Super Short Summary

In The Last Juror, narrator Willie Traynor, a college dropout, buys a bankrupt local paper in Clanton, Mississippi, with his grandmother's help and becomes its editor. He reports on the brutal rape and murder of a young widow, Rhoda Kassellaw, by Danny Padgitt, part of a crime family. Willie’s coverage boosts the paper's popularity and leads to Padgitt’s conviction. Years later, Danny is paroled, and subsequent juror murders ensue, culminating in Willie uncovering the true culprit behind these new killings. The book contains themes of rape, murder, and racial tensions.