The original legal thriller sensation, John Grisham has written 52 consecutive number one bestsellers, which have sold 500 million copies in more than 45 languages around the world. Chances are you’ll find a copy of The Client, The Rainmaker, or A Time To Kill on your own bookshelf – or you'll have caught one of his blockbuster film adaptations starring Tom Cruise (The Firm) or Julia Roberts (The Pelican Brief).

As a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform, Grisham is an active supporter of organisations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. In today’s rare and special Book Festival event, Grisham speaks to award-winning crime writer Ian Rankin about his incredible career, the state of the US criminal justice system, and the relationship between the high-stakes fiction and stark reality of the law.