Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Broker

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 38,467 ratings · 1,360 reviews

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 hey...more

Paperback, 422 pages

Published September 26th 2006 by Delta (first published 2005)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The best of John Grisham

22nd out of 32 books — 85 voters

My Favorite John Grisham Books

5th out of 20 books — 15 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 22, 2008 Sai Thein Than rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd say for sure that it is definitely not a great novel. A good one, maybe. But that's only because it presents a hefty, nasty world of politics. Maybe Grisham wanted it to be quite shoestring 'cause he was quite bored with the hypes and the best-seller title(I've no idea about that since it's my 1st John Grisham's). The 1st and the last third of the novel are quite good. The middle part in which Backman's roaming in Italy is the part that really bores me. The story may be better if Backman's t...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 19, 2009 Ndahdien Ramadhan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Di akhir masa jabatannya sebagai Presiden, Arthur Morgan yang baru saja mengalami kekalahan telak dan memalukan duduk bersama Teddy, pimpinan CIA untuk mendiskusikan pembebasan Joel Backman seorang Broker ulung yang dijebloskan dalam penjara isolasi dengan tuduhan membahayakan rahasia negara. Bagi Morgan pembebasan itu hanyalah tamparan kepada Washington yang sudah mempermalukannya, sedangkan bagi Teddy pembebasan Backman hanyalah sebuah pancingan agar pihak-pihak yang terkait kasusnya memperlih...more Di akhir masa jabatannya sebagai Presiden, Arthur Morgan yang baru saja mengalami kekalahan telak dan memalukan duduk bersama Teddy, pimpinan CIA untuk mendiskusikan pembebasan Joel Backman seorang Broker ulung yang dijebloskan dalam penjara isolasi dengan tuduhan membahayakan rahasia negara. Bagi Morgan pembebasan itu hanyalah tamparan kepada Washington yang sudah mempermalukannya, sedangkan bagi Teddy pembebasan Backman hanyalah sebuah pancingan agar pihak-pihak yang terkait kasusnya memperlihatkan diri, kalopun Backman mati itu bukan masalah besar selama kematiannya tidak terjadi di Amerika.

Backman dibuang ke negara yang amat sangat gw sukai, I-T-A-L-Y . Dengan identitas baru bernama ”Marco” ia dibantu oleh Luigi dan Ermanno mulai belajar bahasa Italy dan mengenal lingkungannya mulai dari kebiasaan makan, minum dan tentu saja berbusananya. Ahh Italy emang keren banget, penulis manapun yang mengambil setting Italy dijamin akan menghabiskan lebih dari satu Bab hanya untuk menceritakan keindahan tempat, makanan, kopi, opera, fashion atau bahkan sejarah bangunannya. Okelah tidak perlu gw ceritain keindahan Italy menurut sudut pandang John Grisham, kita liat aja kasus yang membuat Backman eh Marco sampe di tuduh membahayakan rahasia negara.

Profesi backman sebagai broker handal yang dapat membuka semua pintu loby menuju senat diminati Safi dan Fasal salah 2 dari 3 orang penemu asal Pakistan yang memiliki program ”JAM”. Program ini bukan hanya meningkatkan kecepatan komunikasi ”Neptunus” (sebuah rangkaian satelit temuan mereka yang beredar dari semenanjung Arab - Afghanistan - Pakistan - hingga Cina) tapi juga membuat Neptunus mampu mengacaukan navigasi dan komunikasi satelit-satelit yang ada di orbit. Negara-negara haus data intelejen seperti Cina, Arab, Rusia, Israel dan Amerika berebut ingin memilikinya dengan tawaran-tawaran yang menggiurkan hingga seperti biasa Amerika membuat cerita BOHONG bahwa kantor Backman membocorkan rahasia negara dengan bukti-bukti yang ga’ bisa dibantah. Kekacauanpun terjadi, Hubbarad rekan Backman dibunuh dan backman memilih menerima semua tuduhan dengan tidak membocorkan keberadaan ”JAM” demi keselamatan hidupnya. Dan di tempat barunya (yang selalu gw impiin) Backman mulai belajar bertahan hidup dan berusaha tetap hidup ditengah perburuan akan hidupnya dari negara-negara yang pernah berurusan dengan ”JAM”. Walopun diawasi dengan ketat tapi dia berhasil membuat kontak dengan anaknya dan dia juga berhasil meloloskan diri dari pemburunya maupun penjaganya menuju ke Swiss untuk mengambil ”JAM”. Berbekal ”JAM” dan perencanaan yang matang dia kembali ke Amerika untuk membuka rahasia kepemilikan ”JAM”.

