The Guardians
Published October 15th 2019 by Doubleday Books, Hardcover 370 pages
In the small north Florida town of Seabrook, a young lawyer named Keith Russo was shot dead at his desk as he worked late one night. The killer left no clues behind. There were no witnesses, no real suspects, no one with a motive. The police soon settled on Quincy Miller, a young black man who was once a client of Russo’s.Quincy was framed, convicted, and sent to prison for life. For twenty-two years he languished in prison with no lawyer, no advocate on the outside. Then he wrote a letter to Guardian Ministries, a small innocence group founded by a lawyer/minister named Cullen Post.
Guardian handles only a few innocence cases at a time, and Post is its only investigator. He travels the South fighting wrongful convictions and taking cases no one else will touch. With Quincy Miller, though, he gets far more than he bargained for. Powerful, ruthless people murdered Keith Russo, and they do not want Quincy exonerated.
They killed one lawyer twenty-two years ago, and they will kill another one without a second thought.
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
After a few recent novels that failed to live up to Grisham's usual, exacting standard I heard many people pondering whether his time as a master of the legal thriller was over. Well, in The Guardians he replies in a way which will shut the naysayers up pretty damn quickly; here he is back to his barnstorming best, and I will undoubtedly be adding this to my favourite reads of 2019. The plotting is superb, the characters engaging, and the twists and turns plentiful and truly shocking; this is definitely up there with his most accomplished in my opinion. From the first page, I was gripped and ended up devouring it in a mere afternoon. Grisham's storytelling when at its peak is some of the most proficient in the whole of the literary sphere. But this book doesn't just focus on providing us readers with thrills and spills, it also has an emotional aspect to it which was very refreshing.
It centres around a group of lawyers who have turned their hand to investigating miscarriages of justice and are actively working to exonerate those who've become victims of a broken legal/court system. The fact that we are told at the end that this is based on a real-life group made it all the better and temporarily restored my faith in humanity. The story is impeccably structured and extensively researched; the information on miscarriages of justice was spot on, which I appreciated, and our narrator Post's ability to see situations from all perspectives is fascinating. This translates into him being able to understand the sentiments of both the defence and prosecution in the cases featured. If you enjoy legal-based thrillers then you simply can't go wrong; this is Grisham back to his finest and most addictive. Highly recommended.
Rating: really liked it
As a longtime John Grisham fan, I was hopeful that this fictional offspring of the earlier Grisham masterpiece “The Innocent Man” would be a compelling read. Instead, Grisham produced a very biased, unrealistic look into the American judicial system that makes all of the judges, prosecutors and sheriffs in the South look like a cross between Boss Hogg and something out of “Mississippi Burning”. His contempt for the judicial system he used to be a part of is so evident it ruined the book for me. The story follows the work of a group of lawyers/religious organization that work to get innocent people freed from prison. The main character, Cullen Post, comes across as an ambitious, self-righteous lawyer that will do anything to help free the clients he deems as innocent. He lies to witnesses, provides money aka bribes to others in order to get statements that will help free his client all the while railing on all prosecutors and judges as being corrupt. To me this was hypocrisy at its finest. The plot was very predictable and to say that I have read other books with the same type of plot and characters would be an understatement. As a lawyer and prosecutor in the South I can truthfully say that this book might be the most inflammatory, untruthful treatment of the criminal justice system and the people who work to put guilty criminals behind bars that I have ever read. I realize exceptions exist but to indict the whole system based on one corrupt prosecutor or a corrupt sheriff is unfair, unrealistic and undermines the integrity of the entire criminal justice system. Did I mention that I didn’t like this book? Lol
Rating: really liked it
4.5 Stars
I have been very pleased with the last few Grisham releases. They have been decently intricate and felt a lot like some of his early work. He takes what could easily be complicated legal jargon and dumbs it down without making the reader feel stupid. At the same time, the story is interesting and the characters engaging.
For a few books about 5 to 10 years ago, I felt like Grisham was losing his touch. I was having a hard time getting into them and I was reading them as they came out just for the sake of reading them. Now, I am getting back to being excited whenever there is a new release.
