John Grisham use to be one of my favorites but, lately his books have not interested me. Finally a book that reminded me of my love of legal dramas with great characters. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed his early work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. John Grisham shows his ability to diversify his law theme without straying from his usual, strong writing style. The Boys from Biloxi follow two native sons of the Mississippi coast whose paths diverge after a childhood of friendship and baseball.
Hugh Malco is the son of Lance who maintains and runs the seedy element of strip clubs, gambling and prostitution along the Mississippi coast. This is all done under the blind eye of the county sheriff who is on the take.
Keith Rudy is the son of Jesse, who has pulled himself up by the bootstraps to become the DA who is determined to stop corruption, and clean up the coast. Keith idolizes his father , and follows him into the law.
Lance is finally sent to jail when Jesse subverts the local authorities and starts chipping away at the criminal element. Hugh, along with the family henchman hatch a plan to send a message, that ends in a disastrous result. This result culminates with Keith and Jesse facing each other in a death row visiting room, moments before an execution.
This story is evenly paced, well-descripted, and the characters are fully-drawn and multi-dimensional. If I only had one complaint, it is that the ending seemed a bit abrupt.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Set in Biloxi, Mississippi, the Biloxi boys, Keith and Jesse, who grew up in the point but their life choices take them on different paths. They play baseball as young kids, but one follows a criminal lifestyle while the other becomes a lawyer. From that you can see they will have more than one confrontation in adulthood.

I enjoy John Grisham’s books and that’s why I chose to read this one. This one goes through decades of history (both Biloxi and the families) before it gets to the point of the story. There is also a lot of courtroom drama. But it was long and slow and my interest waned. I was totally put off by the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. Parts were slow, buy overall a great book. Two immigrant boys friends for life until one goes bad and one goes lawful. It follows their lives through the crimes of one and the lawful progression of the other. A highly recommended read.

Star rating: 4 ⭐️
Pages: 464
Genre: thriller

Read if you like:
▪️Legal thrillers
▪️Gang stories
▪️Multi-generational sagas
▪️Southern, coastal setting
▪️Death penalty issues
▪️Politics/elections

I love reading John Grisham because he has such a perfect grasp on the legal world (I always get annoyed when authors mess up legal details in their books, #AttorneyProblems). This book was no exception, and Grisham perfectly described the trial proceedings and courtroom drama. As usual, his writing was also riveting, and his storytelling and characters drew me right into the book. I definitely enjoyed it overall and would recommend it to any fans of the legal thriller genre. Be sure to pick it up on October 18!

Similar: Runaway Jury, Boardwalk Empire

Thank you @doubledaybooks for this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, it is natural for mistakes to happen and I still loved the book. I used to live in Tifton, Ga and I have noticed Mr. Grisham makes a reference to it every now and then in all his books. Maybe he has fond memories. Anyway the story would definitely work good for a county around Tift Co. The bad guys vs. the good guys and truly a great story for Mississippi gulf coast too. I was just tickled to get to read it as this publisher is awesome and NetGalley rocks!

Whenever you read an ARC/proof you are bound to find an error or two, usually typos, rarely do you find what appears to be plot errors or character errors. Especially with a prominent author. I used to be a devoted Gresham reader, his earlier courtroom and crime novels were great and I really like his short stories and non-crime books. I fell off reading his books in recent years so this is the first in a long time. Two third-generation kids from Biloxi grow up together but take dramatically separate paths. One criminal and one eventually becomes district attorney. The writing is good as is the character development. The errors seem to be a plot gap between Chapters 49 & 50, can’t say more than that but involves Nevin Noll. Then there’s the Fats Bowman character, I have the sense there was much more to his character that was edited out (too bad) and his “end” has three contradictory lines within pages of each other. Overall a good read but lacks the edge of my earlier favorites.

John Grisham has knocked another one out of the park with The Boys From Biloxi. With plenty of baseball references and the excellent legal thrills that we've come to expect from Grisham, this story does not miss its mark. Grisham weaves the underworld crime with the citizens who have had enough, to an enthralling story where you just can't put it down. One of his best!
*I was given a copy of this by Doubleday Books and this is an honest review.

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham is a wordy explosion, where the good ‘ol boys that love to gamble, drink, kill occasionally, and love prostitution, meet an honest man that runs for District Attorney to clean up the town.
The proverbial good vs evil.
I, personally, was disappointed in this book because I love a John Grisham book. Maybe I just was not in the target audience with this one.

