The Last Juror

The Last Juror (2004), a crime thriller is John Grisham’s seventeenth novel. It shares a setting and several characters with Grisham’s first novel, A Time to Kill.

The book is narrated by Willie Traynor, a recent college dropout who has just started a job at the local paper in the small fictional town of Clanton, Mississippi. Though Willie has recently been forced to admit to himself that he will never be the star reporter he once dreamed of being, a financial opportunity soon presents itself. The paper Willie works for goes bankrupt, and with a loan from his wealthy grandmother, Willy buys it so he can run it himself.

Shortly after he becomes the editor, Willie learns of the brutal rape and murder of a young widow in town. Before she died, Rhoda Kassellaw accused Danny Padgitt, the son of a local bootlegging and crime family. Willy hurries to cover the story, printing a photo of Danny covered in blood shortly after his arrest. When the case goes to trial, Danny’s defense attorney Lucien Wilbanks accuses Willie of sensationalizing the case and moves for a change of venue based on Willie’s coverage. However, the judge rules that Willie’s paper has done nothing wrong.



As he continues to cover the case, Willie sees subscriptions to his paper grow. However, he also becomes a target for threats and intimidation. Willie buys a gun to defend himself and continues to print stories about Danny. In addition, Willie also begins a series of interviews with a local prominent African-American family, the Ruffins, about whom he is interested in writing a story. When he publishes his profile of the Ruffins, the African-American community applauds Willie, though some of the white staff on his paper are uncomfortable with the material.

Meanwhile, jury selection begins for Danny’s trial. Since Danny is a member of a wealthy and unscrupulous family, there is concern that his family will try to bribe the jury. Callie Ruffin, the matriarch of the family Willie recently interviewed, is selected to be the first African-American to serve on a jury in Clanton. Opposed to the death penalty, Callie doesn’t want to serve on a jury where the possible outcome may be a death sentence; however, also dedicated to the civil rights struggle, she feels it is her duty to serve on the jury.

Danny is soon convicted of rape and murder, largely due to the testimony of a single witness who discredits Danny’s alibi. Before the jury can pass sentence, Danny threatens to have all of them killed. Shocked, the jury ultimately decides to sentence Danny to life in prison rather than give him the death penalty.



From inside prison, Danny begins to enact revenge. First, the witness who ensured his conviction is killed. The murder takes place in a different county, and the Sheriff elects not to pursue the case because he does not want to risk angering the Padgitt family.

Some years pass without incident. Willie’s paper becomes a major force in the community. Willie continues to keep an eye on Danny, and blocks his first attempt at parole. However, during his second parole hearing, Danny is released after having served nine years of his sentence. Shortly after his release, two of the original jurors are killed by a sniper.

Danny’s involvement in the killings can’t be proven, but many of the surviving jurors are frightened. The black community rallies around Callie to protect her. A third juror narrowly escapes death, and Callie mentions to Danny that the jurors being targeted are the ones who opposed the death sentence for Danny.



After the third attempted murder, Danny is arrested. During his bail hearing, he is shot by a sniper hiding in the rafters who later commits suicide. The killer is Hank Hooten, one of the prosecutors on the original case who was also the lover of Rhoda Kassellaw. Hank had been biding his time until Danny’s release in order to exact his revenge on the killer and the people who did not advocate for the death penalty.

Willie investigates Hank and finds out that he was placed in a mental hospital after the trial. Hank was obsessed with Rhoda’s murder because he was in love with her. Willie eventually discovers that, though Danny did murder Rhoda, Hank was responsible for all of the later murders.

Willie publishes his findings and they become the last big cover story for his paper. Shortly afterward, a large national newspaper chain expresses interest in buying the paper. Willie sells the paper for a large sum. Soon after, he learns that Callie has died of a heart attack. Willie’s last act as editor is to write her obituary.