Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi living two streets apart. They played baseball, listened to baseball games, and dreamed of playing professionally. As they grew older, their friendship continued. Keith's father was an attorney who scrimped and saved to afford law school. Hugh's father ran businesses connected to the criminal underground. As life continued for both boys, their bond broke as they found themselves on opposite sides of the law.

This is a legal thriller. John Grisham presents his story much as a lawyer lays out his case, methodically. He makes no judgment on either family, profiling both. Keith and Hugh are products of their environment but they also make their own decisions leading to their futures. Watching the paths these two travel diverge and then converge again is bittersweet. There isn't a perfect happy ending, no glory days reminiscing. The ending is expected, sad, and yet inevitable. Grisham pulls no punches and yet he delivers a book that captures you at the beginning and enthralls you to the end.

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham is well-written and highly entertaining. If you are familiar with John Grisham's work, then you certainly will not be disappointed! He keeps the story moving with just enough drama and angst to keep you reading the history of the boys and their families, it seems so realistic. I never realized there was so much corruption like the Dixie Mafia in Mississippi during the 60s, even though I was a late teen at the time. I have only read a few of Mr. Grisham’s books. I intend to change that now. I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

“The Boys from Biloxi,” by John Grisham, Doubleday, 465 pages, Oct. 18, 2022.

Jesse Rudy is a legendary prosecutor in Biloxi, Mississippi, determined to clean up the Coast. The biggest obstacles are the corrupt politicians and police.

Lance Malco, is the head of Biloxi’s criminal underground, the Dixie Mafia. He owns multiple nightclubs. Sheriff Albert Bowman is crooked.

Their sons, Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco, were childhood friends and classmates. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith goes on to law school and later marries Ainsley Hart. Hugh prefers the nightlife and works in his father’s clubs.

Hugh eventually heads his father’s businesses. Keith follows in his father’s footsteps and becomes the district attorney.

This book showcases good versus evil in a slow burn. The characters are excellent. John Grisham is always an engaging storyteller, but in this one, the plot is one note.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Four stars!

Mr. Grisham has created another engaging tale that pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

This book tells the story of 2 boys taking 2 different paths in life, parallel lives, one good and one not so good.

This was not my favorite Grisham novel. I know when I pick up one of his books, I will get drawn in right away by his wonderful writing, the great storyline and fantastic characters. While this book had all those things, it was the writing that was different for me. This read almost like non-fiction with almost no dialogue and just as a recounting of life in a coastal Mississippi town. It was not engrossing and, at times, bored me. I liked the characters enough but something was missing. I didn’t feel the connection to the characters or the story.

This book is not just entertaining but it is absolutely mesmerizing in the way it drew me into the story of the Rudy and Malco families. Jesse and Keith Rudy are lawyers who eventually take the path into becoming district attorneys so that they can pursue justice against the deeply entrenched Dixie Mafia. Lance and Hugh Malco are on the other side of the law, building an empire based on gambling, alcohol and prostitution. Although Keith and Hugh were good friends when they were young, their own ambitions lead them far from each other. This is a story that has a complicated plot with a lot of unexpected twists and not a little frustration as over and over Jesse tried to take the corrupt members of Biloxi society to court and was thwarted by dirty deals and under the table maneuvers. The entire book seemed so realistic that it was like a movie reel running in my head. The characters were plentiful but all were well developed and likable, even the bad guys. I enjoyed the theme of pursuing justice no matter the cost and the realistic details about how little lawyers earned during the time of the book. I think my favorite character was Judge Oliphant, a no-nonsense judge who wanted to see justice done and helped Jesse and Keith in any way that he could without going beyond the boundaries of the law. This book was also emotionally appealing as it depicted the frustration of the Rudys, including Jesse’s long-suffering and patient wife. I loved this book and the fact that it took me back to some of the first books by this author, with a determination to tell a good story and include believable characters with a twisted plot. This is one of the best John Grisham books that I have ever read and I highly recommend it for those who enjoy legal suspense and procedurals.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I also purchased my own copy since I collect these books and have enjoyed them from the beginning. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I enjoyed the latest book from one of my long-time favourite authors John Grisham. The boys from Biloxi is a little different to his usual legal thrillers and is based on two families who live in Biloxi - the Rudy's and the Malco's, who started life as friends but grew apart.

