Quotes from John Grisham

Sorry to disturb, but Scott Turow is on the phone.

He presided over murder trials, studied forensics and knew more about the science than the experts, and, most importantly, he knew how much evidence was needed to convict. A helluva lot! Beyond a reasonable doubt. Far more than any low-paid cop had been able to find along his graveyard trail.

Repeat something enough and folks will start to believe it. Mr. Mount had always taken the position that the presumption of innocence is a joke nowadays.

He felt like his victims were now crawling out of their graves and lining up, zombie-like, to come after him. He was living in a state of stunned disbelief, his thoughts a mush of rampant flashes, his debates raging over strategies that changed by the hour.

But rituals are important to the men who run prisons, and nothing gets their adrenaline pumping like an execution. Their little lives are mundane and monotonous, but occasionally the world tunes in when it's time to kill a killer. No effort at heightened drama is to be missed.

Take any form of growth, from high-end gated communities to low-end shopping centers, fix up a slick brochure filled with half-truths, label it "economic development" with the promise of tax revenue and jobs, and elected officials reached for their rubber stamps.

When possible, never let the enemy know what you know.

That's enough. Phyllis is planning to retire too, and we want to travel the world. I'm tired of Sterling, Florida, and she's tired of Mobile. We have no kids to keep us grounded, so why not take off somewhere? Spend some of our Indian money.

When boxed-in and bleeding, prosecutors often become wildly creative with new theories of guilt.

Had it not been for two notorious murders in the early 1980s, Ada would have gone unnoticed by the world. And that would have been just fine with the good folks of Pontotoc County.

My point is that I'm not sure I can find another judge so eager to be purchased.

It's far cheaper to pay bribes than to provide quality care.

The police soon dismissed the notion that she'd simply run away. There was no reason to run away, her mother assured them, and she had not packed the things that would make such an escape successful

Look, Gunther, it's great to see you, as always. But the last thing I want to hear today is a steady stream of bitching about my life. Car included. Got that?" "Wow, Sis. You wake up on the wrong side?" "I did.

He's such a good boy." Maybe. Louie had flirted around the edges of the drug scene throughout high school. There were plenty of red flags but his parents had always chosen to ignore them. At every sign of trouble, they had rushed in to defend him and believe his lies. They had enabled Louie, and now the bill was due.

As Chester poured more water, she asked, "Does all drinking water come from a bottle?" For some reason this was amusing. "Oh yes," Mattie replied. "No one drinks the water around here. Our fearless regulators promise us it's safe to drink, but no one believes them. We clean ourselves, our clothes, and our dishes with it, and some folks brush their teeth with it, but not me.

legal lynching.

war. Mattie handed over a list and said, "Not including us, there are fourteen lawyers in Brady, all alphabetized with phone numbers.

When the State, with its limitless resources, commences a fraudulent case and cheats at every turn, then cheating is legitimized. There is no level playing field. There is no fairness. The only honorable alternative for a lawyer fighting to save an innocent client is to cheat in defense.

preferred means of treatment that no one but a quack would claim

and fixed a double vodka. She sipped green tea as they sat at a breakfast table and watched the golf course. The two satchels were on the sofa; one filled with loot, the other

Hatred of McDover. And money. I convinced our mole that this could lead to riches. I just hope I don't get anyone killed.

How old is she?" "Ten." Jake's appetite disappeared as the cafe returned to normal

Like everything else in Ike's life, it was barely hanging together and lucky to be running.