In Biloxi, Mississippi a landmark trial is set to take place with millions of dollars at stake. But this trial of David versus Goliath, or rather widow versus a conglomerate of tobacco company giants, has several puppeteers secretly pulling strings to ensure their own personal gains and victorious outcome.

A fair and seemingly impartial jury is set after being thoroughly vetted by jury consultants and agreed upon during voir dire. Then unraveling from the opening statements, several members of the jury are not only acting strangely, one’s convinced he’s being watched. And when a mysterious woman contacts the defense consultant and suggests that with a little monetary persuasion, she can control the verdict, things grow even more unsettling.

With millions of dollars on the line, this is no ordinary trial.

And when ethics, jury tampering, livelihoods and even lives become threatened, the judge sequesters the jury. But that doesn’t stop this jury from growing more temperamental and unruly. Who is behind it and why?

No one weaves a legal suspense quite like John Grisham. Runaway Jury is just one of his classic courtroom dramas that not only became a bestselling book but a cinematic blockbuster. The precarious nature of juried decisions is already an unsettling gamble that victims and defense and prosecutorial teams have to roll the dice on. Now imagine this group of 12 taking advantage of this trust and wielding their power to manipulate the outcome of a trial.

That seems not only unconscionable but highly improbable. Or is it? I’ve served on five juries both in the criminal and civil arenas and it startles me to think about how exposed and vulnerable you can be when big, big, BIG money comes into play. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like being part of a similar trial that quickly unravels into a suspense-filled rock of our judicial system. Having every bit of your life under a microscope and being manipulated at every turn so that you no longer focus on justice but survival. Runaway Jury will certainly make you think.

Image courtesy of Penguin Random House