It did have some legal tangles and court room battles, but it's not your usual run of the mill, Grisham thriller. It was a slower paced book and builds on each of the characters giving you a chance to get to know them well and bases itself on the gaming, drinking and prostitution industry along the strip in Biloxi, I would suggest more of an epic rather than a thriller, though there were some very exciting parts with lots of corruption, liars and cheats.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would be very interested to read any similar titles by Grisham.

A big thank you to Doubleday books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book for an honest opinion.

This is the second book I have read recently by this author and I enjoyed both of them. I especially like how he tells his stories. I feel as though I am sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee while a good friend is telling me about a mutual friend and what has happened to them over the years since I last saw him. Telling a story in this way helps to build the tension in the person's life so much so you can't wait to hear/read more. I am so sorry I have not read more of this author's books. Good read!

The Boys from Biloxi is John Grisham's latest novel. Grisham pulls his reader into the plot by filling his story with fascinating characters. Hugh Malco and Keith Rudy grew up together in Biloxi and were once great friends . Both followed in their father's footsteps. Hugh's dad was on the wrong side of the law and ran illegal brothels and casinos. Hugh joined the family business while still in high school, Keith's father became a lawyer and eventually district attorney. Keith went to law school and later joined his dad's law firm. Grisham describes the trajectory of Hugh and Keith's lives in great detail. Nothing is left unsaid. This is how Grisham inserts his reader into the story and why h is novels are always exceptionally entertaining.

4.5⭐️ to John Grisham’s The Boys from Biloxi

I enjoyed this new release (dropping 10/18) from John Grisham. Starring Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco, boys who grew up together as star baseball players in Biloxi and then whose paths diverged. Keith’s father is an attorney, who becomes a DA determined to clean up Biloxi and its seedy side. Hugh’s dad Lance is one of the biggest seedy business owners.

The book builds a little slowly to thoroughly develop the characters, but when the action kicks in, it doesn’t stop. I enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another winning by Grisham. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. A perfect amount of characters/suspects and plot twists. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Another great legal thriller book written by John Grisham. He is truly an expert in the court room. Once again set in Mississippi with two families seeking justice.

The Rudy and Malco families are descended from Croation immigrants who settle in Biloxi. Biloxi is a town filled with vice and most of it is controlled by Lance Malco. Hugh Malco and Keith Rudy are friends growing up, both All Star Little Leaguers but eventually they grow apart. Hugh will follow in his father's footsteps while Keith becomes a lawyer and helps his father, Jesse, fight the corruption.

The story really depicts the seedy side of Biloxi with the illegal bars and the thing I didn't like about the book was the evil but that just proves how good the writing was. Fats, the sheriff, was positively repulsive. The characters were well developed and I really liked and rooted for the ones I should have and found the evil ones very evil.

Lots of legalese as expected in a Grisham novel and the beginning seemed a bit slow but as we got more into the novel the battle of good and evil was on.

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for providing me with a digital copy.

John Grisham’s latest legal thriller has the feel of a morality play -- of good versus evil. Lance Malco and his son, Hugh, choose the path of vice. They operate casinos, brothels, and bars along Biloxi’s coast. Meanwhile, Lance’s childhood friend and fellow baseball player, Jesse Rudy along with son, Keith, become prosecutors seeking to clean up the Strip. Throw in a crooked sheriff who’s paid off to turn a blind eye and a bodyguard/thug sent to ‘clean up’ problems and the stage is set. Who would control Biloxi – the mob boss or the DA?

I prefer the Jake Brigance books and felt that this novel rambled. Too much time was spent detailing gangster behavior. I didn’t find the characters sympathetic. There were so many anecdotes and criminal schemes that I couldn’t keep tract of them all. At one point, it seemed like the Strip would reform, thanks to Hurricane Camille, but organized crime eventually eased back into Biloxi. The ending will no doubt generate discussion within book clubs.

Grisham sends us back to the 60's and 70's when Mississippi's coast and Biloxi in particular were rife with illegal gambling and prostitution. Two families start as friends because the sons play baseball together, but as the boys age the families take very different paths and some aren't going to survive.

