Gray Mountain: A Novel

"John Grisham’s latest novel is set in a small, poverty-pummeled Appalachian town shadowed by not only the mountains but also the sweeping power of the big coal companies. The prose is undistinguished, yet Gray Mountain resonates because of the force and importance of its story. When Samantha Kofer loses her job with a New York City law firm, she heads south to work for a legal aid clinic. As Samantha quickly learns, the coal companies fight dirty. Despite trite phrases such as “the intern’s heart skipped a beat,” the novel is a solid depiction of scrappy legal Davids going up against ruthless corporate Goliaths."