The Last Juror
by John Grisham
In 1970, a 23-year-old college dropout named Willie Traynor realizes that his dreams of becoming a Pulitzer-winning journalist will never come true. He moves to Clanton, Mississippi for an internship at the local newspaper, The Ford County Times. However, the aging editor, Wilson Caudle, drives the newspaper into bankruptcy through years of neglect and mismanagement. Willie spontaneously decides to buy the paper for $50,000, using money borrowed from his wealthy grandmother, and becomes the editor and owner of the Times.
Soon afterwards, Danny Padgitt, a member of a notorious local family, brutally rapes and murders a young widow, Rhoda Kassellaw. When Traynor publishes a front page photo of the blood-spattered Padgitt being led into jail, readership increases. However, Willie is accused of yellow journalism and pre-judging Padgitt. Later, Willie runs a human interest story about Callie Ruffin, a local black woman whose seven children (among eight) all gained doctorates and teaching positions in various universities. In the process of researching the story, Willie becomes a close friend of Callie and her family.
In the process of jury selection for Padgitt's trial, Callie becomes the first black person to serve on a Ford County jury. Though far from enthusiastic about the prospect of having to pass a death sentence, Callie - who had been active of the Civil Rights Movement - does not shirk her civic duty. In court, Padgitt openly threatens to kill each of the jurors if he's convicted. But though the jury convicts Padgitt, they are divided on whether to sentence him to death row, so he is sentenced to life imprisonment at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. Unconfirmed rumors persist that Hank Hooten, the deputy prosecutor in the case, had been the lover of the victim - which, if true, would constitute a conflict of interest.
A big newspaper chain, extending operations throughout the South, becomes interested in purchasing the Times. Willie sells the paper for $1.5 million, but his satisfaction is marred when Callie dies of a heart attack. The book ends with Willie writing her obituary.