The Pelican Brief

by John Grisham

John Grisham's head was full of movies when he wrote The Pelican Brief, which is such a brisk page-turner you could use it to dry your hair. He had Julia Roberts in mind for the heroine, Darby Shaw, a brilliant Tulane law student who comes up with an ingenious theory to explain the baffling assassinations of two Supreme Court justices in one day. They were shot and strangled by ace international terrorist Khamel, who loves the film Three Days of the Condor, but government gumshoes don't get what connects the deaths. Silly government guys! They died so the conservative president, who just wants to be left alone to play golf, will appoint new, conservative justices who will help out a case involving an industrialist who is the enemy of pelicans and other living things. It's all spelled out for them in Darby's brief. She likes to do legal feats to impress her boyfriend, her boyish law prof Thomas (who, like Grisham, prefers to shave at most once a week, and is cool, smart, and antiauthoritarian). The prof likes to paint her toes red, in homage to Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham. (Sarandon also starred in the film version of Grisham's The Client.)

But when Thomas gets splattered by a car bomb meant for Darby, she escapes the hospital and hooks up with a Washington Post reporter, Gray Grantham, who sleuths like the guys in All the President's Men.

Grisham wishes he hadn't written The Pelican Brief quite so quickly (his first novel, A Time to Kill, went through dozens of drafts), but Pelican's very breathlessness contributes to its dreamy, cinematic chase-o-rama atmosphere.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Legal Thriller, Mystery Thriller

371 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 1992

About the author

John Grisham is the author of more than fifty consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include Framed, Camino Ghosts and The Exchange: After the Firm.

Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.

When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.

John lives on a farm in central Virginia.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of the American Supreme Court are murdered on the same night! The list of potential suspects is endless, but when the brilliant (and beautiful) law student Darby Shaw shares her detailed speculative 'Pelican Brief' with her lecturer lover who shares it with his FBI connections, her entire life is blown apart... literally! Darby can't trust anyone, her people, the cops, the federal authorities, the media, because her brief pointed a finger at Washington!

Despite almost the entire male cast lusting over Darby, this a work ahead of its time with a woman lead in a mostly man's world having the smarts and instincts to stay alive and eventually maybe have her say. A gripping and compelling game of cat and mouse, that is that more absorbing because it has multiple points of view including those of the assassin and the White House. These earlier Grisham books... I can see why they made his career! An 8 out of 12 Four Star read.

2024 read

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book I read long ago that I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.

What can I say in one or two words or more?

Gripping. Compelling. Suspenseful legal thriller.

Did you read this before the movie? I hope so. Yes, the movie with Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts was lovely (okay, probably exciting), but, the book, was by far much, much better.

This one baits you and then lures you in.

So many intricate ins and outs to it that it was hard to put down.

Can we even imagine the murders of Supreme Court justices? Why did it happen? What decision is coming before the court, that has someone so nervous that they would feel the need to eliminate/murder Supreme Court justices? Or a constitutional-law professor?

What can a Washington Post reporter discover from the lover/student of the professor who was murdered?

So much to unravel here. Worth your time, I believe.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked at a law firm where part of the movie was filmed. When Julia Roberts's character goes into a law firm to ask for a particular lawyer only to find out that he no longer works there and she leaves, that is my old firm. It is an ornate marble lobby with a small stream of water in the middle of the lobby. She goes through a glass door and can either go up an escalator or up some stairs to the reception desk, which overlooks the lobby. The walls are all glass and she can see across the floor into the conference room where the receptionist goes. I had just interviewed there before I saw the movie and was having major deja vu while watching the movie.

[Paul E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third time I've read this. The last was ten years ago (the first 1992). So I obviously have liked it. But today it feels almost antiquated in its mentality and character attitude. I still think It's a good suspense legal thriller but with some porous character choices for 2020. Probably not for 1992. AND: For some reason I dont believe the characters "love" interest in the end. It just doesnt fit with the "Strong female character"that was created. It starts to reek of the damsel in distress stock character. I think 'Darby' would have gone off on her own. It would have made a much better character choice. More exciting and dangerous and independent, leaving any romantic connection (if so inclined) to the imagination.

