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Loading... The Brethren (2000)by John Grisham
None.   tauruseducation | Jun 7, 2013 |  This one was a new twist-judges in prison. Very entertaining. (  ) shesinplainview | Apr 13, 2013 | Three incarcerated judges conceive of a money-making scam they are able to run from federal prison: enticing closeted gay men to write to the fictional "Ricky" and "Percy" and then extort money by threatening to expose their predilections. Meanwhile, Aaron Lake is a senator selected by the CIA to run for President on a platform of doubling the defense budget (this was clearly written prior to the 2000 elections). The intersection of these two stories is entertaining as well as suspenseful as the CIA is expending a multitude of resources surveilling three bumbling elderly felons trying to figure out what they know and attempting to contain the fallout. (  ) EmScape | Apr 2, 2013 | Was a little confusing, too many characters for 2 different stories, that eventually became one. For me that is when it became more interesting. The ending was disappointing. (  ) lizamichelle1 | May 11, 2012 | this one wasn't too bad. it is about 3 judges that were put in prison for one monetary reason or another and the scam they run from prison to bank some money if and when they get out. it also ties in the outside with a presidental election. the only thing that really sucked about this book was the ending. it just sort of stopped. i hate it when books do that. but is wasn't a bad read before that. (  ) krushkelsey | Mar 30, 2012 | no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0440236673, Mass Market Paperback)John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is among the best plotters in the thriller business, and he infuses his books with a moral valence and creative vision that set them apart from their peers.The Brethren is in many respects his most daring book yet. The novel grows from two separate subplots. In the first, three imprisoned ex-judges (the "brethren" in the title), frustrated by their loss of power and influence, concoct an elaborate blackmail scheme that preys on wealthy, closeted gay men. The second story traces the rise of presidential candidate Aaron Lake, a puppet essentially created by CIA director Teddy Maynard to fulfill Maynard's plans for restoring the power of his beleaguered agency. Grisham's tight control of the two meandering threads leaves the reader guessing through most of the opening chapters how and when these two worlds will collide. Also impressive is Grisham's careful portraiture. Justice Hatlee Beech in particular is a fascinating, tragic anti-hero: a millionaire judge with an appointment for life who was rendered divorced, bankrupt, and friendless after his conviction for a drunk-driving homicide. The book's cynical view of presidential politics and criminal justice casts a somewhat gloomy shadow over the tale. CIA director Teddy Maynard is an all-powerful demon with absolute knowledge and control of the public will and public funds. Even his candidate, Congressman Lake, is a pawn in Maynard's egomaniacal game of ad campaigns, illicit contributions, and international intrigue. In the end, The Brethren marks a transition in Grisham's career toward a more thoughtful narrative style with less interest in the big-payoff blockbuster ending. But that's not to say that the last 50 pages won't keep your reading light turned on late. --Patrick O'Kelley (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:10:35 -0500) In a federal prison, three former judges who call themselves "the brethren" meet in the law library to run a rougher form of justice inside their community and make a some money, but when one of their scams derails, they are forced to confront the world of their own creation.… (more) |
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