The Boys from Biloxi

The Boys from Biloxi is a legal thriller written by John Grisham. Published in 2022, it tells the story of two men who are pitted against one another, as one runs a criminal enterprise and the other prosecutes crime as district attorney. An international best-selling author, Grisham worked as a lawyer for nearly a decade before becoming an author. His expertise informs the novel’s descriptions of legal processes and its thematic exploration of legality versus morality.

Other works by this author include A Time For Mercy, The Pelican Brief, and Sparring Partners.

This study guide refers to the 2022 Doubleday hardcover edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The Boys from Biloxi and this study guide touch on emotionally challenging and possibly triggering topics, including violence (murder, assault, statutory rape, rape), sex work, gambling, and capital punishment.

Plot Summary

The Boys from Biloxi is primarily told by an omniscient third-person narrator and has four parts: “The Boys,” “The Crusader,” “The Prisoners,” and “The Row.” It tells the story of two immigrant families, both from Croatia, that settled along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast: the Malco family (originally Malokovic) and the Rudy family (originally Rudic).