A 5 star novel in 1992
A 4 star novel in 2020
;-)

[Piyangie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a superb read. It is well plotted and developed. I really loved the character of Darby Shaw, a young, brave, brilliant minded law student. This was the first time I came across a female lead in a John Grisham Novel. The story is a quick page turner with heart racing action and suspense. I felt that I was with Darby Shaw every step of the way. I felt her pain, her anger, her frustration and shared her determination to bring on justice.

Being in the legal field myself, I always admired his ability to show the negative side of justice and the manipulative hand the politicians have over the justice system. To that end, the Pelican Brief is the best I have read. Grisham is a genius in creating such realistic characters in his books which make us readers so connected with them. His characters have always been felt so close to our hearts and Darby Shaw is no exception.

I really like this story and the characters. The reading was extremely pleasant, enjoyable and satisfying. Anyone who is interested in action, suspense with a legal surrounding must surely check this out.

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it years ago, remember I liked it, entertaining read. I used to like reading Grisham's books, maybe I'll try a new one soon, sort of lost track of all the books he wrote in the past years.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stand alone by John Grisham published in 1993

John Grisham doesn’t always get it right but on this occasion he most definitely did.

Darby Shaw, a young law student with a promising future ahead of her, was shocked, like the rest of the legal profession, to her core when she heard of the assassination of two Supreme Court judges.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the assassinations’. The local police, the FBI and the CIA are all involved in the hunt for the killer but are getting nowhere.
Darby decided to test herself by putting her considerable intellect to the task of finding an answer. What she comes up with is considered interesting but implausible. What Darby didn’t know was that she had just scratched a pimple that is now turning septic.
Darby soon realised that her brief was a lot more than a hypothetical when people she loved and cared about start dying.

What follows is a classic cat and mouse thriller. The bad guys want Darby dead and Darby, alone and friendless, is running for her life.
Not sure of whom she can trust but realising that she needs help and lots of it puts her faith in Gray Grantham, a reporter from the Washington Post, who is one of the few people who really believes that Darby is in grave danger.

Surprisingly, there’s lot of lawyers but not a courtroom in sight.

This is a by the seat of your pants thriller the tension just keeps mounting and mounting.

A great 4 star read.

[Kiersten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a lot more suspenseful and entertaining than I thought it would be. I don't know why I thought it would be so boring, since John Grisham is so popular. It was incredibly suspenseful at parts. It was the first book I'd read by Grisham, so I really didn't know what was coming. I had three problems with it: 1) Although, like I said, the book as a whole was really suspenseful, I thought the end was a bit anticlimatic. 2) The environmentalism was a bit heavy handed. I'm all about preserving the environment, but I don't like being hit over the head by it. Darby could get a bit preachy at times. 3) I didn't think that Darby was a very good characterization. She didn't feel real. Towards the end she said something like, "It's not fair; we used my brains, looks, and legs, and you get all the glory." Despite whatever Grisham's fantasies may be, women do not talk like that, nor do they obsess over their legs and toenails as much as Darby did, and if they do, everyone hates them. But all in all it was a great book.

[Tina Suraj · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first Grisham novel and probably my last. The book was much too formulaic and a bit dull (not for an avid mystery reader and an adrenaline junkie)though at certain points it was a fast page turner. The plot was really weak. Maybe this environmental conspiracy plot was breakthrough in the 90s but in 2010, it's a tad bit overused and overdone. What made this book unbearable was Grisham characterization of Darby. She is the generic 90s heroine...extremely smart, absolutely stunning, with a spunky attitude with zero faults...making her unrelatable. And her romance with Callahan and Grantham was oh-so-predicatable. Apparently, for Grisham, damsel in distress always needs to be attached to a white knight.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come on, Director. In two hundred and twenty years, we've assassinated four Presidents, two or three candidates, a handful of civil rights leaders, couple of governors, but never a Supreme Court Justice. And now, in one night, within two hours, two are assassinated. And you're not convinced they're related? (PG 26)

That quote above is why I even read political thrillers. They tend to say things that we think but are too scared to actually think about. This was good but it also had lots of cheesy moments with the main character. Of course, she had to be a hot law student that everyone drooled over.

Overall, it was enjoyable and not overly long. Grisham shows us how the law tends to work for the rich, the laws apply differently to everyone, and the ones who try to uncover the truth end up in their own body bag. There's so much to say about politics and real journalism but that would involve my opinion no one cares about and probably writing a book instead of a book review.

