Best Books by John Grisham

John Grisham, the all-time best-selling author of the nineties, has written eighteen novels and one work of non-fiction. His newest novel, Playing for Pizza, is due to hit bookstores this fall. Here are the best books by John Grisham.

The Rainmaker was John Grisham's sixth novel and arguably his best to date. It is the story of young lawyer, still wet behind the ears, who takes on a big, bad insurance company, that allowed the son of a poor southern couple to die by repeatedly denying their legitimate claims. Grisham's only attempt at writing in first person is handled exceptionally well, and the main character Rudy Baylor easily draws both the reader's respect and sympathy. It is a classic David versus Goliath story, with just the right amount of cynicism and contempt for the law. The Rainmaker was also made into a magnificent feature film starring Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and is easily the best movie adapted from a John Grisham novel.

Of course, The Firm, John Grisham's second novel, is the book credited for making John Grisham the celebrity he is today. And The Firm remains one of Grisham's best works to date. Purely plot-driven, this novel is about a young lawyer named Mitch McDeere, who thinks he and his beautiful wife are about to rise from poverty after he receives a ginormous (officially a word now) offer from a law firm right out of law school. Only everything is not as it seems. Lawyers tend to stay with the firm or die. And soon, the FBI has questions for Mitch McDeere concerning his new employer. It is no revelation sixteen years after its release - the firm is actually a cover for La Cosa Nostra. The mafia. The Firm was also turned into a blockbuster film starring Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman.

A Painted House is perhaps the biggest surprise readers ever received from John Grisham. Inspired by Grisham's own childhood in Arkansas, A Painted House is the story of a young boy named Luke Chandler, whose family is struggling to maintain their modest farm. A Painted House is Grisham's first major work outside the legal thriller genre, and is surprisingly one of his best. A Painted House was adapted into a television movie by CBS for its Hallmark Hall of Fame. It starred Scott Glenn and was directed by Alfonso Arau.