John Grisham is writing a sequel to one of his best books

Here's the thing: I actually loved John Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill. Of course I, like everyone else I know, got my hands on this book after falling in love with The Firm way back in the day. In my opinion, A Time to Kill is without a doubt Grisham's greatest and best book, though I loved The Pelican Brief, too. I actually loved the characters in A Time to Kill more than any other Grisham book, but do we want more from lawyer Jake Brigance?

It's been a long time since I read A Time to Kill, but I remember the ending quite well. If you haven't read the book, don't read any more.

The last time we all heard from attorney Jake Brigance, he was enjoying a post-court victory drink with his fellow lawyer friends. We know Jake's client was acquitted, and we know that Jake is eventually going to reunite with his wife and daughter. But what became of Jake in the years after the Carl Lee Hailey trial?

We're going to find out, and soon. A new report says that John Grisham has written a sequel to A Time to Kill. The novel, entitled Sycamore Row, is set for release on October 22, 2013. My first reaction was excitement, but now I'm a bit nervous.

Let's face it, John Grisham has churned out some pretty dull novels in recent years. Of the last two I read, The Litigators and The Racketeer, I only liked one. The Litigators was actually one of the best Grisham books I've read in more than a decade, with deeper characters and a compelling storyline that kept me turning pages. The Racketeer? Ugh. I found it incredibly dull. I didn't feel at all invested in what was going on, and had zero motivation to keep going. I finished the book, but it felt like a chore.

See, this is what concerns me: A Time to Kill was a fantastic legal thriller (and a decent movie, for that matter). I don't want to taint the memory of that with a crappy sequel that's only coming out so Grisham can make even more money. I'm trying to remain cautiously optimistic here, but it's not easy.

For those of you who do like at least one or two of John Grisham's books, what do you think about the upcoming A Time to Kill sequel? Are you excited about finding out what became of Jake Brigance, or do you think Grisham should've left well enough alone?

Photo courtesy of USA Today