The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Grisham, John. Sparring Partners. Doubleday, May 31, 2022. Kindle.

The book Sparring Partners, by John Grisham, is a collection of three legal-themed short stories. Grisham combines his legal expertise, humor, and knowledge of people to tell the stories of J. McKinley “Mack” Stafford, Cody Wallace, and the Mallory brothers, Rusty and Kirk.

In “Homecoming,” Mack returns to his hometown of Clanton three years after divorcing his wife, closing his law office, and disappearing. It had been suspected that Mack stole money before he left town, but those suspicions were never confirmed. When Mack’s powerful ex-father-in-law learns Mack is back in town, he hires a lawyer to look into Mack’s wrongdoing. After the FBI illegally bugs their law offices, fellow lawyers Jake Brigance and Harry Rex Vonner warn Mack that authorities are on the lookout for him so he can avoid arrest again.

“Strawberry Moon” is the story of death row inmate Cody. Twenty-nine-year-old Cody has only three hours left to live before his execution. He was fifteen when he was arrested as an accomplice to two murders during a break-in. He has been convicted of capital murder.

In “Sparring Partners,” Rusty and Kirk Mallory have always been in competition with each other. When their father bribes the governor for an early release from jail, the brothers work together for the first time to keep him from getting access to money due to the law firm for tobacco lawsuits. Rusty and Kirk, however, are outsmarted by the overlooked and revengeful managing director of the firm.