Books For The Road - Sycamore Row by John Grisham

John Grisham is known for his legal thrillers. While I wouldn't call Sycamore Row a thriller, it was a good look into the world of last wills and testaments all set against the background of old racial feelings in the South. This story picks up after the case of Carl Lee Hailey in one of his earlier books, A Time To Kill.

Jack Brigance is the young lawyer who successfully defended Hailey and is now involved with a handwritten will mailed to him by another resident of Clanton, Mississippi. Seth Hubbard has written a will revoking a previous one that left his considerable estate to his children and asks that Brigance, at all costs, see that his wishes to leave the bulk of his estate to his black housekeeper, Lettie Lang, be carried out. As expected it turns ugly as the children contest the handwritten will.

The story evolves nicely and keeps you reading mainly to ask why would Hubbard do such a thing? The surprising answer comes at the end.

It's a good Grisham read and certainly one that will help to pass the time as you travel the miles.