Where To Start
You’ve just read The French Illusion, or you watched my review, and now you’re wondering what to read next. John Grisham has written dozens of novels, so let’s make a map. I’ll start with the new book, then the books closest to it, and then my picks if you want to try something different.
The French Illusion Itself
The French Illusion came out in September twenty twenty-six from Doubleday. It’s about three hundred fifty pages, and the audiobook is narrated by Michael Beck. Penguin Random House lists it as the start of a new series, though the book itself works fine on its own.
The Prequel
There is one extra piece. A short e-book called The Law Student arrived a few weeks before the novel, and it is a backstory for the lawyer Stuart Nash. Read it before or after. It’s short, and it adds a bit of context.
A Different Grisham
Grisham himself has said that this is his first real try at international espionage. He names John le Carré, Ken Follett, Robert Ludlum, and Len Deighton as writers he admires. So the best way to enjoy the book is to treat it as an experiment.
If You Liked The Chase
If it was the thriller pace that you liked, there are a few classic Grisham books to try. The Firm is the one that made him a household name. A young lawyer joins a perfect firm that is hiding a dark secret. The Pelican Brief follows a law student who guesses who murdered two Supreme Court justices. And The Client is about a boy who knows too much.
All three are fast, and all three have conspiracies that reach into government.
If You Liked The Spy Angle
The book closest to The French Illusion is The Broker. A powerful Washington lawyer is pardoned in the last days of a presidency and hidden in Italy for his own safety. Then the intelligence agencies of several countries start to hunt for him. It’s less brutal than The French Illusion, but it has the same sense of governments playing games.
If You Liked The Courtroom Side
For pure courtroom drama, start with A Time to Kill, Grisham’s first novel. A white lawyer in Mississippi defends a Black father who killed the men who attacked his daughter. Its sequels, Sycamore Row and A Time for Mercy, follow the same lawyer, Jake Brigance.
The Runaway Jury is another favorite, about a jury and the tobacco industry.
If You Liked The Moral Questions
If you want a book that digs at the justice system itself, try The Innocent Man. It’s Grisham’s only nonfiction book, and it tells the story of a wrongfully convicted man in Oklahoma. Another is The Confession, about a man on death row and the person who knows he is innocent.
If You Want Something Lighter
Not every Grisham book is dark. Camino Island is a heist story about stolen manuscripts, set among writers on a Florida island. Skipping Christmas is a comedy about a couple who try to skip the holiday. And Calico Joe is a short, gentle baseball novel.
If You Want To Try Other Authors
If the spy angle appealed to you, go to the writers Grisham named. John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is the classic. Ken Follett’s Eye of the Needle is a tight World War Two thriller. And Len Deighton’s The Ipcress File is a great place to start.
My Reading Order
So here is my order. If you want more of the same, read The Law Student, then The Broker. If you want classic Grisham, begin with The Firm. If you want the heart, read A Time to Kill. And if you want the best of the spy tradition, pick up le Carré.
Let me know in the comments which one you pick, and whether you’d like me to review it.
