The Last Juror book by John Grisham

In 1970, one of Mississippi s more colorful weekly newspapers, 'The Ford County Times' went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23-year-old college dropout named Willie Traynor.

The future of the 'Times' looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered. A member of the notorious Padgitt family was soon arrested. Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper.

The accused, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courthouse in Clanton, Mississippi. The trial came to a startling and dramatic end when the defendant threatened revenge against the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

But in Mississippi in 1970, life didn't necessarily mean life, and nine years later Padgitt managed to get himself paroled. He returned to Ford County, and the retribution began.