Membaca The Broker seperti menghirup udara segar di kota bernama John Grisham yang biasanya bercerita sangat amat lambat dengan banyak narasi deskriptif panjang dan bertele-tele (tapi tetep gw sukai). Cerita thriller seperti ini memang bukan barang bacaan baru tapi tetap mengasyikkan demi melihat penulisnya.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 05, 2008 Ronald rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book I reviewing is The Broker by John Grisham. It's a fiction story based on the world of politics, crime and espionage.
The broker is about Joel Backman who is a broker who has stumble onto a conspiracy about a satellite surveillance system that can corrupt the power in office and the he also try to sell this satellite to the highest bidder in the world for a great profit that will benefit him. What the government does is they incarcerate him for 6 years to make sure that the secret of the...more The book I reviewing is The Broker by John Grisham. It's a fiction story based on the world of politics, crime and espionage.
The broker is about Joel Backman who is a broker who has stumble onto a conspiracy about a satellite surveillance system that can corrupt the power in office and the he also try to sell this satellite to the highest bidder in the world for a great profit that will benefit him. What the government does is they incarcerate him for 6 years to make sure that the secret of the satellite doesn't get leaked out then an unexpected presidential pardon release him of his 20 year sentence with the CIA haven different intention they ship him to a oversea country in a military cargo ship, his new home Italy, new identity, no friends besides his CIA friend and mentor Lugi and his Italian instructors.
I found this book very exciting that man just been released just to be killed what a plot in a book. knowing that this man was able to outwit many people in his new home of Italy and that he was able to withstand whatever the government has thrown at him the ability to adapt to in a new environment was exceptionally impressive in this book new language, customs and tradition learned in merely in a couple of weeks what an outstanding person this Joel Backman is.
This book was so descriptive telling every detail that was necessary for you to get an enchanted feeling of the book just like if you was in Italy describing the smell of the food the customs how so different and oddly more polite then American customs.
This book reflects many subjects in life how the book talks about the power in government how it’s twisted and how the world is now. that not all what can be done is being done but the people are merely just looking out for themselves cant really compare a matter such big to a simple life style for myself but if I get compare I would say that know days no one can do anything with out someone that is watching them do I'm saying that people are always overview my life how Joel Backman was.
Who would I recommend this book to that's an excellent question to ask? I would say anyone who likes to read about conspiracy espionage and so what.
In conclusion this book is outstanding excellent beyond expectation of what I have pictured. Excellent plot and story line very interesting enjoyable would recommend it to anyone who likes to read. Descriptive one of the best works of fiction I have read so far.

(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 17, 2013 Henri Hegemier rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've heard about Chinese hackers stealing American secrets and North Korean hackers having fun with South Korea banks in the news, but The Broker, by John Grisham, takes this idea of Cyber-warfare to the extreme, in a fast, thrilling novel that combines his traditional lawyer drama with a dash of geek that makes it a great read for any tech enthusiast. A former Washington power broker and the main character, Joel Backman, finds himself in jail after he tries to sell JAM, a powerful piece of soft...more I've heard about Chinese hackers stealing American secrets and North Korean hackers having fun with South Korea banks in the news, but The Broker, by John Grisham, takes this idea of Cyber-warfare to the extreme, in a fast, thrilling novel that combines his traditional lawyer drama with a dash of geek that makes it a great read for any tech enthusiast. A former Washington power broker and the main character, Joel Backman, finds himself in jail after he tries to sell JAM, a powerful piece of software that can control secret satellites which are built by the Chinese and can view a person standing on the street in HD real-time. However, the CIA, along with Washington's disgraced president Morgan, are eager to let him out of jail and then set him up to be killed by China, Israel, Russia, or Saudi Arabia, which had all wanted to purchase JAM from Backman and now desperately want to find out the secret of what it does.

