The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track—until the recession hits and she is downsized, furloughed, and escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, all for a slim chance of getting rehired.

In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Samantha’s new job takes her into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack. But some of the locals aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town, and within weeks Samantha is engulfed in litigation that turns deadly. Because like most small towns, Brady harbors big secrets that some will kill to conceal.

Gray Mountain by John Grisham is a captivating novel that tells the story of a young lawyer named Samantha Kofer who finds herself working for free in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. As she navigates the challenges of her new job, Samantha uncovers a web of corruption and greed that threatens the lives and livelihoods of the people in the community. With its compelling characters and gripping plot, Gray Mountain is a must-read for fans of legal thrillers and anyone who enjoys a good page-turner.