The Guardians does have a main storyline, but it also has a few side stories, all based on the docket of a group of lawyers who have given up a glamorous legal life to try and get people who have been wrongly incarcerated out of prison. As a person who gets very frustrated by wrongly accused stories (I get very riled up by the stories in the movies The Fugitive and Double Jeopardy – but, in a good way), I enjoyed the various different ways these lawyers were vindicating the innocent.
I highly recommend this book for Grisham fans and legal thriller fans. I think that there is a lot here to enjoy without getting too bogged down – in other words, a good escapist book for a quick and entertaining read.
Rating: really liked it
In John Grisham’s latest novel, the reader is taken back to the Deep South and into another interesting realm of the legal world; post-conviction appeals. The novel explores the particulars of death row inmates who feel that their innocence has been ignored as the system chewed them up and spat them out. Enter Guardian Ministries, headed up by Cullen Post. A former public defender, Post burnt out from the workload and became an Episcopal priest, after which he used his two vocations in tandem. Post has a bare bones staff in Savannah, Georgia, and six active files that require his help. After standing with one of his clients and being mere hours from an execution, Post is revved up to fight the good fight for any of his clients who might need him. When Quincy Miller writes to Guardian Ministries, the team cannot help but want to help. Accused of the murder of his lawyer, Keith Russo, Miller has sat in jail without a lawyer or advocate for over two decades. A black man in a small Florida community of Seabrook, Miller could not expect justice to find him. Now, with the odds stacked against him, Cullen Post will do all he can. Revisiting witnesses who may have perjured themselves and a prosecutor who sought blood, Post finds new hope for a man who had all but given up. However, there is a killer out there, someone who is surely not keen on having the truth of the Keith Russo murder uncovered. Someone who will stop at nothing to silence Quincy Miller at any cost, even if they use the State of Florida to do it for them. A thought-provoking piece that shows the power of Grisham’s abilities. Recommended to those who love Grisham’s ‘little guy’ legal thrillers, as well as the reader who seeks a well-paced novel about the law and all its flaws.
I’ve seen many people land on both sides of the fence with this one, some loving the latest Grisham thriller, while others call it cliché and blame it on the author’s writing longevity. Both have their points, but I cannot help but seeing what I did and judging it accordingly. The story may not be anything new, but the players and the details are fresh and offer up an insightful look into the legal system and how the scales are not always balanced. Cullen Post serves the role of protagonist well, though he wants no praise for his work. Rather, he seeks answers for his clients, all of whom have reached the end of their proverbial ropes. Post knows the system and how many have been left to languish in prisons until a shiny needle is inserted in their arms, but his compassionate side will not stop him working hard. Able to squeeze his way in to see people with his priestly collar, Post does all he can the entire justice sees the light of day, or at least fight until the bitter end. His backstory is clearly defined in the early chapters and his growth throughout will surely make him a character with whom the reader will have no trouble connecting, given the chance. Others make their imprint on the story and will touch the reader’s heart—should they let it out as they read—with Grisham’s great ability to personalise those who appear on the page. The story creeps along but is also tangentially exciting with all those who play a role in the various plots. The piece itself is one of hope where little exists and exoneration where the game is already determined. Grisham pushes the ‘little guy’ throughout, revealing much about the legal system that does not make the news. Things will not change because of this book, but perhaps a few readers will better understand that which is left to be forgotten and think twice about the law’s ugly underbelly. With a mix of shorter and lengthy chapters, Grisham pulls the reader in from the outset and allows them to see what innocence looks like, even if it is not glamorous.
Kudos, Mr. Grisham, for another winning piece. Some may call it repetitive, but perhaps they are the people who wish to keep their heads in the clouds, or buried deep in the sand.
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Rating: really liked it
Did not finish. Gave up about page 220. I have read and enjoyed most of John Grisham’s books. This was an informative fictional account of a non-profit organization that advocates for and exonerates prisoners who have been wrongly convicted of a crime they did not commit. In Canada, there is Innocence Canada which has helped exonerate 23 innocent people since 1993. In the United States, the Innocence Project has branches in many States. In 2018 alone, 9 innocent people were exonerated in the USA. These 9 wrongly convicted prisoners had spent a combined 215 years in prison and now have their freedom restored. We often see news releases about the prisoners at long last being released, but the hard work of the dedicated and heroic people of organizations such as the Innocence Projects is little known. The use of DNA evidence is a vital part of proving innocence.