The suspense begins when Backman is quickly pardoned by the president, which erupts rumors of a cash-for-pardon scandal in the Capitol (though this is not true). Shipped off to Italy, under an alias of Marco, Backman must learn Italian and blend in with the inhabitants of Bologna, who have no idea who he is. Grateful for his pardon, Backman nevertheless develops suspicions of what his captors had intended for him, and his tech-saavy son, Neal, sends him a Pocket PC with a TIM card, (essentially what we call a smartphone today) along with an encrypted e-mail service, which allows him to communicate with his son anonymously. This really appeals to techies and old-technology enthusiasts. However, the agents who have bugged his house are suspicious of the new shoulder bag he carries with him at all times, and it soon is stolen by a supposedly random pickpocket.

Deprived of this one connection to the outside world, and worried about his fate due to several of his friends being assassinated by the CIA or foreign countries back home, he takes off, fleeing the agents assigned to oversee him and using the last of his euros to buy a plane ticket back to America. Backman decides to offer JAM to the CIA, in exchange for the relatively everyday assurance that he can live free as a U.S. citizen. The climax begins, as members of China's elite killing squad are just around the corner, but the CIA follows through and Backman goes free, ending the suspense to one of the greatest thrillers of the 2000s, which any tech enthusiast will thoroughly enjoy. (less)

like · see review

Mar 09, 2013 Jesse Broussard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, good

This is probably my favourite of Grisham's books, despite a smattering of sentimental cliches that make me desire to inspect the brains of some fairly central characters with a fire poker. The worst one:

(She:) "Have I offended you?"
(He:) "You could smile more."
She nodded slightly and her eyes were instantly moist. She looked away, through the window, and said, "I have so little to smile about."

This type of thing, along with the rhythm (wretched) of most of his prose convinces me that Grisham ou...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 03, 2013 Jr Bacdayan rated it 2 of 5 stars

It's OK. Not that bad, not that good either. The plot was promising, but I got bored along the way. Because it's Grisham, the characters are always interesting and the writing is always great. But my problem here was the pace. There were a lot of instances where I thought Grisham was beating around the bush. He was rather fond of the Italian culture and took lengths to explain quite a few things and that would have been nice if this was a book about Italy. But, this is an espionage thriller of s...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 08, 2013 Dave marked it as to-read

Shelves: calibre, fiction

SUMMARY: 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...more

like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Jesse Cozean rated it 3 of 5 stars

So "The Broker" was the worst John Grisham book I've read - though that's a bit like choosing my least favorite chocolate bar. Unlike most Grisham books, the plot unfolds predictably and very slowly. The vast majority of the book consists of an extended Italian lesson as the main character, a former Washington lobbyist, tries to blend into a witness protection program. He seems already aware, somehow, that the CIA broke him out of jail just to let him get killed, and he conveniently flees moment...more

like · see review

Aug 12, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, action-adventure, suspense-mystery, non-erotic

Originally posted at: http://lasrmystery.blogspot.com/2012/...

He might have pled guilty, but that doesn't mean he was.

Okay, so why would an innocent man plead guilty if he wasn't? That's what The Broker is about. There are a very few auto-buy authors for me. John Grisham is one of those authors. Once I sit down to read one of his books, I'm there for the long haul. I never know what will happen next and can't wait to find out how it happens.

Joel Backman did a lot of bad things. He brokered deals...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 08, 2012 Pascale Plänk Steig rated it 1 of 5 stars

In this hefty 422-page wanna-be spy-novel-travel guide, -421 pages too long-, Mr. Grisham confirms that he is fortunate, indeed, to make so much money with so little talent. This book is generously peppered with little gems, such as, ‘”I love Stuttgart,” Marco said, just to watch it unwrinkle.’ Or, “He met Joel at the powerful oak door and they shook hands properly, but not like old friends.” “In other days, he’d have followed Elke anywhere, but now it was only downstairs.” Mr. Grisham, who is n...more

like · see review

May 09, 2012 Margaret rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books

The good part: Michael Beck's terrific reading of this unabridged audio edition of the book. Mr. Beck moves things along, gives each character a distinctive (and consistent) voice, and makes all the right and proper inflections of a good story teller. Bravo to him!

