"Theodore Boone: The Accused" by John Grisham / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

A young wannabe lawyer finds himself on the wrong side of the law in “Theodore Boone: The Accused” by John Grisham. Read my review.

I grew up reading John Grisham books.  Now my son has the same opportunity.  We read this one together.

Theodore Boone is the son of two attorneys.  He wants to be an attorney when he grows up.  And, though he is still a kid, he is already practicing law amongst his friends and even representing llamas in court.  In this third installment of this Young Adult series, John Grisham trumps Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.  My son and I have read the first three books and we can’t wait to read the fourth.  My son can’t get enough of it and neither can the other kids at his school.  The library can’t keep the several copies there in stock.

In “Theodore Boone: The Accused,” young Boone finds himself on the wrong side of the law.  He gets to feel what it is like to be suspected by the police and, since they are convinced that he has committed the crime, it is up to him and his disbarred Bob Dylan-humming uncle to clear Theodore’s name before it is too late.

What I love first about the series is that you can’t put it down.  Secondarily, it teaches legal process to kids in a truthful and fair way.  By fair, in this installment, the police who are normally the good guys are characterized as two jerks, my son’s opinion.  It’s a good lesson that just because the newspapers say someone is arrested does not mean that they are guilty and sometimes detectives want credit for wrapping up a case greater than they want delayed justice.  Just because someone is in uniform doesn’t make them the good guy.  (My son and I kept waiting for the detectives to officially apologize for falsely maligning Theodore, but it never came.  That’s when my son decided they were jerks.)

John Grisham has made a career out of the legal mystery.  In fact, some say he created the genre.  I believe, when we are long gone, that what Grisham will be remembered for is Theodore Boone and creating a whole new generation of avid readers.  I’ve seen it in my son.  I’ve seen it in the other kids at my son’s school.  I’ve seen it in myself.  These books are hot and, like a Disney film, they transcend numerous generations.  My opinion?  Theodore Boone is Grisham’s best.

Until next time, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

– Clay Stafford is a husband, father, author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), business owner (www.AmericanBlackguard.com), and founder of Killer Nashville (www.KillerNashville.com) with over 1.5 million copies of his own books in print in over 14 languages.  Stafford’s latest projects are the feature documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.OneOfTheMiracles.com) and the music CD “XO” (www.JefferyDeaverXOMusic.com). Publishers Weekly has named Stafford one of the top 10 Nashville literary leaders playing “an essential role in defining which books become bestsellers” not only in middle-Tennessee, but also extending “beyond the city limits and into the nation’s book culture.”  (PW 6/10/13)

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"The House of Special Purpose" by John Boyne / Monday, May 13, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

If you are looking for a page-turning mixture of suspense and betrayal within a well-executed part love story, part historical epic, and part-tragedy, then “The House of Special Purpose” is a book you must not miss.

New York Times bestselling Irish author John Boyne’s new book “The House of Special Purpose” is one of those alternative history books where I already know the ending, I know where the author is going to go with it, but the storytelling is so good that I want to stay with him through each word to see how he gets there.  I could not stop reading and I was not disappointed.

“The House of Special Purpose” concerns itself with Georgy and Zoya and is told through the point-of-view of Georgy, an 82 year-old-man looking back on his life to the central point of the final days of czarist Russia and the reign of the Romanovs.  Georgy starts his life as a farmer, becomes a servant and bodyguard in the house of Tsarevich Alexei, son of Tsar Nicholas II, and – after the rise of Marx, Stalin, and Lenin – flees to Paris and then to post-war London.  Why he flees is the subject of the book.

“The House of Special Purpose” is immediately riveting, mysterious, and tense with suspense.  It is filled with heartlessness and insensitivity, but – at the same time – great love; it has pain, but incredible joy.  The humanity of it will leave you crying at the end of the very first chapter.

The main characters of Georgy and Zoya stay under constant threat of discovery for something that they did.  Throughout the story, the reader will keep asking, “Why?”  This is the spine.  Within the pages are secrets that refuse to die highlighted in the struggle for power and self-preservation, which takes form in multiple ways.  Particularly real and touching is the portrayal of Zoya and her desire to come to the end of her life.  Narrator Georgy is full of flaws and selfishness.  The reader will understand his humanity, but at times, his choices are hard to swallow.  We like him as we like family.  He has a good heart, but sometimes his decisions and actions are less than admirable.  People write about authors creating flawed characters; well, here you go:  John Boyne has the nerve to actually do it, flawed Georgy certainly is.

I loved the storytelling device of starting at both extremes of Georgy’s life (1981 and 1899, if my calculations are correct) and alternatively working forwards and backwards through the epic chapters until the two timelines meet.  Following this structure, we see the parallel stories of Georgy’s life as a young man compared against the wisdom and frailties of old age.

On a side note, I’ve found a new publisher in Other Press.  I was blown away by, not only “The House of Special Purpose,” but the titles and the quality of their other works.  I encourage you to check out their house at www.otherpress.com.

– Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker and founder of Killer Nashville. Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” and the music CD “XO”.

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"No Way Back" by Andrew Gross / Wednesday, May 8, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

In Andrew Gross’s “No Way Back,” a woman has an affair and, while in the illicit situation, her lover is murdered.  In self-defense, she kills the killer, whom she IDs as a Homeland Security Agent.  Her agonizing choice is to turn herself in and plead self-defense for a crime that looks like a double murder and admit to her family what she has done, or she can run.  When the dead agent’s partner shows up to silence her, she easily makes the choice to hide.  That’s when this roller-coaster ride kicks into an even higher gear.  Author Andrew Gross has coauthored five books with James Patterson and is a New York Times and international bestselling author on his own.  This is a wonderful book from a man who obviously knows how to tell a story without brakes.

– Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker and founder of Killer Nashville. Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” and the music CD “XO”.

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

Visit our bookstore for other similar books.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"The Incense Game" by Laura Joh Rowland / Tuesday, February 26, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“Here’s my numerical review: 16-15-1. It’s a lottery number you’ll win by. Sixteenth Century mystery. Treacherous politics. History. Culture. An earthquake bringing the city down upon them. Number 15 in Rowland’s Sano Ichiro mystery franchise. One of the best and most realistic historical mystery novels I’ve ever read, educating me in a world I knew nothing about. If you’ve never read a historical mystery, this is the one you should read.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!

"And When She Was Good" by Laura Lippman / Monday, February 25, 2013 / Reviewed by Clay Stafford

“A mom’s sacrifices for her only child. A mom’s secret Heidi Fleiss life behind a gated community. A suicide that might be murder.  Washington D.C. politicians and power managers. Betrayal. Lies. Distraught choices. The constant fear of discovery. And the threat someone is coming for her. What will she do to protect her son? Highly suspenseful. This is why Laura Lippman is…well, Laura Lippman.”
– Clay Stafford, author and founder of Killer Nashville

Buy the book from the Killer Nashville Bookstore and help support a new generation of writers and readers.

If you want to make your own comments on this selection, we would love to hear from you. Join our Facebook Killer Nashville group page or our blog and join in the discussion.

Remember that these books are listed at a discount through Amazon. You also don’t have to purchase the version that is featured here. Many of these books are available in multiple formats: e–book, hardcover, softcover, and audio. Enjoy!