John Grisham has always been able to hook his readers with believable characters and fast-paced adventure, but in his latest novel, that formula breaks down late as he gets a bit preachy about his subject. Grisham presents a very convincing case against the death penalty in “The Confession.” (His profile on the back flap of the book notes that he is on the board of directors of the Innocence Project in New York and Mississippi, a program dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted prisoners.)

The clock is ticking down for death-row inmate Donte Drumm, a former high-school football star convicted of the kidnapping, rape and murder of a popular young cheerleader.

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