The not so good part: John Grisham's strengths as a writer are (1) moving a plot along in gripping, relentless fashion, and (2) making the unbelievable believable. He's not so good at these in this book, so it was a near flat Grisham t...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 18, 2012 Remo rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2006, novela

El último libro de Grisham [JG] de este verano. Qué les voy a contar, estimados lectores. Odio la serie Zeta de “semibolsillo” que ha sacado Ediciones B. Con la excusa de que el libro es un poco más grande le doblan el precio y lo ponen a diez euros en lugar de a cinco, que es lo que cuestan muchos de sus libros de bolsillo. Truco barato que detesto.

En cuanto al contenido, JG es siempre JG. En esta ocasión nos narra las aventuras y desventuras de un abogado caído en desgracia que es liberado de

...more

En cuanto al contenido, JG es siempre JG. En esta ocasión nos narra las aventuras y desventuras de un abogado caído en desgracia que es liberado de su condena a 20 años para servir de peón, sin saberlo, en una partida de ajedrez mundial. Pero, como siempre, la CIA no contaba con la astucia de nuestro protagonista y no les será tan fácil controlarle.

La traducción de este libro tiene algunos fallos que te sacan de la lectura, haciéndote preguntarte cómo demonios se le pudo pasar eso por alto a la traductora. Además de hablar de una avioneta que vuela a 12000 metros, altura que no alcanzan muchos vuelos comerciales a reacción, o de hablar de un jugoso soborno a un juez de nada menos que 400 dólares (podríamos calificarlas como simples erratillas de traducción) está la negativa de la traductora a traducir quilt, que de toda la vida ha sido “colcha” o “edredón”. Pues no, se nos dice repetidamente que hay un personaje que lleva una quilt sobre las piernas. Y cuando el prota va a escribir un correo electrónico, se nos dice que hay que pulsar en New message form, cuando podría tranquilamente decir “Formulario para nuevo mensaje”, por ejemplo. Yo creo que se le olvidó traducir esto último, aunque lo del quilt tiene más delito.

Por lo demás, Grisham menciona en este libro a los espías del Mossad y a su forma de actuar cuando quieren eliminar a alguien, y lo hace de modo bastante coherente con otro libro que leí recientemente sobre el Mossad. Me gustó mucho. JG menciona al final del libro que no tiene ni idea de espionaje, pero la sensación que da, al menos para el profano, es de credibilidad.

Por lo demás, JG en estado puro. Calidad justita, pero muy entretenido. Suficiente para mis lecturas de hamaca veraniega. Mi nota: Entretenido.

(less)

like · see review

Aug 14, 2011 Awais rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: john-grisham

Another great novel by john grisham. He displays a chracter which is wealthy and rich and is basically a lobbyist.He is having all kind of luxuries and lavishness one can think of. He charge his customers huge sums of money. Owns a law firm. He is approached by a group of three scientists. whos have developed a software to hack Neptune (A group of nine satellites sent into space by chinese) by which they can not only trace the satellite by control it in a manner so that it can provide with the...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 13, 2011 Maggie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommended-by-a-friend

Everyone who's ever read any Grisham knows that he has the world's most convenient plots. Things that wouldn't occur under any other circumstances happen in his books. To make the suspension of disbelief even harder for me, I've worked in the U. S. legal field for 40 years, in both civil and criminal litigation. Thus, I know how it really works.

I'd actually given up reading his books when during The Runaway Jury I said to myself four times "Like that would ever happen!" But I have a very good f...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 12, 2011 Eric Dunn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is another novel in a long line of great books by John Grisham. You know it's going to be a fun book when the CIA is leaking someones whereabouts just to see who kills him. When I read the jacket of the book I was afraid that they may have given too much of the plot away. I was wrong. There was still plenty of suspense and drama to be had. This book had me guessing how it was going to end until it was over. I must admit that I didn't guess right at all.

