Gray Mountain By John Grisham – Book Review

Samantha Kofer has just been furloughed from her job as a lawyer with a huge Wall Street law firm. In other words, she lost her job due to downsizing and was escorted out of the building. The year is 2008. The country is in recession and jobs are few and far between. She is offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay in Brady, Virginia, population 2200 in the heart of Appalachia. A far cry from the lifestyle she is used to in New York City, but decides to take the job. Moving out of the city to a quieter community will help her gain perspective on her future and determine what her next steps will be in her legal career.

Instead, this position with legal aid takes her into a dangerous world of coal mining, where she finds laws are broken daily, communities are divided in their beliefs and the land itself is under attack from large corporate companies whose only interest is increasing their own bank accounts no matter who gets in their way. Some of the locals are not happy to see a big-city lawyer in town and, in no time, Samantha finds herself deep amid litigation that turns deadly. And the secrets that the town of Brady as hidden for years slowly come to surface, causing fear, anger and even death.

John Grisham’s novels always entertain with intense courtroom action. Although ‘Gray Mountain’ does not contain as much courtroom drama as other books in his collection, it is a strong, passionate storyline about an industry that has deep roots in Appalachia you will find interesting.