51 pages 1 hour read

John Grisham

The Whistler

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“There’s a man rotting away on death row an hour from here who was framed. The man responsible for the crime is probably sitting on his boat right now, a boat much nicer than mine.”


(Chapter 2, Page 15)

Myers is pointing out that justice has not been done. The guilty profited while the innocent suffered. Myers notes that the person responsible for murdering Son Rozko and Junior’s wife has profited far more by his crime than Myers did for his more minor offense. The implication is that the greater the corruption, the more likely the perpetrator is to succeed.

Quotation Mark Icon

“‘So [Greg Myers is] a crook?’ Geismar asked. Hugo said, ‘He’s certainly a convicted felon, but he’s served his time, paid his dues, and is now an upstanding member of our bar, same as the three of us.’”


(Chapter 3, Page 25)

None of the people outside the BJC is pure of motive. Myers is motivated, as he always has been, by greed for part of the whistleblower payout. To do their jobs and exact justice, Lacy and her associates must work with people for whom justice is secondary to self-interest.

Quotation Mark Icon

“Both Hugo and Verna came from large, sprawling families with countless aunts, uncles, cousins, and no shortage of drama and conflict. Lacy often envied the security that came with such a clan, but she also felt thankful she didn’t have to bother with so many people and their problems.”


(Chapter 3, Page 30)

The author explores the theme of a woman identity outside the context of a relationship with a man. This is significant because it reveals that Lacy is comfortable with herself: She’s self-contained and self-defined yet still enjoys the company of men and appreciates the importance of community. The author reestablishes this later in the novel: “The truth was that, at the age of thirty-six, Lacy was content to live alone” (78).

Related Titles

By John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

A Painted House

John Grisham

A Painted House

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

A Time For Mercy

John Grisham

A Time For Mercy

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

A Time to Kill

John Grisham

A Time to Kill

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Camino Island

John Grisham

Camino Island

John Grisham

Plot Summary

logo

Gray Mountain

John Grisham

Gray Mountain

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Playing For Pizza

John Grisham

Playing For Pizza

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Skipping Christmas

John Grisham

Skipping Christmas

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Sparring Partners

John Grisham

Sparring Partners

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Sycamore Row

John Grisham

Sycamore Row

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Boys from Biloxi

John Grisham

The Boys from Biloxi

John Grisham

Plot Summary

logo

The Brethren

John Grisham

The Brethren

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Client

John Grisham

The Client

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Confession

John Grisham

The Confession

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Guardians

John Grisham

The Guardians

John Grisham