The characters in this book are well...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 19, 2011 Geun Ho - ISB Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my second book of John Grisham. After reading the Pelican Brief, I was fascinated with how intelligently and well this author could write. On this farely recent book of his, I was not disappointed but even more amazed at how amazing an writer John Grisham is. Similar to the Pelican Brief, it seemed to me that Grisham again showed some opposition to the US government as in both books this government is the "bad guy". But his use of the idea of "space race" was very entertaining since I co...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 29, 2011 Kathy Chung rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense

Reviewed at : Mama Kucing Books : The Broker By John Grisham

I have read this book a few years ago. Came across this book again when I was looking for something in the storeroom. Read the synopsis and found that I have forgotten much of the story. Hence the interest to re-read this again.

Found that the beginning and the middle are very interesting. The suspense was there. But by the ending, the suspense just couldn't keep up. Many things just seems to coincidentally fell in step. It doesn't seem...more

like · see review

Mar 20, 2011 Mike The Situation rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was about a man who was a broker in Washington D.C. named Joel Blackman. A secret program was created that could take control of the most technologically advanced satellite in the world called Neptune. This broker was put in control of selling this program to the country that was willing to pay the highest price. He gets greedy and the situation gets messy. The CIA begins to investigate and charges are brought against the lawyer and his associates. During the trial, some of his associa...more This book was about a man who was a broker in Washington D.C. named Joel Blackman. A secret program was created that could take control of the most technologically advanced satellite in the world called Neptune. This broker was put in control of selling this program to the country that was willing to pay the highest price. He gets greedy and the situation gets messy. The CIA begins to investigate and charges are brought against the lawyer and his associates. During the trial, some of his associates are “murdered”. Blackman instantly takes a plea that sends him to federal prison for twenty years. Only six years into his sentence, Blackman is pardon by the President who has only hours left in office.
That night Blackman is put on a flight to Italy where he is forced to begin a new life under the surveillance of the CIA. This new life involves, learning a new language and living inconspicuously as Marco Lazzeri. Things are fine until one day the people that were angry about not getting the satellite program find out where he is. The next thing you know, people are following him. Blackman is able to get out of the country with the help of his female Italian tutor and his son Neal. Blackman flies to Switzerland where he withdraws the program from a safety deposit box there. After this he ends up back in the U.S. with a plan to set everything straight. He meets with the CIA and gives them for free the program that he was once asking $500 million before entering prison. The CIA was able to figure out who made the satellite by using the information Blackman indirectly offered. Blackman was pardoned as bait. The CIA watched him, they figured whatever country killed him would be the one who was the creator of the satellite.
Blackman was auctioning off some of the most confidential and important information in the world to the highest bidder. He went to prison to escape being killed. Not even half way through his term he was pardoned and shipped to Italy as bait. He avoided being killed while having one of the biggest targets on his back in the world. Finally he gives the U.S. the information and heads back to Italy to reunite with his lady Italian teacher.
This book was interesting throughout. Grishem kept the reader guessing with many different twists and turns in the plot. The suspense kept building and building under all of the sudden, everything came together. I was disappointed however with the ending. Yes most of the questions were answered in the end, but one of the most important things is left out. Interesting novel, pretty good plot, okay ending.
(less)

like · see review

Mar 05, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, novel

I liked it, but I can see why I've started The Partner about a dozen times and never finished it. Maybe it's because I'm reading a book about romance novels for one of my classes (and thus in the mood for a good romance novel), but I just didn't feel very fulfilled by this book. Don't get me wrong, I loved the story & found it very suspenseful, but part of what makes Grisham's writing so supsenseful is that he's so sparse in his character descriptions, leaving evidence for their motivations...more

like · see review

Feb 07, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, mystery, my-library, kindle

An entertaining story with a fast moving plot.

I had an urge last week to read a story by John Grisham and The Broker was my selection. Before that I had read "The Summons"(It was a fair read). I don't read his novels in sequences which fortunately for someone like me there is no need, because each of Mr. Grisham's books will stand on their own. I thought The Broker was an easy read that was very entertaining. There was a lot of intrigue woven into a fast moving plot. I thought the class room in...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 29, 2011 Tancredi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: statunitensi, thriller

