The Appeal.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 November 2008
• Author: Mandell, David

The Appeal

By John Grisham

After two detours in Italy, John Grisham returns to his native Mississippi in The Appeal. His story begins as a small-town jury deliberates over a water contamination case. Brought by a widow whose husband and children died of cancer, the suit claims that a large company, Krane Chemical, caused the cancer by poisoning the town with its waste. The widow's lawyers, Wes and Mary Grace Payton, are going broke pursuing the litigation. Krane's Atlanta attorneys have a bottomless expense account. They continually remind the Mississippians that they are Atlanta counsel, not local. In New York City's financial district, Krane's boss, Carl Trudeau, waits anxiously for the verdict. A loss will open a floodgate of suits and cause his stock to drop by millions. It is inconceivable to Trudeau that a jury in a Mississippi state court could cost him his fortune.

When the verdict--$41 million for the plaintiff--comes in...