No Pelicans were harmed in the novel. Actually, there were no Pelicans at all. They were just used to try and win a case by those mosquitoes with briefcases (The Bee Movie> LOL)

[Mahdi Lotfi · Rating 2 out of 5]

پرونده پلیکان یک رمان هیجان انگیز قانونی است که توسط نویسنده آمریکایی جان گریشام در سال 1992 نوشته شده است. این رمان سومین رمان گریشام بعد از “زمان قتل” و “شرکت” است.
خبر شک برانگیزی که دو تن از دیوان عالی کشور به طور فجیهی به قتل رسیده اند هر دوی کاخ سفید و FBI را مخدوش کرده است. رئیس جمهور، یک جمهوری خواه محافظ کار، احساس میکند که ممکن است یک ارتباط سیاسی در اجرای او بوده که ممکن است به امر انتخاب دوباره او لطمه بزند. و او جواب میخواهد. اما FBI برای ایجاد انگیزه یا رسیدن به لیست معتبری از مضنون ها شکست میخورد. در این حال نیو اورلین، داربی شاو, یک دانش آموز حقوق تولان، زمان قتل ها و مضنون ها را زمان بندی میکند که ممکن است یک توطئه برای جمع کردن دادگاه با محافظ کارها باشد. چه چیزی آشفته میکند، با این وجود اینگونه قتل های دیوان متفاوت بودند. یکی لیبرال دیوان دادگاه نود ساله بود و دیگری دیوان محافظ کار جوان بود.
بعد از مرور صدها کیس که برای شنیدن در دادگاه برنامه ریزی شده بودند، او در نهایت یک مورد را که ممکن است که شامل یک مسئله فرار کافی برای نتیجه گیری در کشتار باشد را کشف کرد. دربی خلاصه ای بر اساس تحقیقاتش اینکه رابطه تعجب برانگیز بین دو قتل دیوان را آشکار میکند را مینویسد.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing for a Grisham book, but still enough to keep me hanging on.

From the get-go, I was kind of bored. It went straight into politics which is possibly my least favourite subject ever to read about so it really got me on the wrong foot.

There's a double murder to get things rolling, but beyond the murders themselves it was actually so mundane to read about. The number of agents, lawyers, politicians etc getting involved was ridiculous and there was no way I could actually keep track of who was who.

The story centres around a law student who writes a brief outlining a left-field suspect for the murders, and after word about it reaches the FBI, people start dying.

It SOUNDED like it was going to be intense but there was just way too much politicking for me.

The length of time it took to tell the story was unnecessary - this would have been more effective as a novella with less names.

There were some really cool moments, though, and every time I thought I was just about done with it, something crazy happened and I was drawn back in again.

Real mixed feelings, I guess. My lasting impression was that it was too long and kinda boring in parts, but with enough drama to help me push through.

[Elyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll begin by saying that I used to love John Grisham's books. I read four or five, started to get a little tired of the same old plot line, and by the time I got to this book, my tenth or eleventh Grisham book, I was just thoroughly annoyed.

Grisham has good plots, that can't be denied. But the plot doesn't begin until somewhere between pages 150 and 200. And it's always a variation of the same story: a man is in trouble, a gorgeous, seductive woman needs saving, and so the man saves both himself and the woman, the bad guys get their comeuppance, and the two improbable lovebirds live happily ever after, 600 repetitive pages later.

I find John Grisham's books to be sexist. I'll just say it. I know it won't make me popular, but there it is. His female characters are all outrageously sexual, earth-shatteringly beautiful, and lusting after the main male character with a Romeo-and-Juliet intensity. The male is always the main character, he always has to protect the woman, and he's always imperfect. Cheats on his wife, alcohol addict, greedy, sleazy, or possessing some other deep character flaw. But the goddesses Grisham creates still want these men, who in turn seem to treat them as objects. The women always flirt relentlessly, seem to have a peculiar aversion to bras, and are also helpless in some way.

It's the same thing with this book. Gorgeous, unbelievably attractive law student, who also happens to be a hard-working genius, is sleeping with her fifty-something college professor. But he's not using her, he's in love with her. And she's in love with him right back. But when he kicks the bucket, she meets a thirty-something reporter who falls in love with her before he even meets her, just by seeing her picture, and guess what? She's cool with that. Goes right ahead and sleeps with him, too, because apparently that's how John Grisham thinks women act.