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham was a meticulous account of two families who had grown up on The Coast, in Biloxi, Mississippi. Born from Eastern European immigrants and raised in the South, the two families had much in common until one took to road to criminality while the other the law. For those who love novels with rich detail and endless scenes, this tale with have you engrossed. The author is skilled at bringing the settings to life, from the seedy strip joints to the church for Sunday Mass. The characters are well developed and complex. It was a satisfying read.

The Boys from Biloxi is the latest legal thriller from John Grisham. As a lifelong Grisham fan, I found myself surprised by the book in a good way. For starters, this one is a slow burner compared to his usual thriller fanfare but backstory is necessary when the author is dealing with real history warped around fictional story of two childhood friends who go opposite paths in life and end up being enemies/rivals. Lots of characters here, each one of them adds to the depth and and the flow of the plot. Slow for the first couple of chapters, setting up the story then Grisham cuts loose and all the suspense breaks loose, the center of the action is in the courtroom.

5 stars from Grisham. I suggest this book to fans of Grisham only. This is not your typical fast acting thriller. But the background is critical to understanding the story, not a downer at all.

Review of Uncorrected Proof

For Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco, baseball was their world. Born just twenty-eight days apart, the two boys dreamed of playing in the Little League World Series in Williamsport. The two boys were inseparable.

Their friendship would not stand the test of time.

With Hugh’s father, Lance, the “boss” of Biloxi’s criminal underground and Keith’s father, Jesse, a legendary prosecutor determined to clean up the Coast, Keith and Hugh find themselves drifting away from friendship to travel different paths.

What lies ahead for the two boy and their families? Will the Dixie Mafia maintain its control or will Jesse find a way to break their hold on Biloxi?

What does the future hold for the two boys from Biloxi?

=========

Well-defined characters, a strong sense of place, and a compelling plot all work together to pull the reader into the narrative. Early on in the telling of the tale it becomes apparent that the Rudy and Malco families are racing toward a confrontation and, as the events in the unfolding story take on a grimmer aspect, it becomes apparent that it will be catastrophic.

Through three generations, readers learn the stories of the Point and the Strip; the choices made by family members and friends clearly delineate the lines drawn as the “fight” for Biloxi reaches its climax. Both Keith and Hugh, clearly influenced by their fathers, step into roles that seem foreordained for them.

Here readers see the results of choices made, of paths followed, of friendship, of heritage. Greed, vengeance, and secrets all play a part in the telling of the tale. The complexity of the plot and the backstories of Point Cadet, the Strip, and the families make for fascinating reading. With the unfolding story weaving an inescapable web of certainty, readers are sure to “see the handwriting on the wall” and predict the outcome of the conflict between the two families. But there are a couple of surprises . . . leading to a denouement that is shattering in its simplicity.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Doubleday Books, Doubleday and NetGalley
#TheBoysfromBiloxi #NetGalley

If you like to really feel like the characters you are reading about are "real" then The Boys from Biloxi is for you. The story begins simply enough with two young baseball players in the coastal are of Mississippi. They are from immigrant families and have sons who love baseball. They play together on their Little League teams.

Their parents are working hard to earn a living in the post war south. As the boys get older they begin to migrate apart as their interests and talents begin to diverge. This is not unusual as it happens a lot. Some boys develop physically faster than others and some don't get as tall, strong, etc. This happens to the two families involved here -- the Rudy and the Malco families.

The geography, as much as the characters, is a focus. Because of this there are some strong feelings happening because of place. Reading about this part of Mississippi, which doesn't get a lot written about it is rich.

The divergence gets to be strong when one family goes into the seamier side of gambling, alcohol, and prostitution and the other goes into law. It takes a while but there is an inevitable clash coming. There is lots of money to be made in the areas of vice and having a nearby military base does not help.

The story comes to a crashing conclusion with convictions and jail time and then then inevitable payback. There is a lot of pathos in the book and lots of dramatic moments. It is a typical Grisham with lots of twists and turns; in this reader's view it is one of his best!.

