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A Painted House
A Painted House
Dec 12, 2025 1:05 PM

Author:John Grisham

A Painted House

The gripping legal thriller from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author and creator of Sooley and The Judge's List.

In rural Arkansas, seven-year-old farm boy Luke Chandler lives in the cotton fields with his parents and grandparents.

When the cotton is ready to be harvested, the Chandlers hire a group of Mexicans and a family from the Ozarks to help harvest it.

For six weeks the group pick cotton, battling the heat, rain, fatigue, and sometimes each other. During this time, Luke sees and hears things no seven-year-old should witness.

Can he keep the secrets that could threaten his family's business and change their lives forever?

A Painted Houseis a moving story of one boy's journey from innocence to experience, drawn from the personal experience of legendary legal thriller author John Grisham.

_______________________________________

'A master at the art of deft characterisation and the skilful delivery of hair-raising crescendos'- Irish Independent

'John Grisham is the master of legal fiction' - Jodi Picoult

'The best thriller writer alive!' - Ken Follett

'John Grisham has perfected the art of cooking up convincing, fast-paced thrillers' - Telegraph

'Grisham is a superb and instinctive storyteller' - The Times

'Grisham's storytelling genius reminds us that when it comes to legal drama, the master is in a league of his own' - Daily Record

'Masterful - when Grisham gets in the courtroom he lets rip, drawing scenes so real they're not just alive, they're pulsating' - Mirror

'A giant of the thriller genre!!' - TimeOut

Reviews

An all-action adventure...a joy to read...a brilliant story, beautifully told

—— SUNDAY EXPRESS

Kristian can really write...His battle scenes are bone crunchingly good, his descriptions of the Viking world bright and evocative...a great storyteller

—— BEN KANE, author of The Forgotten Legion

I loved it; I found it gripping and I ripped through it...always the sign of an exciting book

—— ANGUS DONALD, author of Outlaw

An excellent read which compares favourably with writers like Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden

—— Historical Novels Review

Gripping . . . splendidly conjures up the sounds, sights, and smells of Dark Age Britain

—— HARRY SIDEBOTTOM, author of the "Warrior of Rome" series

Stroud peppers his story with tales reminiscent of ancient Norse myths, giving this book the feel of an epic saga. Halli is a great lead character . . .

—— Flipside

A high adventure with any twists and turns

—— Derby Evening Telegraph

An entertaining book full of boyhood adventures, heroes and excitement

—— Caroline Davison , East Anglian Daily Times

Jonathan is already building up a strong fan base among young lovers of fantasy fiction and his latest novel will certainly not disappoint his young readers

—— Hertfordshire Life

While it is a totally new direction and a different type of tale to what pulls you right in, proving that the cream will always rise to the top

—— www.sci-fi-london.com

This latest novel will certainly not disappoint his young readers

—— Hertfordshire Life

This is an entertaining book full of boyhood adventures, heroes and excitement

—— Bradford Telegraph and Argus

An author who can rightly be dubbed a master storyteller . . . Heroes Of The Valley is . . . epic, vibrant and colourful

—— Phil Hewitt , Bognore Regis Observer

It is every inch the assured and stunning debut that everyone suggests

—— Dovegreyreader.com

Wyld is a languorous writer with great skill in characterisation...will delight

—— Philip Womack , Sunday Telegraph

This is a young writer with talent to burn

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

Told with quiet, characterful poise, the noel succeeds in evoking not only Australia's epic geographical landscape, but its literary terrain too summoning echoes of some of that country's finest writers,

—— Hephzibah Anderson , Daily Mail

This is a highly accomplished first novel. Evie Wyld is not a show off writer. She has a clean, clear prose style which is exactly right in the service if her story, and the best ear for dialogue in a long time.

—— Susan Hill , The Lady

Wyld's debut novel dissects the misery that seeps inexorably from one generation to the next

—— Anna Scott , Guardian

Wyld can write very well, in a vivid descriptive style reminiscent of Tim Winton's.

—— Christina Koning , The Times

Wyld's superb skills at portraying a hot, dusty landscape and her psychological insight will pull you inexorably in.

—— Louise Doughty , Psychologies

Superb assured first novel about fathers and sons. Pitch-perfect prose

—— Woman & Home

A very impressive first novel. Wise and wry, it uses its Australian bush setting to great effect, Wyld's protagonists fleeing there from wars, both literal and familial. She writes great characters and makes you love them as she nails them.

—— Rachel Seiffert , Sunday Herald, Christmas round up

This is a sad yet beautiful story of fathers and sons, their wars and the things they will never know about each other

—— NI Homes
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