I'll just end this review by saying that I won't be reading any more Grisham books, and that I think he should write realistic, independent women into his future novels, and drop his offensive, sexist portrayals of women.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when it came out and I was a restless teenager. I never saw the movie. I only gave it three stars because I remember it being exciting but still considered it pulp fiction. Perhaps the topic of assassinated Supreme Court justices over environmentalism will become a more relevant topic soon and it merits a re-read? Or not.

[Jonathan K (Max Outlier) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great Grisham stories, its engaging, evocative and fast paced. The author's expertise in the legal realm pushes the boundaries of this story. It's difficult not to enjoy his work if for no other reason than reader engagement. That said, this is on par with "The Firm" and others affording it appeal across all genres.

[Spook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbelievable characters and for a thriller the novel was quite tedious.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was a freshman in high school. I was looking for a book to read for a book report in my English class and the librarian suggested that I read The Pelican Brief. I read it and the rest is history. 15 years and 36 books later, I'm still reading Grisham's books. He is my favorite author and it all started with this novel.

[آبتین گلکار · Rating 3 out of 5]

کشش و هیجانش خوب بود، ولی واقعاً بعد از تموم شدن کتاب اگه از خودم بپرسم چی داد بهم خوندن این کتاب، جوابی پیدا نمی‌کنم جز وقت‌گذرانی صرف. که البته کسی هم که می‌ره سراغ جان گریشام، قاعدتاً نباید انتظار خیلی بیشتری داشته باشه. حیف که جذاب‌ترین شخصیت کتاب همون مقتوله و اول کار کشته می‌شه

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot sounded interesting but I ended up feeling rather bored by it as it didn't grab me enough. It was OK but not really my thing. But it was still well written

[Emma Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was so intrigued by this plot, the story had me engaged throughout and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend if you’re a fan of John Grisham’s work!

[Dean Ryan Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too stupid of me to not finish this book. I was college then. What. Was. I. Thinking.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel helped cement Grisham firmly on the NYT's bestseller lists and was quickly turned into a blockbuster movie. Published 30 years ago, does it still captivate? Well, yes and no. This is a 'big picture' thriller, with characters ranging from the head of the FBI and CIA, the POTUS, investigative journalists and law professors. The story kicks off when two Supreme Court Justices are assassinated in D.C.; one an old liberal holdover (kinda like RBG) and a somewhat flaky middle aged man. Why take out two justices? That is the driving question of the novel.

While the D.C. events are happening, Grisham switches to law school in New Orleans and focuses upon a law prof-- Callahan-- and his star student/lover Darby. Callahan loved the old liberal Justice that got offed and goes on a drunk. Darby, however, is curious. Why take out these two judges? Is there perhaps some case due to go the Supreme Court that someone wants different judges to sit on? Probing that, she comes up with the Pelican Brief; a hypothesis that concerns a long-term lawsuit whose principles may be just crazy enough to off some Justices. Through a rather circumventionist route, the Brief makes its way to D.C. and even the FBI. Well, long story short, Callahan shortly thereafter eats a car bomb and Darby goes on the run...

Grisham pithy dialogue and fast pacing really moves this one along nicely, as any decent thriller should. Yes, he keeps you guessing for some time regarding the people behind the Brief, and also explores some nasty behind the door politics among the white house, the FBI and the CIA. Good stuff all around. While thrillers never tend to age well, the politics depicted here have-- money in politics, conservatives wanting to abolish abortion (yeah😢) and get rid of environmental standards-- sound familiar? What has not aged well are the characters. Callahan is a drunken buffoon and why Darby is attracted to him is rather inexplicable. Further, what is a law professor doing sleeping with his students? Via various dialogue by-play, this is an established pattern. Can you say Title IX?

Darby, despite her attraction to flawed older men is a fun character, however, even though just about every male she encounters thinks of her only with bedroom eyes. Yeah, this is 1992, but jeez! I though the ending was rather anti-climatic, but so it goes. I read this years ago and liked it enough to keep, but really, this is great example of an airport thriller-- easy reading and easy to forget about. 3 stars!!

[Carmun · Rating 3 out of 5]

¡Esta bastante bien! Aunque me esperaba un final un poco más impactante.

