The Appeal by John Grisham

The Appeal is a legal thriller written by American author John Grisham. It was released for the Asian market particularly in Indonesia on January 20, 2008 and in the United States on January 29, 2008. It is Grisham's first fictional legal thriller since The Broker was published in 2005. The Appeal is Grisham's 21st novel.

Two attorneys, Mary Grace and Wes Payton, have won a $41,000,000 judgment against Krane Chemical for dumping toxic materials into the drinking water of Bowmore, Mississippi, and the evidence is so solid that the verdict is unlikely to be disturbed by the appellate courts. Carl Trudeau, the chief executive of Krane Chemical, on the other hand, will do whatever is necessary to retain power by winning the appeal, even if it means selling his soul to a corrupt political machine. Much of the book concerns the electoral campaign for a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court.

The book is thought by some to be based on the 2004 judicial election of Brent Benjamin to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.