John Grisham is one of the world's best authors when it comes to legal thrillers. The Racketeer does not disappoint at all in this regard. You get the characterizations as well as the many twists in the plot, that all his fans over the years have fallen in love with. You are kept guessing throughout the book.
I personally was hooked from the moment I got the basics of this plot. The Racketeer tells the story of a 43 year old African American lawyer named Malcolm Bannister. The first part of the book deals with exposing the situation that Malcolm is currently in. He basically has been sent to jail for 10 years to serve time for a crime he swears he never committed. John then goes on to spend the rest of the first half of the book, detailing how Malcolm is planning on getting released from jail. His secret weapon is the information he knows about the murder of the judge who sent him to prison. He is willing to use this information, to convince the FBI to get him an early release from his sentence.
Who is John Grisham? He was actually a criminal defense and personal injury lawyer for about 10 years in Southaven, Mississippi. In his early days he would squeeze in writing whenever he got a chance, before heading off to work or even during the time the courtroom would recess. As a child he wanted to be a basketball player, until he realized he was not cut out to be a basketball player. His first book was A Time to Kill had only five thousand copies published in 1988. His big break came when Hollywood purchased film rights to his book The Firm, which was on The New York Best Sellers List for 47 whole weeks on its way to becoming the best selling book in 1991. On Amazon.com John Grisham is ranked number seven out of all the authors who sell their books on their website. I really enjoy how all of heros become alive in his books. He tends to write about normal everyday people that we can all relate to. As with all his other books you get glimpses of the life that lawyers live, and if I should say so myself it is very entertaining. Right from the beginning we are thrown into suspense, which makes it very difficult to put the book down once you start reading it. John masterfully writes using small sentences which do not contain any difficult words. This helps make the book easy to read. The information is slowly drip fed to you chapter by chapter. I was left wanting to know more and more as I read the book. It is important that you do not forget that this book is fiction, as stated in the notes of the author. Do not waste your time trying the check facts.
Although the book progresses at a rather fast pace, you may want to slow down towards the end or you will miss some tiny important details of the story. If you miss these, you may find yourself in a state of confusion when you get to the very end. This is a highly imaginative and entertaining story. The plot is great and so is the pace of the book. The revenge is tasteful and yet elegant at the same time. You will not get any courtroom drama in this one. However, it is still a fun and very enjoyable book to read.
Available in several formats - The Racketeer By John Grisham now