A Time to Kill didn't sell well when it was first published in 1989. It was not until a few years later after The Firm and The Pelican Brief became popular that the book was re-released and gained an audience. When it was made into a movie, Grisham had control over who would play Brigance — and he held up the production until he found the actor he believed to be perfect for the part, Matthew McConaughey.
Grisham says that fans would often come up to him and tell him that A Time to Kill was their favorite book — and they'd ask him when he was going to write about Jake Brigance again. But, he says, he couldn't come up with the right story until recently. And even then, his wife had serious doubts about returning to an old character.
"And she said you know, 25 years later things have changed so dramatically in our lives, and we're not struggling, we're not worried about paying the overhead, we're not worried about the next case. And she said, I'm not sure this is a good idea. I don't know if you can re-capture the voice that made A Time to Kill so authentic."