John Grisham

The Broker

Jonathan Tysick

Felt a bit like a tourist handbook of Italy rather than a Grisham novel.. But it was still entertaining here and there despite a fairly unsatisfactory ending.

In his final hours in the Oval Office the outgoing President grants a full pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. It's a controversial move, but what no one else knows is that the presidential pardon comes as a result of enormous pressure from the CIA. They claim that Backman may have obtained secrets that would compromise the world's most sophisticated satellite surveillance system. Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane; he is given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, once he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive - there's no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is: who will kill him?

Sarah Escorsa

I must admit I was expecting the worst after reading Grisham's last few novels but, surprisingly enough, this one turned out to be pretty good! I liked the characters, the intrigue and the now classical "Grisham chase". Alhtough not as enjoyable as the 90's Grisham novels (The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief, The Runaway Jury...) this book is a huge improvement from Grisham's more recent material.

The Broker

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