The King of Torts    by John Grisham Order:  USA  Can Doubleday, 2003 (2003) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth John Grisham's books are always a good read. The King of Torts is an especially good read. It's hard to put the book down once the reader gets embroiled in Clay Carter's meteoric rise to stardom in the world of legal torts. What's a tort? 'A private or civil wrong or injury, including action for bad faith breach of contract for which the court will provide a remedy in the form of an action for damages.' Carter, slogging away for five years as a public defender, is assigned a case of murder, in which the murderer has no history of violence. Carter sees a common thread here with another case - and the world opens up to him. Pharmaceutical drugs sold in bad faith lead him to riches beyond his wildest dreams. How long can he maintain this new lifestyle? Is he really happy? Is his blonde Georgian bimbo enough for him? Read on. The world of torts and the lawyers who pursue its potential for financial gain was a whole new ballgame for me. I was utterly fascinated. Grisham is an old hand at picking up the reader and dropping them into a scene. I could almost feel the Caribbean lapping at my toes. The luxurious Gulfstream jet is right up my alley. Dream on, woman. Grisham's characters are real. Clay never really loses his innocence. His almost parents-in-law are enough to gnash anyone's teeth. I hated to read on because I didn't want Clay's bubble to burst. But I had to see what would happen. The King of Torts is a good book, long enough to be satisfying but not too long to be ponderous. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews