The Pelican Brief
First edition cover
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| Author | John Grisham |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Legal thriller novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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1992 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 387 pages (Mass-market Paperback) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 25990887 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3557.R5355 P4 1992 |
The Pelican Brief is a legal-suspense thriller written by John Grisham in 1992. It is his third novel after A Time To Kill and The Firm. The hardcover edition was published by Doubleday in that same year. Two paperback editions were published, both by Dell Publishing in 1993. A film adaptation was released in 1993 starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.
The story begins with the dual assassination of two ideologically divergent Supreme Court Justices. Both murders are committed by Khamel, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. Justice Rosenberg, a liberal, is killed at his home while the conservative Justice Jensen is killed inside a gay movie theater in Washington. The circumstances surrounding their deaths, as well as the deaths themselves, shock and confuse a politically divided nation.
Darby Shaw, a Tulane University Law School student, conducts research on Rosenberg and Jensen's records, as well as cases pending before the Supreme Court. She suspects that the real motive might be simple greed, not politics and writes a legal brief speculating the circumstances. She shows the brief to Thomas Callahan, her law professor and lover, who in turn shows it to an FBI lawyer, Gavin Verheek. Soon afterwards Callahan is killed by a car bomb, while Darby, who witnesses his death, is contacted on the scene by some suspicious people. Afraid that she will become the next target, Darby goes on the run. She contacts Verheek and after a series of phone calls they agree to meet personally, but Khamel murders Verheek and impersonates him when they meet. He is just about to kill Darby when he is shot by an unknown perpetrator and Darby manages to escape again.
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