'Ford County' by John Grisham - Book Review

Ford County is John Grisham's first collection of short stories. Grisham returns to Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of A Time to Kill, and brings readers seven stories of life in this small, Southern setting. Grisham has previously tried to branch out from legal thrillers with books like Bleachers and Playing for Pizza. Ford County is a better read than either of those, combining his skill at writing page turners with his observant eye for small town life and moral ambiguity.

I'm always a little bit hesitant about collections of short stories. I wonder if there will be enough meat to justify having to learn new characters and situations every 50 pages or so. Starting a new book is always a little risky, and I wonder if I will have to endure those same start up costs seven times in one collection.

Fortunately, Grisham makes reading easy. His books are popular because they are immediately entertaining, but don't shy away from moral dilemmas and complex characters. Each story in Ford County was easy to enter and satisfying throughout in its own way. In fact, I appreciated being able to start and finish a whole story in one evening, giving me the freedom to take the book at my own pace without losing track of important plot threads.

If you want to get a feel for Ford County, Grisham has made one of the stories, "Fetching Raymond," available for free on his Web site. "Fetching Raymond" shows how Grisham's ability to tell a bigger story through one snapshot of some characters' lives.

Some of the other stories I particularly enjoyed were "Michael's Room" and "Quiet Haven." "Michael's Room" feels like one of Grisham's legal thrillers, and by the end makes readers question what justice would actually look like. "Quiet Haven" also blurs the lines between good and evil -- is a con man who brings to light horrible conditions in a nursing home better or worse than the people who don't profit but perpetuate a system that ignores the needs of those who can't speak for themselves?

Overall, I recommend Ford County. It is a must read for Grisham fans, and would be satisfying for anyone who wants beach or airport reading that is substantial without being too heavy.