John Grisham has made the legal thriller his own territory and Gray Mountain is as compelling a read as any of his other titles.
Samantha Kofer finds herself out of a job following the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market and trades New York law for legal aid work deep in the coalfields of Appalachia.
But after rocking up in Brady, Virginia, she finds more than she bargained for. Gone are the hundred-hour weeks for insufferable clients and with it the New York loft apartment, salary and benefits.
Instead of fighting to finance skyscrapers in the Big Apple, she joins life on the low side, where the fights are with Big Coal, the multinational companies who fight dirty both inside and outside the courts.
Horrified by the way the companies have battered their employees, destroyed the environment and put the locals in danger, she hits back.
But when Kofer picks a side, she finds out some of those backing the small guy can fight just as dirty and more than once it is her safety which is in peril.
Grisham needs no introduction and has delivered a thriller full of action and suspense.