The Pelican Brief

    “The Pelican Brief” is the 3rd novel in the line of Legal/suspense thriller genre by John Grisham, released in 1992. The plot begins with the assassination of two supreme court justices. Justice Rosenberg, a liberal is assassinated outside his posh home and Justice Jensen, a conservative is garroted to death inside a DC porno house to which he is a member. The Oval office, FBI and the general public find no connection between the two murders as the two justices were with different ideologies with Rosenberg approaching his natural death.

    The stories main protagonist, Darby Shaw, a 24 year old student of Tulane Law School, begins her research on the murders, by going through the records in libraries for similarities between the two men. And the only thing in common between the two is Environmentalism. She takes a stab in the dark and relates the case of oil drilling in Louisiana marshlands that is supposed to come to hearing in Supreme court. The marshland is a major habitat of an endangered species of pelican. She names Victor Mattiece, the oil tycoon as the main suspect. Darby believes the judges were eliminated so that the president, who is close to Mattiece can appoint new judges, who can inturn favor the project. She names the report – “The Pelican brief”.

    Darby’s boyfriend and her guide, Thomas Callahan, shows it to his friend, a FBI lawyer Gavin Verheek. Darby is shocked to find herself in mortal danger after the assasination of both the men. She becomes the witness to a murder intended for her. Meanwhile, in the white house, Fletcher Coal, The Chief of Staff, plans a big political and voilent cover-up to the President’s connection to Mattiece, which would be politically damaging. The FBI wants to bring Darby in for protection but she goes on a run to avoid the same fate as her deceased boyfriend. She contacts a young and ambitious journalist, Gray Grantham, who wants to shoot to fame by reporting a scandal bigger than Watergate. Grantham helps Darby in piecing the deadly puzzle.

    The story moves at a fast pace as the plot thickens and is about whether a young law student can expose a big scandal and indict none other than the President of US and a big Oil tycoon for murder of the 2 Judges? Can Darby survive to tell the tale? Can she come back to live her life or is she supposed to live under cover for ever? This is a gripping tale from Grisham. As usual, the author along with the law as main theme, brings in a sub-theme to the story. In this story it is environmentalism. But there is a similarity to the ending as “The Firm“. I would rate it 6/10.