The Confession (2010)

The Confession is a 2010 legal thriller novel by John Grisham, the second of two novels published in 2010. The novel is about the murder of a high school cheerleader and an innocent man's arrest for the crime. It was Grisham's first novel to be released simultaneously in digital and hardcover format.

Plot

In 1998, Travis Boyette abducts and rapes Nicole "Nikki" Yarber, a teenage girl and high school student in Slone, Texas. He buries her body in Joplin, Missouri which is around six hours from Slone. He watches unfazed as the police arrest and convict Donte Drumm, a Black high school football player with no connection to the crime.

Despite his innocence, Drumm is convicted and sentenced to death. The story begins after he has been on death row for nine years. While Drumm serves his prison sentence, lawyer Robert "Robbie" Flak fights for his case. Meanwhile, Black Americans protest his false conviction.

In the meantime, Boyette is serving as a parolee in Kansas. He has been suffering from a brain tumor for the past nine years, and his health has deteriorated. In 2007, with Drumm's execution only a week away, reflecting on his miserable life, he decides to do what is right: confess to carrying out the rape. He meets with a pastor, Reverend Keith Schroeder who takes him to Slone. Despite his public confession, the execution proceeds, and Drumm is executed by lethal injection.

The town is beset by racial tension, though a riot is averted. Boyette then reveals the resting place of Nikki, and DNA samples show signs of rape and assault on her body. Before an arrest warrant is issued for him, however, he absconds. In Slone, Flak leads legal attacks on those responsible for the false conviction and execution, while the Reverend Schroeder agonizes over what he has done: taken a paroled convicted rapist—and probable murderer—out of his parole zone (the state of Kansas). Schroeder winds up making his actions public, paying a fine, resigning from his church, and accepting a position at a reform-minded church in Texas. The latter happens after Boyette is caught attempting another rape.

List of characters

Donté Drumm

Donte's ordeal begins as a privileged and fortunate 17-year-old. He has only had mild altercations with law enforcement for possession of marijuana during youth. Now he is a star on the high school football team and loved by the female population of his school. His potential develops jealousy in Joey Gamble who, when rejected by Nicole, takes this out on Donte. Gamble tips off the police with an anonymous phone call, later proven to be his by the use of voice analysis. When the police take Donte in for questioning, Donte naively—but in good faith—signs away his Miranda rights. From then on, he is put on death row for the next nine years and ultimately executed.

Roberta Drumm

Donte's mother who is convinced her son is innocent and prays constantly for a reprieve. She is part of a large family. Her husband and Donte's father, Riley Drumm, dies of heart disease while Donte is on death row.

Nicole "Nikki" Yarber

The girl whose brutal rape and suspected murder led to capital murder charges, a crime which, upon conviction, can lead to the death penalty in the state of Texas.

Reeva Pike

Nicole Yarber's mother. Reeva is loud-mouthed, irrational, and theatrical in her behavior. She had been known to drive more than a hundred miles downriver to where it was speculated her daughter's body may have been dumped. She is adamant that the death penalty is right and is happy to tell anyone who will listen. Reeva lives with her second husband, who is not Nicole's father (Nicole has two half siblings from Reeva's second marriage) and who seems exasperated with Reeva's nine years of agony.

Travis Boyette

The real killer who had actually been in police custody in Slone at the same time Donté was detained. He is a serial rapist who was himself abused from the age of eight by an uncle who told his parent or guardian that they were going "fishing." He claims to be suffering from terminal brain cancer and carries a cane because of an apparent limp.

It turns out the tumor is not malignant, and the cane is there for protection in his halfway house. His seizures and intense headaches, however, are real. He has spent more than half of his 44 years in prison. His creepy behavior remains apparent to others, notably the number of occasions in which he states to Reverend Schroeder how he thinks his wife Dana is "cute."

Robbie Flak

The heir to the Flak law firm who works tirelessly for his clients. He makes a promise to Donté minutes before his execution that he would find the real killer and exonerate him for the sake of his family. Later, he throws a party at his graveside. Robbie works diligently for his clients on death row and files every possible motion to appeal. He does not consider his job finished until he has sued everyone responsible for Donté's wrongful execution, even those parties with immunity from prosecution. Outside of law, Robbie does not seem to have much social life, and both he and his romantic partner are happy to keep their work lives separate. Robbie is not particularly religious; nonetheless, is invited by the Black community of Slone to speak at Donté's funeral.

Reverend Keith Schroeder

The Kansas-based Lutheran pastor who assists in the transportation of a convicted felon across state lines. Schroeder strives to see the best in all people and emphasizes forgiveness. He has a strong sense of scruples and battles with himself to discern in complex situations what is the right thing. He is seen toward the end of the book trying to bring out Donté's past belief in God when all hope for a last-minute reprieve from the governor has been abandoned. Keith is married to Dana, who is substituting for his regular secretary at the Mission on the day Boyette first meets Keith. Eventually, his involvement in an illegal act, however justified, gets him in trouble with his bishop, but he is welcomed by a more socially active Lutheran congregation in Texas and becomes a committed opponent of the death penalty.