Keeping my attention from start to finish, this well written, action packed story of two immigrant families that settled on the Point in Biloxi, Mississipi. Hugh Malco and Keith Ruby were ace pitchers on the Little League All Star team together, and friends. In high school, they started pulling away from each other, one going to the dark side, the other to the right side. While Keith got his law degree, Hugh entered the family business. Intriguing, emotional, values tested and drama are all intertwined in this novel'

Childhood and friendship
The world of the Strip: vice, corruption, murder, prostitution.
A devastating hurricane and the big insurance companies.
Murder,Politics, and Justice.
Prisoners, prison, Death Row.
This is their story told as only John Grisham can

Dark Grisham brings out all the feels …

When I first started reading this, it didn’t seem like a John Grisham book at all. The plot seemed to vary from his previous legal crime novels. About 30% through, it did feel more like Grisham but the atmosphere took a dark turn which was rather unsettling. The ending leaves you questioning your own values.

The premise of this book is lawyer versus gangland. When all is said and done it’s hard to tell who is good and who is evil. The “good guy“ still wins but how he gets there is questionable.

The story of two families whose son's grew up friends before going their separate ways after high school. One became a lawyer following in his father's footsteps, while the other also followed his father into the sordid nightlife of crime. A showdown was imminent.

I really struggled with this novel. I am a major John Grisham fan and this book just fell short for me. It was great as a historical piece on Biloxi, but I was never able to get invested with any of the characters. It did a great job of describing the history of the two families from their entry into the U.S. as immigrants and the rise of crime in Biloxi, but, but, but the story was too long and I started to lose interest.

The sheriff was the typical supporter of the criminals and was getting rich selling his blind eye, little dimension.
Most of Mr. Grisham's books have a lot of suspense and the courtroom scenes are filled with surprises. This book did not have those things.

There were moments when I figured the book was really taking off, but it always fizzled out. I kept waiting for a real twist and I thought it would come in the end, but it did not. I really could not believe I had read the last page.

I do thank NetGalley and Doubleday for allowing me an early read.

The Boys from Biloxi manages to be both interesting and boring at the same time. The story takes place in the middle of the twentieth century, and is centered around the father-son pairings of the Rudy and Malco families. Both are families of immigrants with little money, but Jesse Rudy works his way up honorably, working hard and long hours to eventually become a DA on the Mississippi coast. Lance Malco, meanwhile, finds his way to the top through vice, not virtue, and has a stranglehold on local law enforcement and the gambling and strip joints in Biloxi. Both have sons the same age, and Keith and Hugh go from being baseball teammates to following the career paths of their fathers. As one can imagine, this story rolls out slowly, moving from one generation to the next. It covers the vice of Biloxi and the devastation of Camille while setting up the inevitable showdown that will happen between the two families. And it does take a long time to get there. Too long, for me as the build of the story takes up way more of the book than the climax, and tends to plod along across the decades. It might have had more intensity to it and been more engaging if there'd been more emotion from the characters - righteousness from the Rudys, indignation and arrogance from the Malcos. But instead it tends to read almost like a deposition of facts with little effort to how the characters feel about their circumstances. Even at the end of the story, both Keith and Hugh seem resigned to the situation, and there's nothing emotionally compelling about it. Short of giving the ending away - they both SHOULD BE. The story is historically rich, and set in atmospherically rich setting, but it just doesn't have the passion and emotions, or intriguing plot twists to power it to being a top notch story. A complimentary copy of the book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Boys from Biloxi traces three generations of the Malco and Rudy families, and predictably, the families take different paths that come together in a legal conflict. The representatives of the youngest generation, Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco are boyhood friends and teammates on the town baseball team, and grow apart in high school as Keith continues to excel at athletics, and eventually follows his father into a career in law, and Hugh dabbles i boxing then finds himself working his way up in his father's syndicate.
The bulk of the book traces the lives and conflicts of the fathers, as Keith's father gets elected DA in a corrupt town and Hugh's father works to stay on top in a world of vice and corruption.
Like many of Grisham's novels, the plot builds slowly but it did keep my interest throughout. Unlike most of Grisham's novels, there is not a blockbuster climactic trial scene bringing everything to a head. In fact the ending may be satisfying, but it is also a bit anticlimactic.
Even though it is not exactly what I expect fro Grisham, I enjoyed the book and will recommend it to others.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by John Grisham.

It told the story of two immigrant families from Croatia who moved to Biloxi Mississippi.

It was a good story, once you get past the setup.
There was obviously a good bit of research into the characters and location background.
But, at 453 pages, it was just too long.
I would not classify this as a thriller, and not really very suspenseful either.
It really dragged on and on so much I was ready to give up on it.
I honestly feel the story would have been better without all the drudgery at the start.