The book's title is derived from a lawyer who wins spectacular cases and winning huge sums in damages being called "a rainmaker". The book's protagonist dreams of becoming such a "rainmaker" - which comes true, but not exactly in the way he expected.
Rudy Baylor is about to graduate from Memphis State Law School. He secures a position with a Memphis law firm but loses the job when the firm is bought out by the large Memphis law firm Tinley Britt. As one of the few members of his class without a job lined up, a desperate Rudy is introduced to J. Lyman "Bruiser" Stone, a ruthless but successful ambulance chaser, who makes him an associate. To earn his fee, Rudy is required to hunt for potential clients at the local hospital and sign them up to personal injury lawsuits. He is introduced to Deck Shifflet, a less-than-ethical former insurance assessor who received a law degree but doesn't practice law, having failed to pass the bar exam six times.
Rudy signs two clients. One is his new elderly landlady, who needs a revised will drawn. The other is a poor family, Dot and Buddy Black, whose insurance bad faith case could be worth several million dollars in damages. With Stone's firm about to be raided by the police and the FBI, Rudy and Deck set up their own practice and file suit on behalf of the Blacks, whose leukemia-stricken son, Donny Ray, could have been saved by a bone marrow transplant for which his identical twin brother is a perfect match. The procedure should have been covered and paid for by their insurance carrier, Great Benefit Life Insurance, but the claim was instead denied.
Rudy, having just passed his bar exam, has never argued a case before a judge or jury. He now finds himself up against experienced and ruthless lawyers from Tinley Britt, headed by Leo F. Drummond. On his side, Rudy has several supporters and a sympathetic, newly-appointed judge. While preparing the case in the local hospital, he meets and later falls in love with Kelly Riker, a young battered wife recovering from injuries inflicted by her husband Cliff.
Donny Ray dies just before the case goes to trial. Rudy uncovers a scheme by Great Benefit to deny every insurance claim submitted, regardless of validity. Great Benefit was playing the odds that the insured would not consult an attorney. A former employee of Great Benefit testifies that the scheme generated an extra $40 million in revenue for the company. The trial ends with the jury awarding the plaintiff's the unprecedented sum of $50.2 million - a sensational verdict making the headlines and catapulting Rudy, a young and hitherto unknown lawyer into the limelight. However, Great Benefit quickly declares itself bankrupt, thus allowing it to avoid paying the judgment. This leads to a series of lawsuits which forces Great Benefit out of business. It turns out that executives had managed to smuggle the company's assets out of the country, leaving it an empty shell.
Ultimately, there is no payout for the grieving parents and no fee for Rudy, although Dot was never concerned with the settlement money, because for her helping to put the company out of business is an even greater victory.
During the Black trial, when Kelly is beaten again by Cliff, Rudy helps her file for divorce. While he and Kelly retrieve items from her home, Cliff arrives and threatens to kill Rudy, attacking him with a baseball bat. Rudy wrestles the bat away from Cliff and cracks his skull with it. Kelly intervenes and orders him to leave. Cliff dies from the injuries and Kelly allows herself to be charged with manslaughter to protect Rudy. Rudy gets the charges dropped, but Cliff's vengeful family have made several death threats against them both. Rudy and Kelly leave the state, heading for someplace where Rudy – who has become disillusioned with the law – can become a teacher, and Kelly can attend college. Rudy goes as far as deciding never to register as a voter, so as not to be called to serve in a jury and "never see the inside of a courtroom".
Reception
The Los Angeles Times called the book "an indictment of the legal system from law school to the jury’s verdict."[2]Entertainment Weekly wrote that "if The Rainmaker’s outcome is a bit predictable, Grisham’s vivid minor characters and near-Dickensian zeal for mocking pomposity and privilege are apt to endear him to his many readers all over again."[3]Publishers Weekly wrote that "this bittersweet tale, the author's quietest and most thoughtful, shows that Grisham's imagination can hold its own in a courtroom as well as on the violent streets outside."[4]
The book sold 300,000 copies in its first four days, one of the fastest selling novels in history at the time.[5]
In an interview with Time Magazine, John Grisham said that Rudy Baylor is the one protagonist from all his novels that he would like to be the most.[6]
The The (disambiguation) Ṭhē Meanings of minor planet names: 5001–6000 The Mamas & the Papas The The The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord The Good, the Bad & the Queen The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Fellowship of the Ring The Good, the Bad, the Weird The Beatles Play the Residents and the Residents Play the Beatles The Lord of the Rings The Palace of the King of the Birds The Wicked + The Divine The Brave and the Bold The House of the Dead The O2 The Sims …
The Taming of the Shrew The Guide for the Perplexed The Indian in the Cupboard The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Supremes The Letter for the King The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Abandonment of the Jews The Best of The Stylistics The War of the Worlds The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees The Sheep and the Goats The Good, the Bad & the Live The Bold and the Beautiful The Medium Is the Massage The Keys to the Kingdom The Marys of the Empire The Independent The House of the Dead: Overkill The Passion of the Christ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Animatrix The End Is the Beginning Is the End The Bahamas The N The Keltiad The Beatles The Name of the Rose The Planets The Pines & the Devil The Band The Supersizers... The Flintstones The Who The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Lord of the Rings (film series) The Tales of Beedle the Bard Feeding the multitude The Waterboys The Tortoise and the Hare The House of the Dead III The Aquabats The Seekers The Lion, the Fox & the Eagle The Bear and the Travelers The WB The Picts and the Martyrs The Girl & The Fig Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videoga
