The Pelican Brief

What is The Pelican Brief about?

The Pelican Brief is a legal thriller – a thriller in which is based on elements of the law and the roles of big business and government. It was written in 1992 by John Grisham. It was his third novel and the second of his books to be made into a film. The Pelican Brief tells the story of Darby Shaw, a young law student in the United States, who puts together a theory of why two Supreme Court judges have been murdered. She shows her theory to her lover, a professor in law. He then shows it to an ex-colleague of his who now works for the FBI. Awful things start happening to Darby and she realizes that her theory has put her life in danger. She runs away and eventually turns to the only person she can trust – a newspaper reporter determined to find out the truth and save Darby’s life.