The
Appeal ,
by John Grisham (Read by Michael Beck)
The Appeal starts with
a shocking verdict against Krane Chemical Company in a small
town in Mississippi. The plant had been dumping waste into
a ravine behind the chemical building without any interference
from public or environmental agencies. After a number of years
the town water started to taste bad, but the town officials
said it was safe. Then people started getting sick, and so
many died with various forms of cancer that the town of Bowmore
was nicknamed Cancer County. Shortly after 68 deaths due to
cancer, a woman whose son and husband died of cancer secured
a local husband-and-wife law firm, Payton and Payton, to sue
Krane Chemical Company for wrongful death. The lawyers spent
four years and all their personal resources on the case and
were on the brink of bankruptcy when the court awarded their
client a huge settlement. Their financial relief was short-lived,
though, because the owner of Krane Chemical Company mobilized
his teams of lawyers to mount a "take no prisoners"
appeal. Carl Trudeau, the owner of the company, swore that
not one cent of his money would ever get to the woman or her
lawyers, the Paytons. His plan is a dizzying, diabolical scheme
involving political corruption and sleazy tactics that reach
all the way to the Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Grisham's latest legal thriller
is riveting from beginning to end. The listener can identify
immediately with the loss and despair the victims are feeling
as a result of a greedy big business poisoning their water,
killing their loved ones and devastating their town. And although
there is the desire to see the good guys win, there is also
a curiosity about what dirty tricks Krane Chemical will use
to see that they don't. As Carl Trudeau pours millions of
dollars into winning his appeal, Grisham gives his listeners
a chilling lesson in how elections can be manipulated and
how judicial corruption can affect the outcomes of legal battles.
Michael Beck's narration captures both the innocence of the
Bowmore people and the arrogance of Trudeau and his legal
advisors.
With today's concerns about the
environment, the economy and political outcomes, this timely
book is equally fascinating and terrifying. The listener will
be amazed at how a seemingly obvious ruling can be threatened
through the power of money and political connections. Grisham
has once again written a thought-provoking, suspenseful, entertaining
book that can be enjoyed by a wide audience. This is a keeper.
John
Mormon
4/18/08
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