E' il primo - e finora unico - romanzo di Grisham che leggo. Non è esattamente il mio genere, e inoltre per natura sto lontano da prolifici autori di genere, come reputo per l'appunto Grisham.
Da un punto di vista tecnico, il romanzo è ben scritto: un buon uso del ritmo e della suspence, una scrittura scorrevole, una regia di personaggi notevole. Tutte caratteristiche di scrittori di professione del calibrio di Grisham.
Insomma, ad un'analisi profonda "Il Broker" è esattamente ciò che si definisce...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2011 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great Book, I was hesitant to read this book because many people on this site did not speak favorably about it. The book is not like many of Grisham's other books but the story is great and the fun part is that it can go many different ways.
Joel Backman is "the Broker"- a Washington power broker-lobbyist. But his life falls apart when a deal collapses involving a hacked spy satellite that nobody knows about, and Backman ends up in jail. Six years later, the political wheels in Washington have t...more

like · see review

Dec 21, 2010 Stephen Escalera rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm relatively new to Grisham's work, but even I could tell that this book was not up to his standards. The story follows Joel Backman, a high-powered broker who gets himself into a lot of trouble and is sent to a federal prison to be kept in solitary confinement. What that trouble is exactly we don't find out until about halfway through the book. When we are first introduced to Backman, he is described in such terms that make you glad he got caught. Surely, he is the bad guy in the book, right?...more I'm relatively new to Grisham's work, but even I could tell that this book was not up to his standards. The story follows Joel Backman, a high-powered broker who gets himself into a lot of trouble and is sent to a federal prison to be kept in solitary confinement. What that trouble is exactly we don't find out until about halfway through the book. When we are first introduced to Backman, he is described in such terms that make you glad he got caught. Surely, he is the bad guy in the book, right? As events unfold so painfully slowly, I thought perhaps that Backman would turn out not to be too bad and perhaps he was framed or something. Nope. He did everything and got everything he deserved. But yet by the end of the book, I got that feeling that I was supposed to like him, despite being the sleazeball that he is/was.

The story is set in Italy where the U.S. government has decided to hide Backman until they deem an appropriate time to leak his whereabouts to foreign nations in order to see who kills him first. I thought perhaps this was going to turn into a story of how Backman kept having to hide from either the U.S. government or foreign governments. Instead, way too much of the book is spent on Backman learning Italian or eating some lovely Italian delicacy or visiting some wonderful Italian architecture. The pace does pick up when the time actually comes for Backman to run, but even that doesn't make up for the rest of the book. The professional, government-paid assassins sent to whack him are seemingly a side note, even though the whole premise of the book is that Backman is hiding from them and is supposed to be on the run.

It's evident, as Grisham points out in his author's note, that he greatly admires the Italian culture. I'm sure quite a bit of research went into describing the various Italian cultural tidbits. But reading how to greet one another in Italian over and over again is not the stuff a person usually wants to read in a Grisham book. Overall, it was slow and disappointing.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 20, 2010 Sid Frost rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that I've read all of Grisham's books, and loved every one. As a struggling writer, I have been trying to figure out his secret. His books are written in a way that makes you want to keep turning pages, but I'm not sure why. He jumps from one point of view to another seemingly at random, but it still works. There's not much description, but somehow I can visualize each scene. I guess if I could figure it out, I too would be the author of many books.

The Broker was a little...more

like · see review

Oct 26, 2010 Trennon Leavitt rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is about a power broker named Joel Backman. During his time as a high ranking attorney in Washington, three young, but brilliant, Pakistanis discover a surveillance satellite that has technology that is decades ahead of everyone else. The Pakistanis find a way to take over the satellite and manipulate it to work for them. Joel Backman decides to help them sell the program but when all three are found dead and no one accepts responsibility for the killings or the satellite, Joel becomes...more This book is about a power broker named Joel Backman. During his time as a high ranking attorney in Washington, three young, but brilliant, Pakistanis discover a surveillance satellite that has technology that is decades ahead of everyone else. The Pakistanis find a way to take over the satellite and manipulate it to work for them. Joel Backman decides to help them sell the program but when all three are found dead and no one accepts responsibility for the killings or the satellite, Joel becomes worried for his life. When the CIA arrest him for past crimes, he quickly pleads guilty and serves time.

