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The Broker

The Broker
John Grisham

January 11th, 2005







Price: $18.90 ($27.95)

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Literature & Fiction

Rating: 2.9 / 5.0 (657 votes)

Released: 2005-01-11

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The Broker by John Grisham

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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Editorial Review

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
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    Best Grisham Books on DVD


    A Time to Kill

    The Pelican Brief

    The Client

    The Firm

    The Rainmaker

    The Chamber

    Book Details

    Author: John Grisham Publisher: Doubleday Binding: Hardcover Language: English Pages: 368

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