The Pelican Brief (John Grishham)

Product Description In suburban Georgetown a killer's Reeboks whisper  on the front floor of a posh home... In a seedy  D.C. porno house a patron is swiftly garroted to  death... The next day America learns that two of its  Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And  in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a  legal brief... To Darby Shaw it was no more than a  legal shot in the dark, a brilliant guess. To the  Washington establishment it was political dynamite.  Suddenly Darby is witness to a murder -- a murder  intended for her. Going underground, she finds  there is only one person she can trust -- an  ambitious reporter after a newsbreak hotter than Watergate  -- to help her piece together the deadly puzzle.  Somewhere between the bayous of Louisiana and the  White House's inner sanctums, a violent cover-up is  being engineered. For somone has read Darby's  brief. Someone who will stop at nothing to destroy the  evidence of an unthinkable crime.From the Hardcover edition. Review "Gripping... a genuine page-turner. Grisham is a skillful  craftsman." -- The New York Times Book  Review."Grisham has done it again!"  -- Chicago Tribune. "A fast-paced thriller... it's got the unmistakable  Grisham style -- conspiracy in high places, evil  and innocent lawyers, assassins and a plot that  will keep you reading into the small hours of the  morning." -- The Cincinnati  Post.From the Hardcover edition. From the Inside Flap In suburban Georgetown a killer's Reeboks whisper on the front floor of a posh home... In a seedy D.C. porno house a patron is swiftly garroted to death... The next day America learns that two of its Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a legal brief... To Darby Shaw it was no more than a legal shot in the dark, a brilliant guess. To the Washington establishment it was political dynamite. Suddenly Darby is witness to a murder -- a murder intended for her. Going underground, she finds there is only one person she can trust -- an ambitious reporter after a newsbreak hotter than Watergate -- to help her piece together the deadly puzzle. Somewhere between the bayous of Louisiana and the White House's inner sanctums, a violent cover-up is being engineered. For somone has read Darby's brief. Someone who will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of an unthinkable crime.From the Hardcover edition. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1 HE SEEMED INCAPABLE of creating such chaos, but much of what he saw below could be blamed on him. And that was fine. He was ninety-one, paralyzed, strapped in a wheelchair and hooked to oxygen. His second stroke seven years ago had almost finished him off, but Abraham Rosenberg was still alive and even with tubes in his nose his legal stick was bigger than the other eight. He was the only legend remaining on the Court, and the fact that he was still breathing irritated most of the mob below.He sat in a small wheelchair in an office on the main floor of the Supreme Court Building. His feet touched the edge of the window, and he strained forward as the noise increased. He hated cops, but the sight of them standing in thick, neat lines was somewhat comforting. They stood straight and held ground as the mob of at least fifty thousand screamed for blood."Biggest crowd ever!" Rosenberg yelled at the window. He was almost deaf. Jason Kline, his senior law clerk, stood behind him. It was the first Monday in October, the opening day of the new term, and this had become a traditional celebration of the First Amendment. A glorious celebration. Rosenberg was thrilled. To him, freedom of speech meant freedom to riot."Are the Indians out there?" he asked loudly.Jason Kline leaned closer to his right ear. "Yes!""With war paint?""Yes! In full battle dress.""Are they dancing?""Yes!"The Indians, the blacks, whites, browns, women, gays, tree lovers, Christians, abortion activists, Ar