The Rainmaker (John Grisham)
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| Author | John Grisham |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Legal thriller novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Released | 1995 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 434 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0385424736 |
- For the film based on this novel, see The Rainmaker (1997 film).
The Rainmaker is a 1995 novel by John Grisham. It was turned into a film in 1997.
[edit] Plot summary
Rudy Baylor is a law graduate from Memphis State Law School. He secures a position with a Memphis law firm, which he loses when the firm is bought out by another larger firm. As one of the few members of his class without a job lined up, Rudy is forced to apply for part-time and poorly-paid law positions. Then he gets an offer from a large Memphis law firm, but it falls through before he has even begun.
Desperate for a job, he reluctantly allows "Prince" Thomas, the crooked owner of a sleazy bar where he's been working part-time, to introduce him to J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone, a ruthless but successful ambulance-chasing lawyer, who makes him an associate. But to earn his fee, Rudy is required to hunt for potential clients at the local hospital where he must pick up injury cases and sign them up. He is introduced to Deck Shifflet, a less-than-ethical former insurance assessor.
Rudy already has one case, a case of insurance bad faith, which he passionately believes in. He represents a poor family, the Blacks, who he met through a class visit to a community center. The case could be worth several million dollars in damages, but his personal life is falling to pieces about him and he is about to declare himself bankrupt. When his employer is raided by the police and the FBI, he and Deck set up in practice themselves and file suit on behalf of the Blacks, whose son is dying of leukemia but could have been saved with a bone marrow transplant -- a procedure which should be covered by their insurance.
Rudy, having just passed the Bar examination, has never argued a case before a judge and jury - but he now finds himself up against a group of experienced and ruthless lawyers from a large firm, headed by Leo F. Drummond. It is a daunting task, but he has several supporters and a sympathetic newly-appointed judge to sustain his commitment.
Whilst preparing the case and also waiting about in the local hospital, he meets and later falls in love with Kelly Riker, a battered wife whose husband's beating has put her in the hospital.
Before the trial commences, the Blacks' son dies. The case comes to court, and thanks to Rudy's single-minded determination, the jury find for the plaintiff. The insurance company quickly declares itself bankrupt, thus allowing it to avoid paying the fifty million dollars in punitive damages and two hundred thousand dollars in actual damages. There is no payout for the grieving parents and no fee for Rudy, though Mrs. Black is glad to have bankrupted the insurance company.
During the Black trial, Rudy continues to pursue Kelly, and eventually ends up killing her husband in self-defense when they try to retrieve Kelly's things from the Rikers' apartment. Kelly takes the blame and spends some time in jail before Rudy gets her charges thrown out. Rudy is shaken by these events and wary of the practice of law. He takes Kelly and they leave the area, heading for someplace where Rudy can become a teacher and Kelly can go to college.
| John Grisham's novels (as of 2006) | |
|---|---|
|
1980s: A Time to Kill |
|
| Non-Fiction | |
|
2000s: The Innocent Man |
|