Needs More Showing And Less Telling. This is almost "Novel Writing 101" these days, but a classic and oft repeated bit of advice for new writers is that they should *show* the actions of their characters rather than *tell* the readers about it. Here, Grisham - a normally masterful storyteller and legend in the business - somehow manages to miss that, to the detriment of the overall tale here. The tale itself, a multi-generational saga tracing two families through 60 or so years of Coastal Mississippi history, is actually quite good. I was 15% into the tale before I even realized it, and not much had happened at that point. The back quarter to third or so could *really* have been quite legendary in its own right with more showing and less telling, but even in this format it was still a compelling tale. The ending is a bit abrupt and perhaps too open-ended for some readers, but other than the abruptness I thought it actually worked reasonably well. But getting there, across nearly 500 pages that other readers have compared to investigative nonfiction rather than an legal fictional thriller, can in fact be a bit of a slog. Still, other than the "show don't tell" aspect, there really isn't anything here to actually say "this is particularly bad" about. Thus, only the single star reduction. Still, this really is a great tale for those who can bear with it, and for that reason it is very much recommended.

This book will take you back to a time in Biloxi of illegal liquor sales, prostitution, drugs, crooked cops and henchmen with guns. Two best friends grew up together playing Little League baseball - Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco. As they grew older, they grew apart. The lifestyles of their fathers were so incredibly different - one on the right side of the law and the other on the wrong side of the law. Lance Malco was an unsavory character with no regard for life and no moral compass. Lance only enjoyed power and money. Greed was his middle name. Jesse Rudy was the District Attorney in town and he vowed to clean up the corruption in Biloxi, which included Lance and his criminal activities. Keith and Hugh followed in their father's footsteps, so it was if they lived on two separate planets. Their childhood friendship just was not enough to survive their friendship into adulthood.

This was a little slow in the beginning as Grisham built the story (it was necessary), but it did not take long for me to be pulled into the story. I found myself cheering for the good guys. The courtroom drama was intense and very realistic. Grisham knows how to write an enticing legal thriller.

Portions of the book read more like a history book than a fictional book, but the facts listed were necessary to the storyline. Grisham's writing style is very deep and his descriptions of the characters and their lives helped me visualize them more fully. I found myself completely engrossed in the book and deep into the characters' lives, so I could not stop until I finished it. I felt some satisfaction in the conclusion of the book, but I felt sad as well. John Grisham's love of sports shines through in this book as well. If you like the style of John Grisham, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham is highly recommended as it brings the legal thriller and the story of two families to life. Grisham examines the lives of two families and their offspring and the diverse paths they take. Only he can share such a narrative, with all of the depth and clarity needed, in exploring the complexities of their relationships, both within and outside of the legal system. I loved this book and would recommend it to all!

ARC Book Review – The Boy From Biloxi – John Grisham
In John Grisham’s “The Boys From Biloxi” – Grisham returns to his home state of Mississippi with a highly entertaining and superbly written legal/political thriller. With mesmerizing courtroom drama, educational Biloxi history, and passionate family drama, The Boys From Biloxi is a highly recommended legal thriller. A multi-generational story of two Croatian immigrant families with the sons ending up on different sides of the law. A fascinating story of good versus evil. The Boys From Biloxi is a story about a friendship between two boys, both third-generation grandsons of Croatian immigrants. Their parents and grandparents knew each other, and they all went to the same Catholic church and school, played baseball together, and followed in their fathers’ footsteps, which ended up taking them in different directions in their lives. One became a legendary prosecutor and later the district attorney and the other became the "Boss" of Biloxi's criminal underground. Eventually, the relationship led to a dangerous showdown in and out of the courtroom. Murder, the death penalty, politics, elections, police corruption, prostitution, gangs, bootlegging, brothels, drugs, mafia, mob bosses and mobsters, and strip clubs in Biloxi, Mississippi are all addressed in this riveting and spellbinding tale. Grisham does an excellent job exploring Biloxi’s underbelly, but he also educates the readers on the rich history of Biloxi — the ‘Seafood Capital of the World.’ It is also well known as the ‘Poor Man's Riviera,’ for its clean beaches and fine resorts. The storyline, plot, and characters are all done exceptionally well.
Grisham portrays them – the characters – perfectly. This is an enthralling and captivating narrative that will keep the reader guessing up to the final unpredictable ending! Another John Grisham novel with rich history, explosive courtroom drama, strong characters, lots of action and plenty of emotion. It doesn’t get too much better than this…! I highly recommend this expertly told story by one of the best storytellers in the business – Mr. John Grisham! Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for providing me a digital Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for my honest review. I have already pre-ordered the fantastic-looking hardcover and audiobook narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Mr. Michael Beck.