Short stories show a valiant effort from John Grisham by Deirdre Donahue

Short stories show a valiant effort from John Grisham

By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY

Give the king of the legal thriller credit for expanding his literary range. Today, Ford County, John Grisham's first collection of short stories, hits stores.

In these seven tales, all set in a fictional Mississippi county, Grisham tries to create a textured portrait of a complicated place and its residents. Fans may recall Grisham has used Ford County before, notably in his 1988 debut novel, A Time to Kill.

It's a versatile effort as Grisham shows off his literary chops: He can do wry, emotional, funny, serious. But the effect of reading Ford County is a bit like his recent foray into non-fiction. You admire his courage, but these new genres don't highlight Grisham's gift, crafting addictive plot-driven novels.

The book opens with "Blood Drive," a black-humor tale about what happens when three guys drive to Memphis to donate blood for an injured pal and end up sidetracked – hello, strippers – in the big, bad city.

In "Fetching Raymond," Grisham details a family's journey to Parchman Prison to witness the execution of their son and brother for murder. The story is grim and moving yet strangely funny as a media circus. Gobbling down his last meal, the condemned man and his family bicker until the finality of what's ahead sets in. The piece is pitch-perfect and offers the best writing in the book.

Another story features a scrambling bottom-feeder divorce lawyer, and the last one details what happens when a gay white man with AIDS returns to Ford County and finds friendship with an elderly black woman.

Is this great Grisham? No. He plays best in the long game of novel writing. But admire him for accepting a new challenge.

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