The Broker, John Grisham
New York Bestseller…questionably!
Synopsis
In his final hours in office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems that Backman, in his heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system.
Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after 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 is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, Who will kill him?
Richard says
Usually, John Grisham writes great novels without fail. This time he has produced a dud, a polished dud, but nevertheless a dud.
It’s far easier to criticize a writer for his work than it is to write something like the work that writer has produced. In this case, the story is dry. It lacks colour, oomph or pizzazz that Grisham’s other works have. Everyone of his legal, courtroom dramas have suspense, colour, tension and intrigue, often leaving the reader nearly breathless at the end of many pages. Not this one. The Broker reads like something written about Wall Street for accountants to read. It lacks so many things, making it unbelievable that the book made the New York Times Bestseller list. It had to be the name of the author that sold the necessary quota to earn the NY Times Bestseller list label. It sure wasn’t the story.
Not recommended if you are expecting the typical John Grisham novel.
