The King of Torts

A Novel

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Michael Beck

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A public defender stumbles upon a case that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams—if it doesn’t kill him first—in this “rousing . . . pedal-to-the-metal crowd-pleaser” (People).

The Office of the Public Defender is not known as a training ground for bright young litigators. Clay Carter has been there too long and, like most of his colleagues, dreams of a better job in a real firm. When he reluctantly takes the case of a young man charged with a random street killing, he assumes it is just another of the many senseless murders that hit D.C. every week.

As he digs into the background of his client, Clay gets wrapped up in a conspiracy too horrible to believe. He suddenly finds himself in the middle of a complex case against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, looking at the kind of enormous settlement that would totally change his life—that would make him, almost overnight, the legal profession’s newest king of torts.

Critic reviews

“A great read.”—The Washington Post

“Satisfying . . . a lot of fun . . . When you finish it, you’re ready to dash on to the next Grisham.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Offers everything one expects from Grisham . . . delivers with a vengeance.”—The Seattle Times

“Grisham offers a thrill ride of twists and turns, but the complexity of Clay’s character lends a sense of realism to this novel, changing its status from merely a good read to a great one.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Grisham continues to impress . . . powerful and gripping.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“In The King of Torts, both justice and the reader are well served.’’—New York Daily News

Excellent Book - Excellent Reader!

Wow! This is my 3rd Grisham book, and it was hard to put this one down. The story line is very compelling and it should unsettle us greatly if stories like this are even close to being true!

In contrast with some of the other reviewers, I thought the characters were developed well and the book was balanced in terms of "action" and character development. I did not find the ending to be a letdown, but it was somewhat different than I expected (which can point to an author not being too predictable).

On top of being a great book, the reader was absolutely excellent - probably one of the best 10 audiobooks I've read as far as the narrator goes. He does a great job of doing dialects (deep south, African-American, Russian, etc..). The characters really seemed more "real", the way he read them.

No complaints from me here - well worth the time and money!

Another John Grisham

Grisham does it again - another great book for the fans of the law mystery. Holds your interest thoughout the story, makes you feel how hard the decisions to be made are. Left me with a "What would I do" question in my head.

Good Book

enjoyed hearing this one. It was my first audible book.

Really good

One of the first audio books I listened to. While definitely a league thriller, you didn't have to have any legal background to understand and enjoy the story. Explanations are given but not in a condescending way. It also gives you an insight into class action lawsuits and you'll never see a commercial or ad looking for participants in the same way. It's all about the lawyer fees.

Grisham scores again

Would you consider the audio edition of The King of Torts to be better than the print version?

Great listen on the way to and from work.

What did you like best about this story?

The fact you didn't know what was going to happen until it did.

What does Michael Beck bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Michael Beck brings characters to life.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When his former 'staff' helped him and Rebecca.