by John Grisham (1989)

This is Grisham’s first novel and, many critics believe, his best. It is a deceptively complicated, character-driven novel set against a simple act of revenge. Grisham almost single-handedly created the legal thriller genre with the 1991 publication of The Firm, but the real-life case upon which A Time to Kill is based prompted him to write novels in the first place.

Note: The book reflected Grisham’s complicated justification of the death penalty at the time. He has since become a vigorous opponent of capital punishment.