Book review: 'Theodore Boone, The Accused'

Book: Theodore Boone, The Accused
Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Hachette
Pages 271 
Price: Rs250

Growing up, I devoured every detective mystery I could get my hands on, be it Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Famous Five or Five Find-Outers and Dog. Many, many years later, John Grisham has given us yet another detective, 13-year-old Theodore Boone.
Theo is a legal whiz. The only son of two lawyers, he spends most of his time in their legal offices and in the courtroom. Unlike the aforementioned kid heroes, the kid Grisham introduces is no nosy detective, just someone extremely interested in the law.

The Accused is Grisham’s second offering in the Theodore Boone series, after The Abduction. In this book, Boone is forced to defend himself after being accused of a crime. A computer store has been robbed and Theo who’s already having a horrible week — first his locker, and then his bike get vandalised, and then someone throws a rock at his window — is the main accused. With the help of his uncle Ike, Theo sets out to prove his innocence. 

In terms of a detective story for children, Grisham gets it right. The crime is commonplace yet thrilling. And the school scenes — Theo’s desire to protect his friends, his being teased by schoolmates about being a suspect — sound very believable. 

The book, however, will not appeal to adults. There is no drama. The initial courtroom scene seems unrelated to the rest of the book. Theo’s story, from the accusation to the solved case, stays clear from the courtroom, except for a minor side track involving a spitting llama. There is nothing legal in this legal thriller.

The book is littered with subtly hidden lessons in morality. Theo voluntarily jumps into a fight even though it is against school rules and he could face suspension, because “sometimes a guy has got to fight”. But that’s the only sign of violence. And when Ike tells him to hide something from his parents, Theo goes through a long-drawn guilt trip.

Overall, The Accused has too much ‘good’ in it, the ‘bad’ parts and people are only briefly touched upon. None of the characters have much depth. And unlike the kid detectives of yore, you fail to sympathise, like or connect with Theo – he just seems too perfect.