The Brethren by John Grisham, 0099280256, Lowest Book Price Finder

Customer Reviews:

The best time to have read this was when Bush Jnr was first elected!!!

This is my second favourite Grisham novel. I thrououghly enoyed it, but I think if I read for the first time it now i wouldn't get the same kick out of it. I loved the premise that the CIA wanted to engineer their own candidate into the White House to be sympathetic to raising the defense budget. The fact that I read this first when Bush Jnr had just come to power and started his own war helped fuel my imagination and I ended up taking an awful lot of enjoyment out of the places this novel took me.

The Brethren as in the characters, not the novel, were a great set of dispicable people. The thing I liked from the beginning of this book was the lack of entirely good guys, every one is corrutpable, everyone has their price... as the book progresses the reader is left to find the good in the characters on their own.

I found it refreshing and less formulaic than some of the other Grisham novels. All I can say is that it put a smile a smile on my face to read it.

Dull Playout of the Book's Brilliant Opening Scene

If John Grisham had stopped this book after the opening scene, in essence writing just a short story, he would have done his best work. It's breathtaking.

Unfortunately for Grisham, he decided to make a novel to follow that brilliance. The novel falls far short of the promise of that beginning.

I won't tell you about the beginning because that would spoil your pleasure, but do consider stopping there.

These are the plot premises in the book:

1. Two judges and a justice of the peace are incarcerated in a minimum security Federal prison. What would life be like for these former "law upholders?"

2. Felons need money when they get out. How can they earn some while in prison?

3. Felons and wardens need non-violent ways to resolve disputes in prison. How might this be done?

4. How can a presidential election be manipulated to determine the country's foreign policy?

5. How could a bunch of crooks threaten a presidential candidacy?

A lot of the answers depend on the presumption that the world is full of stupid older men with lots of money who want to have hot, young boy friends.

This book will appeal most to those who enjoy conspiracy theories about government action and inaction.

As a crime story, I've read a lot better.

But do enjoy that opening scene.

Interesting plot

The book is well written, looks like two story lines that are tied together extremely well. The two premises are very interesting. Three imprisoned judges pulling off for them what appears to be a safe blackmail scheme. And the CIA buying the Next predident of The USA. A book with no romance in it, and thank God. For this book is funny and easy to read. Buy it; you will not be sorry. Much better than his last couple that were released.

And suddenly, without warning: nothing happened!

A very easy to read novel where absolutely nothing happens form beginning to end. No twists, no main character. No sense. Two stars only for the writing which is as transparent as JG books always are but very very poor.

Below par for Grisham

I have now read nine Grishams in a month and this is the least satisfactory for it is not up to his usual standard. Normally the author can make you side with his criminal heroes even when they are murderers, but his three convicts, all ex-judges, are singularly unappealing when their scam is blackmailing homosexuals still in the closet. The involvement of the C.I.A. seems highly unlikely in the pushing of a presidential candidate, murder and injustice. I was expecting a twist at the end but there was none. In this book I think the author has left his own Christian moral framework. Has he concluded that we live in an amoral world?

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