Editorial Product Review:

Amazon.com:
Before he was sent to federal prison for treason (among other things), Joel Backman was an extremely powerful man. Known as 'the broker,' Backman was a high roller--a lawyer making $10 million a year who could 'open any door in Washington.' That is, until he tried to broker a deal selling access to the world's most powerful satellite surveillance system to the highest bidder. When caught, Backman accepted prison as the one option that would keep him safe and alive, since the interested parties (the Israelis, the Saudis, the Russians, and the Chinese) were all itching to get their hands on his secrets at any cost. Little does he know that his own government has designs on accessing that information--or at least letting it die with him. Now, six years after his incarceration, the director of the CIA convinces a lame duck president to pardon Backman, and the broker becomes a free man--and an open target.

The Broker marries the best of John Grisham's many talents--his ability to immerse himself in the culture of small town life (in this case, Bologna, Italy), and his uncanny mastery of the chase. The first half of the book focuses on Backman's transformation from infamous power broker to helpless victim in his own game. Upon his release from prison, Backman is taken into 'protective custody' and whisked off to Italy where he is assigned a new identity, and a tutor to help him blend in. Sure he is on the run, but some readers may feel that Backman's time spent in Bologna is a bit too leisurely--readers join him on an almost cinematic tour through the Italian town, complete with language and history lessons. Impatient readers will be happy to know that the final half of the novel is classic Grisham--a fast-paced, thrilling cat and mouse chase pitting Backman against the numerous agencies that want him dead--as the broker makes a move to take back his life. --Daphne Durham

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Grisham: The Books

A Time to Kill, 1989 The Firm, 1991 The Pelican Brief, 1992 The Client, 1993 The Chamber, 1994 The Rainmaker, 1995

The Runaway Jury, 1996 The Partner, 1997 The Street Lawyer, 1998 The Testament, 1999 The Brethren, 2000 A Painted House, 2001

Skipping Christmas, 2001 The Summons, 2002 The King of Torts, 2003 Bleachers, 2003 The Last Juror, 2004 The Broker, 2005

Essential Grisham
Amazon Editor Favorites

A Time to Kill	The Firm	A Painted House
The Client	The Rainmaker	The Pelican Brief

Bestselling Grisham
Amazon Customer Favorites

The Last Juror	Skipping Christmas	Bleachers
The Testament	The Partner	The King of Torts

If You Like Grisham, You'll Love...

John Lescroart Richard North Patterson David Baldacci

Lisa Scottoline Robert Crais Michael Crichton

Harlan Coben Dennis Lehane Ken Follett

Best Grisham Books on DVD

A Time to Kill	The Pelican Brief	The Client
The Firm	The Rainmaker	The Chamber

Item Description:
In his final hours in the Oval 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 Backman, in his power broker 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?









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More related to this product:

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• Bleachers
• The Testament
• The Partner
• The Street Lawyer
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Customer Rating: - low-key suspense
Joel Backman is "the Broker"--a Washington power broker-lobbyist. Then his empire collapses when a deal collapses involving a hacked spy satellite that nobody acknowledges, and Backman ends up in jail, broke.

Six years later, he's pardoned by a lame duck President, and whisked away to Italy by the CIA. Everyone's after him, including the CIA, though they're more interesting in finding out who kills him than in either killing him themselves or keeping him safe.

So Backman is completely out of his element, under constant surveillance, and kept deliberately short of money and paperwork so he can't run far, even if he tries. But he didn't get to be "the Broker" by being stupid, either.

This was a fairly low-key suspense book, but I enjoyed the transformation from wealthy cold-hearted power broker to someone who's dependent on others for everything, and who's learning to reevaluate his priorities. It was also quite lovely to revisit Italy.

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Customer Rating: - Grisham back on great form
Not everything John Grisham writes is a winner. Remember 'The Brethren' about some highly unlikely judges in jail? And 'The Testament' was also a clunker. But basically Grisham is a safe bet, with a good tale, well told and the usual young and struggling Mississippi lawyer hero who appears under different names but always gets justice in the end. Well, forget all that. Here, our hero lives in Italy and he's not really a hero at all. But he's a hell of a lot nicer than the guys who are after him.

The Broker is a lot of fun. It's a just a great read - pick it up and whizz through it. It's not great literature, but it is Grisham doing what he does best - producing an intriguing plot, credible characters and a setting spiced with real detail that comes from knowing the location well. I liked it and I think you will.

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Customer Rating: - If you don't know it, don't write about it
Hate to say it, but about 300 pages of this book were unncessary. The entire "leanin to talk Italian" portion was a waste of time since it had almost no bearing on the plot, nor did it get me to care about the main character. Didn't really develop the guy at all. The story was plausible, but couldn't figure out if it wanted to be a love story, inner-person struggle, or spy novel. Too bad - Grisham's early work was so good, and now it's come to this. Best part - the author's disclaimer at the end about how he doesn't know about technology, spies, espinoage, etc. but wrote a book and took my money. Pretty cheap.

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Customer Rating: - Perfect For A Long Car Trip
I bought this unabridged version of the CD read by Michael Beck for a long car trip, and wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed Michael Beck as a reader. I've listened to many books on tape, and I've actually gone looking for other books he's read because he does it so well. (I've listened to other readers, and there's definitely a skill involved there.)

First, if you're looking for the courtroom drama/action, you won't find it here. I do feel I could figure out how to change my identity and that part was really interesting an entertaining. Second, I would suggest that maybe the abridged version would have been a bit easier to handle. All the learning of the Italian, exercise drills, etc, while probably natural when actually reading a book, just really slowed the whole process down in audio. I kept wanting to get on with the story since I'm listening to it to take my mind off tedious travel, and instead I'm getting tedious Italian lessons.

Grisham has a writing style that's enjoyable, but I was hoping for something really suspenseful. The beginning was great, the middle slow and the end felt a little too convenient. Not as good as his other books, but he took me to someplace other than boring highway, so 4 stars from me.