John Grisham is a master of legal thrillers. His novels have captured the attention of millions of readers, from adults to teens. Over three decades, he has written nearly one book per year, and a number of those have been adapted into popular movies.

From his debut novel “A Time to Kill” to the 2020 release of “A Time for Mercy,” Grisham’s books are nothing short of captivating. Over the years, he’s branched out from legal stories as well. His complete list of published books includes stories about sports as well as non-fiction. It’s a compelling body of literature.

Grisham was working as a criminal defense attorney in Southaven, Mississippi when he wrote his first novel, “A Time to Kill.” It is based on an actual court case that dealt with racial issues in the South. It enjoyed modest success.

He entered politics, serving in the state legislature on the Democratic ticket. Meanwhile, he began writing his second novel. It was not Grisham’s intent to leave law and politics to become a published author, but the runaway success of his second endeavor, “The Firm,” changed his mind.

Grisham quickly became a prolific, best-selling author. In addition to novels, he has published short stories, nonfiction, and young adult books.

Few new writers have exploded onto the literary scene like John Grisham. “The Firm” became the top-selling book of 1991 and was on T Best Seller List for nearly 50 weeks. In 1993, it was made into a movie, the first of many to come based on Grisham’s novels.

From “The Pelican Brief” through “The Brethren,” Grisham continued to produce legal thrillers at the rate of about one per year. He tapped into his experience as a lawyer to create characters who faced moral dilemmas and dangerous situations.

During the first decade of his work, multiple novels were eventually made into major big-screen films. These include “Pelican Brief” in 1993, “The Client” in 1994, “A Time to Kill” in 1996, “The Chamber” in 1996, and “The Rainmaker” in 1997.

• 1
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 2

As the best-selling author entered his second decade of writing, he stepped back from his legal thrillers to examine other genres.

“A Painted House” is a small-town mystery. “Skipping Christmas” is about a family that decides to skip Christmas. He also examined his interest in sports with “Bleachers,” which tells the story of a high school football star returning to his hometown after his coach dies. The theme continued in “Playing for Pizza,” a story about an American playing football in Italy.

In 2010, Grisham introduced himself to a younger audience with “Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer,” written for middle school readers.

Also in this decade, Grisham released “Ford County,” his first collection of short stories, and “The Innocent Man,” his first nonfiction book; the latter is about an innocent man on death row. Not to turn his back on his dedicated fans, he rounded out this period with several legal thrillers as well.

• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2

Following the success of the first “Theodore Boone” book, Grisham followed up with six more books, turning it into a popular series.

In “Sycamore Row,” a sequel to “A Time to Kill,” Grisham brought back protagonist Jake Brigance and key supporting characters Lucien Wilbanks and Harry Rex Vonner. He continued his policy of writing one legal thriller every year and threw in a couple of short stories and a baseball novel called “Calico Joe” for good measure. 

Grisham’s 30th book was released in 2017, titled “Camino Island.” Another intriguing crime novel, the story centers around stolen F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts. Between a young, enthusiastic writer; the FBI; and a secret agency, the investigation tries to track down these handwritten documents on the black market.

Following this came “The Rooster Bar,” which follows three law students who suspect that their school is not what it claims to be. “The Recoking” is the story of a war hero who commits a surprising crime. Finally, “A Time for Mercy” brings readers back to Mississippi for another sequel to the well-loved “A Time to Kill.”

• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2
• 2