This book tells the story of Cullen Post who founded Guardian Ministries. This is a small firm working to prove the innocence of the wrongly convicted. Post is the right man to advocate for his clients. His experience leading him to be selected to defend a very bad man whom he knew to be guilty of a violent, brutal attack caused him to have a nervous breakdown. He is now a minister, as well as a lawyer and works for Guardian Ministries. They only advocate for a small number of clients, working diligently to free the innocent.
Such an unfortunate man is Quincy Miller, a black man who has been languishing in prison for 22 years. He was accused and imprisoned for the shooting to death of a lawyer, Russo, and Quincy has had no advocate on the outside until now.
Post learns that Quincy was certainly framed through a series of lies, missing evidence, and incompetent expert witnesses. It seems Russo’s actual murder involved a powerful criminal gang. Post’s diligence in gathering affidavits from people who lied under pressure at Quincy’s trial, and the forensic testimony from highly skilled expert witnesses which contradicts previous sloppy evidence has put his life in danger. The ruthless criminals will not hesitate to kill Post to cover up past crimes, including their murder of Russo.
I found the book to be informative regarding the number of prisoners who may be innocent, and those working tirelessly to free them. I wanted to like the book and did admire its premise, but found that for me it became slow and tedious rather than a compelling read. I realize there are some highly positive reviews, and prospective readers should not be deterred by my misgivings.
Rating: really liked it
Audiobook... read by Michael Beck....( who was very good)
What happened to the flashlight?
Does it matter? ha!
At times I was on the verge of some serious laughter!!
Other times - I simply enjoyed the goodness and warmth I felt from Cullen Post....a priest, volunteer attorney, and overall likable guy.....
who was committed to freeing a prisoner who was wrongly accused.
The suspense was predictable, but the dialogue & characters kept me engaged.
It was slow in parts -
Yet... as an audiobook... I didn’t mind.
When soaking in a garden warm pool - slow was ok!
Its been years since I read a John Grisham’s book.
Kinda fun!
3.5 ish
Rating: really liked it
A story of injustice done will always move me.
Rating: really liked it
Cullen Post is a lawyer and a preacher, or rather he used to be a preacher but these days his efforts are fully focussed on trying to get innocent people out of prison. He’s based in America’s Deep South and works for a nonprofit organisation. Consequently he earns very little money, works crazy hours and hasn’t had a romantic relationship in quite some time. We follow him as he works on a number of cases, primarily concerning two men imprisoned for murders Post is convinced they didn’t commit.
I’ve found Grisham’s output to be patchy of late, but this one had me hooked early. I really liked Post, he’s earnest and pushy and determined to do everything possible to get results. And fighting bent cops, crooked lawyers and dozy judges he’s really up against it here. I guess I always knew how things were going to turn out but it was still a lot of fun getting there. There’s a couple of decent twists and some excellent courtroom scenes – exactly what you’d expect from Grisham’s good stuff.
In a footnote, the author explains that the the character of Post is based on a real life preacher come lawyer and that the case that is given most space here has its genesis in an actual case, as yet unresolved. That certainly provided a sobering moment. Grisham is back on form here, and when he’s good he tends to be very good. This may not be his very best book but it’s not half bad.
Rating: really liked it
I am sadly in the minority of readers who did not care for this book, which is disappointing because I was excited to read it. However, though Grisham does offer insight into the prison system and the story he outlines is probably and tragically not unrealistic, I just couldn't get into it. Cullen Post is a good man, but he is also such a cliche, and I had trouble really connecting to any of the characters, even as I tried. You can't force these things, and in the end it just wasn't for me. Oh well, glad it resonated with so many readers, but for me it's onward and upward:-)
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Rating: really liked it
John Grisham returns to classic form in
The Guardians and I was not disappointed.
Cullen Post is a former lawyer, turned pastor, turned lawyer again, working in Savannah at a non-profit, Guardian Ministries. The primary case Cullen is working on is for Quincy Miller, a black man tried and convicted of murder of a lawyer, Keith Russo, in a small town in Florida. Quincy has served more than 20 years in prison already but maintains his innocence. Cullen works diligently to investigate how Quincy was framed, why key witnesses in the trial lied, and who is behind this shady setup. The case itself was interesting and I stayed curious throughout the book, eager to learn who was responsible as well as their motives.
