Life’s tough wear a helmet… or drop out of law school with a few months to go, come up with a new identity and pose as… a lawyer?

John Grisham’s latest novel follows a group of law school students in a familiar narrative – searching for a job to alleviate the financial and emotional stress of paying off student loans. Unfortunately, this was the only relatable aspect of the book. Our main characters use a traumatic event as an excuse to abandon law school, dodge creditors and pose as ambulance-chasing lawyers.

This scam is the connective tissue for Grisham to address nearly every hot button issue in today’s news, which makes for a disjointed and unbelievable story. He dives into not only the financial motives of for profit universities and burden of student debt, but also mental health, suicide, and immigration.

If Grisham narrowed his focus, there was actually a captivating book to be made, possibly even two! One storyline centers on the theory of an elaborate white-collar scandal where one man controls all links in the chain – the for-profit law schools, the local law firms, and the banks issuing student loans.

Another plot follows Zola, a Senegalese student born in the U.S. whose father is exposed as an undocumented worker after living in the U.S. for 26 years. Zola’s arc provokes the only true emotions as she risks it all to fight for the well being of her parents. I found myself begging Grisham to dive deeper into her tale.

Instead, Grisham focuses on two unlikeable students posing as stereotypical courtroom leaches. The duo’s lack of wit or redeeming qualities make it difficult to become invested in any of their tribulations. The novel’s main characters somehow feel like the most expendable.

“The Rooster Bar” goes for quantity over quality which creates nothing more than a mishmash of shallow scenarios. Even as a Grisham enthusiast, I was disappointed in this novel and hope he gets back to depicting thrilling courtroom tales.

Verdict: Skip It
Who May Like: Grisham diehards
Quote: “It’s best to keep lying. With our practice, when in doubt – keep lying.”
Length: 465 pages
Instead Read: The Litigators by John Grisham

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