[Tim Ruesch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally eat a clean diet. But yesterday, we celebrated my son’s 27th birthday and he requested cheesecake for dessert. Wow, did I enjoy that New York Style cheesecake? Reading the Pelican Brief was like my indulgence in that highly processed delightfully sweet after dinner treat. John Grisham is an excellent writer. He knows how to pace a story and grab your attention with the plot. Even though I saw the movie years ago, I was flipping pages faster than my usual speed. The premise and tension were enjoyable. However, the reader will not come away from the Brief with a changed worldview or a challenge to be a better person. Like my cheesecake yesterday, it was great, but I didn’t think about it afterward except to write this review.

[Whitney · Rating 1 out of 5]

i had read a less well-known grisham book, and was pretty disappointed, so i decided to read this one, which is supposedly one of his best. terrible ending, tedious story for the most part. if you can read quickly you might not think you're wasting your time on this book.

[Alex Cantone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1992 and made into a movie a year later, Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington cast in the main roles, The Pelican Brief is billed as a legal thriller. The Supreme Court of the US is/was presided over by nine aging Chief Justices, appointed for life – at the time all male, white, with a closet gay thrown into the mix, which suits the Republican Administration. A presidential benefactor with deep pockets, fearing for the outcome of a Supreme Court ruling if the democrats win the next election, pays an assassin to take out a couple of the justices, to have in place a court likely to find in his favour.

Washington Post journalist Gray Grantham is approached by a lawyer named “Garcia”, claiming to have some startling evidence on the assassinations, while in New Orleans, legal student Darby Shaw, in a relationship with law professor, Thomas Callahan, investigates which cases are likely to tipped upwards to the Supreme Court in the next few years, and hits upon one with links to the president. She writes the Pelican Brief – an environmental tussle in Louisiana, where wetlands are drained for oil and gas exploration, the waters polluted by DDT which is destroying the local population of brown pelicans. Callahan hands it to a friend from back in law school, Gavin Verheek, now a lawyer with the FBI in Washington.

When her boyfriend is killed in a car bomb, also meant for her, Darby goes to ground, contacting Verheek, who flies to New Orleans to search for her. Verheek is taken out and Darby narrowly escapes a second time, fleeing to New York, for a reason I never really understood. Eventually, student lawyer and journo team up, on what is billed as the biggest story to break since Watergate.

The movie was a box office success, though critics claimed it was overlong, as was the book. With the assassin despatched early in the piece, there seemed to be enough lawyers on board to sink a battleship. For me, this is where it lost traction and got bogged down in an animal rights/ environmental message. (It may have been true back then and legislation tightened since. I hope so, though I have never been mistaken for a tree-hugger.)

The story winds on, with our pair disappearing down rabbit holes and emerging with proof of who is behind the killings - despite denials from the President’s Chief-of-Staff, Fletcher Cole (an admiral villain). Various characters put in cameo appearances for no apparent reason – Eric East of the FBI and Edwin Sneller (presumably) CIA, but the shady ex-CIA/former marine in Cole’s pay, did not make it in the movie, nor the oil industrialist behind it all.

Overall, disappointing.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spellbinding and satisfying. What a fun novel.

[Update: better than the movie.]

[David Lucero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book shortly after watching the movie and was not disappointed. In fact, the film follows the book closely.

A university student writes a story on the possibility of a connection between an oil tycoon and the White House in relations to the deaths of two supreme court justices. Although her brief is for a school subject, it hits close to home and the young student soon finds herself running for her life as assassins aim to gun her down and silence her brief.

This is fast-paced and suspenseful. A definite page-turner and one of Grisham's best!

David Lucero, author

[Andre Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book actually had me sweating at certain parts. Such fantastic suspense and drama. The last quarter of the book flew by because I simply couldn't put it down!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

2017:
I found great pleasure in this book. Grisham wove an outstanding, well researched plot. His characters move forward into the plot with three dimensions shaping with each word and act. I couldn’t put the book down. Grisham blesses me, and gives me what I nee, in the sense of a mini-vacation from reality. The power of this book, for me, came through the characters, and the outstanding dialogue.

If you haven’t seen the movie or read it: A Law student writes a report on the killings of two Supreme Court Justices, and when the report gets into the hands of reporters and gets passed along, she nearly dies in the explosion which kills her boyfriend, a law professor. She goes into hiding as killers seek her out, and she chooses who she can and can’t trust. The plot unfolds near the end, explaining the brief, and a rich antagonist with mob-like power, tied to government officials.

I plan to read more of Grisham, and more in this genre.

2025:
Still awesome.