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Audiobook14 hours
The Confession: A Novel
Written by John Grisham
Narrated by Scott Sowers
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
An innocent man is about to be executed.
Only a guilty man can save him.
For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn't understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn't care. He just can't believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.
Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.
Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what's right and confess.
But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they're about to execute an innocent man?
From the Hardcover edition.
Only a guilty man can save him.
For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn't understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn't care. He just can't believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.
Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.
Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what's right and confess.
But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they're about to execute an innocent man?
From the Hardcover edition.
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Reviews for The Confession
Rating: 3.6923077386752134 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
936 ratings98 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent but sad. Heart wrenching when Roberta is washing her son's body.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read this when it first came out and enjoyed it. I am not going to write a full review now as I would not be able to do it justice.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grisham always is good, but I was hesitant to continue reading this book because it seemed so slow starting. I was about 150 pages into it when I realized I was hooked. This story about the death sentence is intriguing. Makes a strong, strong case against putting people to death, even for the most heinous crimes. Grisham emphasizes the anti-death penalty point of view, but he ignores the argument for death. When there is absolutely no doubt that a person is a killer, why should society continue to pay to support him/her for the rest of her/his life? The biblical injunction against killing jiust does not seem sufficient when we face some of the most horrible killers in history.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not much to say about this one really. It started out like one of his earlier books and then just started to go down hill. There was just so much useless detail and I found myself doing a lot of skimming.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not Grisham's finest, but the man can write a good story. Unfortunately here, he gets really preachy in his loathing of the death penalty (and Texas). Consequently, the characters stop being interesting and become mere voices for his talking points. Corruption, yes, racial prejudice, certainly, but reducing the principal characters to all good and all bad doesn't make great reading. An okay beach read and that's about it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very interesting. The main body of the book was Grisham at his absolute best. Just when you thought the story was going to end (Wait! what are all these extra pages?)... he took you beyond the end of the story, and you realized that this was what you were waiting for. Then, when you though the story would REALLY end (but there are still more pages?) Grisham got a bit preachy and political, but in such a way that it was totally in keeping with the book.
Well done. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This could have been an interesting subject but the book was too predictable. At some point I realized that I didn't like any of the characters and didn't care what they did or what happened to them.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grisham's usual page-turner, this one focuses on the human cost of capital punishment in Texas especially of the innocent, The main character, a Lutheran minister, drawn into the case almost by chance, is sympathetically drawn.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the few books that actually made me cry. Great writing as always.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5excellent portrayal of a judicial system, hopefully not a true portrayal of the Texas system.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5John Grisham's diatribe against (1) the death penalty (DP) and (2) Texas.The problem with political and religious diatribes pretending to be novels is that the plots are obvious from the beginning and the characters have the depth and color of monochromatic paper-dolls. The characters in The Confession are not monochromatic paper-dolls because paper-dolls are two dimensional and these characters are one dimensional. Grisham hates the DP and his 'proof' is that in a state where every single public official is totally corrupt, i.e. Texas, it is possible that an innocent person may be convicted and executed.Well, duh? A valid 'proof' against the DP would not be a novel but a history of the DP along with a cogent argument that even the worst offender in history, e.g. Himmler, should be spared. The story centers on a black high school football player who was convicted of murdering a white high school cheerleader--although no body was found and only one girl was missing. But then, just before the sentence is to be carried out, a