John Grisham is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 novels and has sold more than 300 million books worldwide. Best known for his gripping courtroom dramas like A Time to Kill and The Firm, Grisham has become a defining voice in legal fiction and thrillers. As readers eagerly await his upcoming thriller The Widow, set to be released in October 2025, many are left wondering, however, what does the master of the legal thriller like to read when he isn’t writing away?
As it turns out, Grisham’s taste in books reflects his deep appreciation for richly drawn characters, suspenseful storytelling, and moral complexity. Goodreads has compiled a list of seven books he recommends but fans of classic crime fiction will be surprised to find that Agatha Christie, the queen of mystery, didn’t make the cut at all.
He told Goodreads: “When I write I try to avoid reading fiction. I read only good books by good writers, and invariably I’ll catch myself imitating them when I write.
“With time, though, I found that the worlds created by other writers were wonderful diversions from the mess we’re in. So, I returned to my old favourites.”
The list of favourite reads blend legal thrillers, crime fiction, literary suspense, and impactful nonfiction together with books like A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke which is a wonderful mix of crime, romance, mythology, horror, and science fiction all in one, or Deacon King Kong by James McBride which can be described as a tragicomedy epic.
Louise Penny’s All the Devils Are Here is a mystery with a strong police procedural element, set in Paris with a family drama at its core, while Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, is a powerful nonfiction book about wrongful convictions and the fight for justice, offering emotional depth and social urgency.
John Grisham’s recommended thriller reading list, according to Goodreads:
- A Private Cathedral – James Lee Burke
- Deacon King Kong – James McBride
- The Last Trial – Scott Turow
- All the Devils Are Here – Louise Penny
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson
- In the Valley: Stories and a Novella Based on Serena – Ron Rash
- A Song for the Dark Times – Ian Rankin