By John Spencer
I am from the South, and when I get a chance to read about Southern history, no matter the genre, I will be inquisitive. Such was the case for the novel, The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham.
This work is not a true story but it does draw heavily on real-world themes in which Biloxi Mississippi, a town that sits on the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico (now Gulf of America) possess a rich history of vice and reform. It is one of the oldest communities in the U.S., founded by French colonist in 1699.
If you like a Southern noir with a legal edge, The Boys from Biloxi will pull you in from the first chapter and this author delivers a compelling blend of courtroom drama and family saga, set against the gritty and morally complex backdrop of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, a place once steeped in vice, political corruption, and backroom deals.
Though the characters are fictional, the setting is rich with historical truth. Biloxi was indeed known as a haven for illegal gambling, organized crime, and shady political alliances in the mid-20th century. Grisham uses this real-world tension to weave a story of two families with one devoted to the law, the other entrenched in crime. Collision is predictable.
At the center are childhood friends turned legal enemies, Mr. Keith Rudy, the son of a righteous attorney and future prosecutor, and Mr. Hugh Malco, the heir to a powerful criminal enterprise. Their rise through parallel but opposing legacies forces them and the reader to confront questions of justice, morality, and personal choice.
Grisham earns full credit for his ability to anchor fiction in reality while exploring themes that feel timeless. The question is, what happens when loyalty to family clashes with loyalty to principle and can one generation overcome the sins of the last.
More than a legal thriller, The Boys from Biloxi is a moral reckoning that is wrapped in sharp dialogue, legal maneuvering, and richly drawn characters. It’s a story about the long shadow of legacy and the courage required to defy it.
This is a good read and I highly recommend it for those who enjoy a character-driven type drama with a historical backdrop. It received an award nomination in 2023 from the Audio Publishers Association for thriller and suspense.