low life, who is dying of cancer, confesses to the main character. The MC is a lawyer--of course--who tries to get a stay of execution in time to dig up the body. [Warning: Plot spoiler next sentence.] He fails because every official in Texas, including the Federal judges, is totally corrupt and also a white supremacist, anti-black racist. Grisham tries but fails to make this believable. The Pope has a better argument against the DP. You may google it online. But the Pope doesn't hate Texas. So if you hate Texas and the DP, you might enjoy this book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Although a work of fiction, this book greatly changed my view on capital punishment. For most of my life I have been pro death penalty. Living in Texas, I was proud to know that my state took a tough stand with zero tolerance against hardened criminals. As a result of this book, I now strongly doubt the integrity of the justice system and the effectiveness of capital punishment. If even one person is wrongly convicted and put to death, then the system has failed and must be carefully reexamined and possibly reformed. If one innocent person is put to death, then we ourselves become the criminal. And, those who are correctly convicted and placed on death row are not given a second chance to be redeemed with an opportunity of becoming a good citizen. Instead, they are whisked away to prison, ultimately stuck onto a gurney and put to death like some useless piece of trash. However, Christ redeemed the lost, the sick, and even hardened criminals. Should we should not emulate Him?One thing I don't like about Grisham is his biased tilt to the left, always critical of those on the right. And, this showed in this book. All churchgoers are arms-bearing, Republican, death penalty, rednecks. And those on the left are the ONLY ones who take up the cause for the weak and take a stand against the death penalty. Why can't we keep this an unbiased story? Do we really have to be so polarized? Why can't we work together on these and other issues and seek reconciliation for the good of our common man? I believe someday we can and will.If you can read past the political rhetoric I believe this can be one of Grisham's best books yet. I highly recommend it. Full of suspense and mystery with never a dull moment. And I hope it truly speaks to those who are pro capital punishment and will seek the will to change the system.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Firstly let me state that I am a huge fan of Grisham and have read virtually all of his books. However IMHO this is not one of his best.Like others I loved the first two thirds of the book as we see the race to save Donte Drumm from execution for a crime he did not commit, a crime apportioned to him mainly because of the colour of his skin. The whites in the town needed someone to punish and if he happens to be black then all the better all this despite the fact that there no body and as such no certainty that a crime had even been committed.As usual Grisham does not bother too much about character development but the story is fast paced and is a page turner. However, once Donte is executed the book becomes more of a soapbox for Grisham's own political leanings (anyone whose has read An Innocent Man) will recognise them: anti-death penalty, lazy and corrupt police and judiciary, and racial inequality within the American legal system. From this point on the story, although still readable, rather loses steam and with it it's punch. A good read but not one of his best.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very good throughout.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dante Drum, a man convicted of raping and killing a high school cheerleader in Sloan, Texas nine years ago is about to get the needle. Just days before that is scheduled to happen, a man walks into a minister's office in Topeka, Kansas and claims not that Texas is about to kill an innocent man. He knows that because he, in fact, is the real killer. John Grisham takes a very pointed social stand against the death penalty in this novel. While the book is a little long to be considered a potboiler, the legal action and life or death consequences keep the pages turning. Plus, Grisham's bias provides a sound argument-- and at times makes a mockery of-- the death penalty. I listened to the audio book version, which featured a solid reader and effective pacing. I recommend this one with a bit of hesitation; I enjoyed it but would've been just as satisfied with a novel 100 pages shorter. The ending was predictable, but all too realistic, and Grisham's main point is well taken.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In 1998, Travis Boyette raped and murdered a popular high school student in Sloan, Texas. To his amazement, Donte Drumm, the school's football star, was wrongly convicted of his heinous crimes and sent to death row Now nine years later, Travis, who has an inoperable brain tumor and is stricken with guilt, decides to confess in a bid to save Donte, who has just four days before his execution.