It’s been awhile since I read a Grisham book and wasn’t hooked with the last one I read, so it was nice to feel redemption as a reader with
The Guardians. I also think this is a very timely topic as innocent people are, in fact, serving time for crimes they didn’t commit, whether they lack the financial or educational resources to obtain proper assistance with appeals, or advancements in technology often used in investigations today weren’t available to them back during their original trial. It’s truly disappointing, often infuriating, and a reason I’m so supportive of organizations like the Equal Justice Initiative, which works to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment, and to restore rights for those who are wrongly convicted.
Rating: really liked it
This is an “issues” novel about a disillusioned attorney, Cullen Post, who has become an Episcopal priest. Cullen now volunteers as an attorney for a non-profit Innocence project. They are attempting to free a prisoner who was wrongfully convicted.
The book is well written. The plot twists and turns and the characters are interesting. Grisham starts the suspense immediately and continues to build it throughout the story. The book was entertaining as well as informative. It is a quick easy read.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eleven hours and fifty minutes. Michael Beck does a good job narrating the book. He is an actor and audiobook narrator. Beck has narrated a number of John Grisham’s books.
Rating: really liked it
2.5 stars - I really wanted to love this book but the first half felt like I was a wrongly convicted prisoner sentenced to monotony and boredom.
The writing did not feel like a typical Grisham read and it’s simplistic vocabulary had me wondering in places if this was his book. Plot - yes there is a need to set the scene but this one just chugs along at the pace of the judicial system. There are no surprises either in plot or revelations about the system. There is no big twist or complex legal wrangling. The characters are interesting but largely as one would expect for the scenarios that play out.
The most captivating aspect of the read was the author’s note at the back of the book about the relevance of the story and the fact it is based on actual events (absolutely tragic). Overall, not a classic Grisham read.
Rating: really liked it
Oddly enough the best part about this book wasn’t the literary suspense or characters, but rather the fact that it’s loosely (very loosely) based on a real case.
Unlike other Grisham protagonists, I didn’t particularly like our crusading hero, yet you have to respect his dogged devotion to his calling— and yes, I would certainly describe what an innocence attorney does as a calling. Post is a bit too judge-y for my taste.
Grisham does a rather fine job of detailing the mountains of bureaucracy these groups must climb to even make a dent in undoing legal wrongs. I found it both fascinating and depressing. Yet this book isn’t preaching— amidst the good fight going on in this book to free just one innocent man, is the reality than a rather large number of innocent folks remain incarcerated— even with a preponderance of evidence proving they were quite literally given the shaft.
I applaud Grisham but the four star rating isn’t for the story line but for the education. I applaud the real Posts who tirelessly fight for the innocent.
Rating: really liked it
The Guardians is the latest legal thriller by John Grisham focusing on wrongful convictions and the attempts to overturn them. However, as Grisham points out, this book is based on the work of Centurion Ministries founded in 1980 by James McCloskey when he was a divinity student. This is the fictional account of Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal minister, working for Guardian Ministries headquartered in Savannah, Georgia. This foundation is made up of four people, all dedicated to the work of trying to free the innocent.
The plot of
The Guardians centers on prisoner Quincy Miller wrongfully convicted of the brutal killing of a lawyer in the rural area of Seabrook in north Florida twenty-two years ago. There are a lot of twists and turns as they work to exonerate Miller. This was a good book in that it shines light on our justice system. It should also be pointed out that John Grisham is on the Board of Directors of the Innocence Project; its focus to exonerate and free unjustly convicted people on the basis of DNA evidence. This is a cause obviously very important to Grisham.
"Prison is a nightmare for those who deserve it. For those who don't, it is a daily struggle to maintain some level of sanity. For those who suddenly learn that there is proof of their innocence yet remain locked up, the situation is literally maddening."
Rating: really liked it
Civilized people demand retribution, particularly when a crime is heinous. What if an innocent is paying the cost of another's penalty? What about when the guilty remains free?
