Sycamore Row book review

Seth Hubbard is a wealthy man dying of lung cancer. He trusts no one. Before he hangs himself from a sycamore tree, Hubbard leaves a new, handwritten, will. It is an act that drags his adult children, his black maid, and Jake into a conflict as riveting and dramatic as the murder trial that made Brigance one of Ford County's most notorious citizens, just three years earlier. The second will raises far more questions than it answers. Why would Hubbard leave nearly all of his fortune to his maid? Had chemotherapy and painkillers affected his ability to think clearly? And what does it all have to do with a piece of land once known as Sycamore Row?

Sycamore Row is the second book to feature Jake Brigance and the other lawyers featured in A Time to Kill. They have this pinned as being the second in a series but I definitely think that this could be read as a standalone novel, and I’m not sure whether that affected my reading of it or not. I would have loved for there to have been a little more crossover, such as seeing Carl Lee in this one and finding out what he was up to nowadays. I was interested in this story but it didn’t hold the same appeal that A Time to Kill did and I thought that there was definitely some urgency missing in this story that was more prevalent in A Time to Kill which I missed.

I think, well I am hoping that it’s a running trait in John Grisham book that the characters are really the driving force in all of his books. Sycamore Row was no exception to this, the characters are rich and diverse with some really great moments where we learn way more about the county than we did in A Time to Kill. I loved Lettie and her surprise involvement in the Will, and I really felt for her all the way through. I think this is my favourite part of John Grisham books, the characters, they always seem to be well rounded and really rich, you really begin to feel for them. I found myself choosing the characters I wanted to root for and which ones I instantly disliked. They made this book a great read!

Apart from the obvious love for the characters I have to say the best bit of Sycamore Row would have to be the ending. I felt the same with A Time to Kill, this ending had my heart in my throat and I knew exactly what I wanted to happen. I was a little surprised with how it all ended up happening but actually, it was probably the most realistic ending which I really appreciated. A big surprise for me was that I ended up liking Jake a lot more in this book than I did A Time to Kill, he came across a lot better and he was a better character all the way through this one.

I think the only worst bit in Sycamore Row would have to be the fact that there is a little bit more filler content in this one and I felt as though the stakes weren’t as high. All in all, it didn’t affect my reading of the book but I did miss the extra drama and suspense that was in A Time to Kill.

I definitely would recommend Sycamore Row, I loved the characters and I think that this is a great addition to the story of Ford County. I will certainly be reading some more of John Grisham’s work in the future and fingers crossed I love those just as much!

Have you read any of the John Grisham books? Which ones are your favourites? Which ones should I jump into next? Let me know in the comments.