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In recent years, John Grisham has expanded his writing focus beyond the legal thrillers that launched his writing career. Although he is a capable writer, he is at his best when writing legal novels, and "The Confession" again shows Grisham at his finest. If it does not quite eclipse the brilliance of "The Firm" -- still Grisham's best book -- it deserves recognition at the top of his ever-growing list of titles.While the book bears some resemblance to "The Chamber," which centered on a desperate appeal on behalf of a death-row inmate, "The Confession" owes much to Grisham's recent work on behalf of the Innocence Project, which inspired and grew out of his only non-fiction book, "An Innocent Man." It centers around the controversy over the imminent execution of Donte Drumm, a young Black man, for the murder of a popular high school cheerleader in a small Texas town nine years earlier. Four days before the execution, a man unexpectedly confesses to a Lutheran pastor in Kansas that he has information that would prove Donte Drumm innocent.With this intriguing hook, Grisham unravels a tale of the Lutheran pastor, Keith Schroeder, who learns the convoluted history of the case, which involves an allegedly coerced confession by Drumm, a convoluted and suspect prosecution greatly hindered by the fact that the girl's body has never been found, and a rather unbelievable ex-con claiming ever-increasing knowledge and involvement in the disappearance. Schroeder crosses paths with the aggressive defense attorney, Robbie Flak, who is desperately trying to save Drumm's life, believing him to be innocent of the crime.After this set-up, Grisham is off to the races, offering a gripping race against the clock, full of realistic twists and turns involving the legal system, the media, politicians, and the families of both the victim and the convicted. There is ambiguity in the real facts of the case, and the motives of most of the key players are a bit suspect, even the crusading defense attorney (who seems, at least emotionally, to be an imagined alter ego for Grisham himself). The result is an immensely satisfying novel, suspenseful and unsettling. In fact, the book seems to join previous Grisham novels like "The Firm" and "The Runaway Jury" that are worthy of multiple readings.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Confession engaged me from the first page and didn't let up until the last. In the small town of Slone, Texas, a popular white high school cheerleader is missing; the person who was accused of and confessed through coercion to the murder is a well-liked black football star. For nine years a lawyer Robbie Flak carries on Donte Drumm's defense while Donte sits on Death Row, the days, hours and minutes ticking away.Several states away in Kansas a paroled sex offender living in a half-way house stumbles into a minister's office to come clean about the killing of the cheerleader...after nine years. The minister begins the journey of his life, driving the confessed murderer to Texan to clear Donte of the murder and stop the execution.This is definitely an anti-death penalty book: it shows the nitty gritty about lack of concrete evidence in trials, police confession tactics, the justice system (judges, and lawyers alike), and the impact upon a small town, its citizens and families.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It isn't often I have a chance to read John Grisham, but when I do, I really enjoy his books. This one had me sitting on the edge of my seat since the clock was ticking as a crusading lawyer, a minister, and an ex-con tried desperately to keep Texas from executing an innocent man.Both side of the controversy are very well represented and the Texas propensity for executing criminals without too much public angst is featured prominently. Given that the prisoner on death row is black and the town he comes from, as well as state officials, are predominantly run by white men, you also have a looming race riot. The mother of the white victim has found her niche in life as she finds media attention and sympathy, until everyone tires of her turning on the waterworks constantly. Donte Drumm, the one convicted of murdering her daughter, has been on death row for nine years so most people have had enough. Then an ex-con living in a halfway house in Kansas comes to talk to a Lutheran minister nearby and tells him that he is the actual killer. His story sounds legitimate. He also says he has a brain tumor and only a few months to live so he wants to confess and not let Texas execute the innocent man. Too bad he is cooperative one minute and anything but cooperative the next. The minister, a well-drawn character, is launched on a life-changing few days as the execution draws nearer and nearer. He will never be the same.There are repercussions for everyone involved in this case and although there are many characters, there is never any confusion about who is who, or who is on what side of the issue. It's Grisham at his best in my opinion. Source: gift. Recommended reading.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very good read, tons of suspense and sympathy for the innocent, and frustration with the guilty and the system that upholds a wrongful conviction and death penalty. Perhaps a bit too black and white, with the good guys and the bad guys clearly separated and not too many shades of grey. A good summer thriller for sure. Will probably re-read, even though now I know how it will turn out.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Definitely a page turner! Couldn't put it down! Grisham keeps you guessing till the end!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grisham always comes up with a good read. This one speaks against the death penalty and the fallibility of false convictions. The author does have a formula type style in his books dealing with the law but they are interesting and keep my interest.