The plot is set in Biloxi, Mississippi in the mid-1990s, and is yet another lawsuit against the tobacco companies. The industry has already weathered 16 lawsuits of this nature and has won them all, but just one verdict for the plaintiff would open the floodgates to a sea of litigation. The lawyer for the plaintiff, Wendall Rohr, filed the suit in his hometown in Mississippi to take advantage of their tort laws that allow financial rewards for liability, as well as their generous juries. The simple environment of the Biloxi courthouse allows for much of the action, as it has never held such a high-profile case and is staffed by gentle, trusting people who would never believe that such corruption would take place.

Language and Meaning

While the language used to portray the action is primarily simple and easy to understand, Grisham also uses a lot of legal...