John Grisham’s new novel “The Appeal” shows that the author is returning to his favorite theme of legal and financial schemes in the style of “The Firm,” “The Client,” “The Pelican Brief,” and other thrillers that brought the writer worldwide fame. Of course, Grisham never fully abandoned the legal subject. One might say that in his novels new notes have appeared—new social pathos, a theme of fighting judicial arbitrariness and the imperfection of the U.S. legal system. Let’s recall the book “The Innocent,” which concerns a real criminal case: the tragic story of once-famous athlete Ron Williamson, convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, and thrown into death row. Billionaire Carl Trudeau has repeatedly carried out big schemes on Wall Street successfully. But now he faces something almost impossible—outmaneuvering the Supreme Court of the state of Mississippi. Against him—virtually all the residents of a small town, who are literally poisoned by the chemical plant he owns. A verdict by the jury has already been issued: it found Trudeau responsible for the townspeople’s illnesses and the deaths of several of them.