, but it would break the rules. Will a prison guard jeopardize his job for a Death Row inmate and allow Cody his request?

Kirk and Rusty Malloy, two brothers as well as practicing lawyers who took over the family law firm from their father who was sent to jail for killing his wife are the “Sparring Partners.” The brothers have long been on opposing sides, speaking only when absolutely necessary. The firm is going into the toilet unless Diantha Bradshaw, the managing partner in the practice and the only person at the firm the partners trust, can save the practice. Worse, their father is almost assured a get out of jail free card with a $2 million bribe to the governor of Missouri. Can the partners outbid their father to keep him in jail so they can tap into the fortune he hid before being arrested for murder? Not wanting any part of their bribery scheme, Diantha must find a way to save the firm.

John Grisham, a lawyer, started his writing career in 1988 with A Time to Kill, in which he introduced Jake Brigance. Several of his books have been adapted for movies. Born in Arkansas, he and his wife split their time among their homes in Charlottesville, Virginia; Destin, Florida, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 29, 2022.

I would like to thank Doubleday Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Doubleday books for the opportunity to read this arc from one of my all time favorite authors and provide my honest feedback.

As soon as I saw that this book would be coming out I immediately added it to my TBR since I will read acting (legal related) that Grisham writes, so I was overjoyed for the opportunity to read this one. Going into it, I had to remind myself these were just novellas, not full on books, but from the beginning I was sucked in. I don’t think he can do no wrong with any story that has Jake Brigance in it. I feel like I was transported back to that fictional southern town with the same players I’ve come to known over the years. The story is good and entertaining, but I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. Nonetheless the next two stories, though unrelated, were phenomenal. I don’t know how he makes you feel like you know the characters after only a few pages, you become invested. Another well done to the author! I will definitely recommend this to others.

Grisham never fails to deliver a great book. Sparring Partners is three novellas which are all great reads. Thanks, Netgallery for the ARC.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Doubleday Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Three equally interesting, intriguing stories with characters that you’ve come to expect from John Grisham.