Seldom do we hear about those who are incarcerated erroneously. Media coverage of the outrageous fills a need for excitement in our otherwise boring and or monotonous lives. We rejoice with enthusiasm when a evil person is justly punished for a murder or financial scheme defrauding others. Yet, we rarely even give thought to those who are doing "hard time" for a crime that they never committed. Our society doesn't discuss the concept of walking in someone else's moccasins anymore. It is increasingly rare for others to rally for another, particularly if they are a stranger, when they suffer tragedy. Of course, we will send money or food to those surviving horrible earthquakes, hurricanes or flooding but to actually get out of our comfort zone and put forth physical effort it is not on our agenda.
I commend John Grisham for tackling this question. His story is detailed and based on some actual accounts. Told from the perspective of co-founder of a non-profit organization, who is both an attorney, also a minister, advocating for those wrongfully convicted of serious crime, this story examines two men in just such circumstances. We see the process that is entailed both through an appeals process and in revisiting the evidence used to convict the injured inmate. These details while simplified to allow the story to flow without all the detailed processes involved are illuminating to the reader of just how much work is involved to free even those, who were obviously targeted or faultily prosecuted. A key component involved in appeals process means that attorney's must provide new evidence that was not available (or presented) during the trial convicting the innocent victim. This may seem like a modest challenge but when the case is cold and key person's are no longer available (be it that they are dead or have a reason not to want to become the focus of the public attention a second time, or perhaps the error will jeopardize their career), there can be many barriers to justice. Add to this, the fact that sometimes there is an unknown agenda that motivated law enforcement, judges, prosecuting attorneys to focus on the innocent individual as opposed to prosecuting the guilty party and there is often a dangerous element to revisiting a case.
As I read this book, I wavered in my appreciation. As some reviewers have pointed out this book is an issues book, but isn't that true of much fiction? There is nothing wrong in that in my opinion. Yes, the book "tells" a bit more than "shows us", which made it a bit dry. However, I think the author was trying to remain true to reality and educate us about how the system really works, though interesting, not exactly "thriller" material. Grisham balances this as much as possible with an intriguing back story to one of the two crimes, which unfolds in this 18 mo. period. I suspect there was extensive editing as this book was very readable. Anyone else trying to accomplishing this would have fallen flat on their face, the result to bland to tolerate by most!
I have long been a fan of Centurion Ministries, which has been improving the lives of many since it's inception in 1983.
In their own words, "Centurion is the first organization in the world to investigate cases of unjust convictions. To date, Centurion has freed 61 innocent men and women throughout the US and Canada. Centurion undertakes the most difficult cases which often lack a DNA aspect and thus require thorough field investigations. Centurion's investigators travel to the crime scene, locate witnesses, convince reluctant witnesses to come forward, search court records, and interview everyone who previously testified. Centurion often discovers evidence that was intentionally hidden from the defense, learns that witnesses were coerced or manipulated, and unearths forensic evidence that was not previously discovered. Centurion receives over 1500 requests a year and works on 20-25 cases at any given time."
It is critical not to look just at those 61 people freed. They are parents, siblings, children and spouses to many other persons. Many lives are impacted in judgments against those wrongfully accused. I say this as a person, who is doesn't have a problem with Capital Punishment, when the person is a serial killer (Ted Bundy as one example). I do have a problem, when there is some question to the conviction. With that in mind, I have been a supporter of Centurion Ministries for more than 15 years. I admire these individuals, who have chosen to forsake more lucrative careers to serve those who will never be able to repay the costs involved in setting them free, currently that cost is around $300K per individual! More ridiculous is the "Prison" Industry that runs prisons for profit. These companies are paid more than $60K tax payer dollars per year to care and feed prisoner's in despicable conditions. While many are outraged with the cost (and they should be!), many say these conditions are far worse than government run prisons. Meanwhile, children in America go hungry and elderly make so little on their pensions (if theirs hasn't gone bankrupt yet) and social security that many only get one meal a day.
Frankly, I am okay with those who don't want to read this story because it is "to real to life". This just reinforces my personal views of the American Justice System, which in a word is appalling. I think the more appropriate term is the Victim Injustice System...
This book has enough fiction to make it interesting and a compelling story for many.
