The Last JurorThe Last Juror
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1970, Willie Traynor, a twenty-three-year-old college dropout, buys a failing weekly newspaper in small-town Mississippi. Soon a young widow is raped and murdered in front of her children by a member of the county's most powerful crime family, and Willie's coverage of the trial makes his paper famous. Nine years later, the killer is released, and the jurors start dying.
Why it's worth reading
It hit #1 on the New York Times list. It's a warm, nostalgic portrait of a Southern town, with a murder mystery running through it.
You'll love it if you liked
The Client
The Rainmaker
To Kill a MockingbirdGood to know
The crime is brutal. Willie's friendship with an elderly Black woman, Miss Callie, is the heart of the book.
By the numbers
- Readers38 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #301 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #979 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1812 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by John Grisham
The Pelican Brief
The WidowThe ClientThe RainmakerIf you like this, read next
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
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Gone Girl
The Martian
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Quick answers
Is The Last Juror worth reading?
Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #1,812 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Last Juror about?
In 1970, Willie Traynor, a twenty-three-year-old college dropout, buys a failing weekly newspaper in small-town Mississippi. Soon a young widow is raped and murdered in front of her children by a member of the county's most powerful crime family, and Willie's coverage of the trial makes his paper famous. Nine years later, the killer is released, and the jurors start dying.
How long does it take to read The Last Juror?
About 10 hours (418 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Last Juror?
If you liked it, try The Client by John Grisham, The Rainmaker by John Grisham or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.