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5About one-third into this book I got angry at the author for his formulaic approach. I found myself skipping whole sections which I felt like I had read in Grisham many times before and took away from the author's extraordinary narrative abilities. However, by mid-work I was reading every word; as always, Grisham eventually delivered what was expected of him. Like other franchise writers, he brings a particular world-view to his tales: the moral man confronted with an immoral world around him, and the struggle for good to win out (which it always does). This core is embedded in an extraordinary ability to tell a story, at, as one reviewer put it, "fast...or faster." However, I think the author could benefit from a hiatus, a time in which he might find a different approach that was fresher and less repetitive.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another fine book. Thought provoking.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I am in the minority in thinking that this is not one of Grisham's best. I felt the characters were one dimensional; bad or good with no gray area. The plot and outcome were predictable. Grisham is making a stand against the death penalty which I support but I thought earlier novels where he addressed social issues were much better.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I hadn't read a Grisham since early works and I recall the gripping legal and courtroom dramas which went on to become Holywood box office. My concerns that somewhere along the way Grisham may have overcooked the ingredients were borne out by The Confession. The book has a simple and predictable plot and lacks any of the genuine legal intrigues of the early works. It's not a bad book as such but I found it hard work not because of any complexities but due to a failure to engage with the poorly drawn characters or to find any real interest in the political sub plots until near the end. In fact I couldn't help but feel that the effort could have been expended on a real life case of similar injustice which would be more enthralling and edgy, and which would make the reader care more.Up to the point at which the will he wont he be executed question is resolved some two thirds of the way along I struggled to pick up the book, though the political aftermath provided more interesting material and the finale of cover up and the likelihood of further injustices. My preference would be for real life over fiction as a more powerful and courageous way to make the point that where the death penalty exists, racism, greed and political ambition overide any considerations of justice and taking of the innocent life of a powerless individual.Grisham briefly comes into his own at the end in setting a scene where the dignified actions of the aggrieved and bereaved face down an inflamed and violent racial situation threatening to engulf a whole town, and that dignity is seized upon by self serving politicians on the brink of oblivion to snuff out fires of change in favour of their prefered status quo.I was left with a sense that Grisham may have exhausted this seam and that The Confession is the disappointing and perhaps understandble result of pressure to deliver yet another blockbuster. I can't see myself picking up another Grisham in favour of other reading unless the word is that he has turned his talented hand to something different or that he has rediscovered his early zest.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A high school phenom athlete on death row for a murder he did not commit. The real murderer confessing to a Lutheran minister in Kansas four days before the scheduled execution. Let the countdown begin.Grisham keeps the suspense going throughout and I found myself sitting in my car just so I could listen a little longer. The death penalty and the state of Texas do not come out well in this book, and while sometimes it could sound a little rant-y, most of the time the criticism seemed deserved.Scott Sowers does a good job as narrator, giving a different personality to each character.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I wonder if John Grisham could have hit me with the "the death sentence is evil" hammer more than he did in The Confession. The novel is a ridiculous push piece, and nothing more than left-wing propaganda. He really must have been hitting the kool-aid hard to come up with this drivel. Gone are the days of his fast-paced courtroom drama thrillers, to be replaced by this nonsense. BOO!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The first 200 pages flew by and were wonderfully paced. The last 300 pages dragged on for what seemed like ions. Grisham has always been one of my favorite writers, but so many of his new ones do not live up to his early novels. Overall, not bad, but definitely not great.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a novel rather than a thriller, and a good one. It is a story about death row: you know who the killer probably is and that the man on death row might be innocent. There is a lawyer, a bit theatrical and sometimes irritating, and a pastor mostly confused, and a governor of Texas and his aides, only thinking about re-election, and the man on death row who lost faith in God. He confessed under pressure and then recanted, but the system trapped him. The families of the victim and of the accused are both well described, and as the story develops, you know the characters so well that you would recognize them in the street. A lovely book about ethics and the vagaries of the soul.