After serving 6 years in prison, the President gives Joel a full pardon in the eleventh hour of his presidency. It looks like Joel will get out early and earn 14 years of his life back. But the catch is he has to move out of the country and take on a whole new identity. Backman agrees with this idea because he is still worried about the people who killed his three young partners. He takes up his new life in the small Italian town of Bologna as Marco Lazerri. He spends the majority of his time learning the culture and, of course, the language. What he doesn't know is that the CIA planned the pardon from the beginning. They pardoned Backman and then leaked the information of his new identity to the possible countries that would've had motive behind the killings six years earlier. They figure that once the broker's location and new identity is "discovered", the actual owner will exact their revenge on Backman by assassination. Backman is the cheese in the mousetrap and the CIA does not worry if he gets eaten so long as they can locate the mouse.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was hard to follow in the beginning but really picked up after the first 75 pages. It has a lot of suspense and twists. The location gives the author an opportunity to share his love and knowledge of Italian history, architecture and food. I would recommend it if you have read other novels by John Grisham, but it is a harder read and takes a lot of time to finish.(less)

like · see review

Aug 22, 2010 Jayesh Naithani rated it 2 of 5 stars

John Grisham's "The Broker" is about a once very successful lawyer, until he tries to broker a deal with the Saudis, Russians, Chinese, and Israelis about information he has that will compromise one of the most sophisticated spy satellite systems in the world. The deal doesn't work out, the broker get's caught, and he chooses prison to keep himself safe and alive while still not revealing the secrets he has in his possession somewhere.

Six years later he is pardoned by a President leaving office...more

like · see review

Jul 05, 2010 Jerry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fine story telling, but somewhat weak ending...

We're long time Grisham fans, despite the real duds he serves up now and then. In "Broker", we're reminded of some of the author's best story-telling books. The plot is clever but not overly thrilling: a lawyer (Backman), in jail for conspiracy, gets pardoned and is swept over to Italy in secret by the CIA, as a ploy to get some foreign government who still holds a grudge to knock him off. We then get some 200 pages of northern Italian travelogue (a...more

like · see review

Jan 28, 2010 Irfan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory

This book is an excellent example of what an American should be. John Grisham uses his words as poetry and his descriptions as art that a person forgets that he or she is reading a book and think of themselves as a part of something larger than life. As John Grisham writes, his words and quotes act like dialogues in a movie and a person can not make themselves let the book ago.
The Broker is a riveting tale of a Washington broker Joel Backman who because of a disaster in a satellite deal goes to...more

like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Ainiah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: legal-thriller

We look at Joel, a.k.a Marco, being transported to a small town where he is forced to learn Italian and keep himself safe until the moment when his whereabouts would be leaked and his life become bait.

(Spoilers)
The book showed promise and frankly a lot of action as our hero rumbles around town and attempts to keep himself alive. Enough backstory is provided to understand what is happening and as the plan by ex-CIA director moves into place, everybody is given the go.
Frankly I found the pace a li...more

like · see review

Mar 03, 2010 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Grisham tells of a powerful lobbyist aka the Broker who got too greedy and was ready to sell the an intelligence satellite system that the Chinese made and three Pakistani programmers hacked into to the highest bidder.

The book starts with the President who lost re-election and decided to pardon the broker at the CIA's request so that the foreign governments could kill him abroad. It turns out the reason that the CIA wanted to free the Broker and have him killed was so they know who built the sy...more

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
I HATE IT	11	48	Apr 17, 2013 09:32pm

combine
Other Editions (69)

More editions...

Genres

Thriller

223 users

Mystery

167 users

Suspense

94 users

Thriller > Legal Thriller

65 users

Mystery > Crime

63 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

42 users

Spy Thriller > Espionage

36 users

Cultural > Italy

30 users

Novels

26 users

Law

25 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About John Grisham

"Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of...more "Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, he was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby—writing his first novel.

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to a construction worker and a homemaker, John Grisham as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. Realizing he didn't have the right stuff for a pro career, he shifted gears and majored in accounting at Mississippi State University. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Initially rejected by many publishers, it was eventually bought by Wynwood Press, who gave it a modest 5,000 copy printing and published it in June 1988.

That might have put an end to Grisham's hobby. However, he had already begun his next book, and it would quickly turn that hobby into a new full-time career—and spark one of publishing's greatest success stories. The day after Grisham completed A Time to Kill, he began work on another novel, the story of a hotshot young attorney lured to an apparently perfect law firm that was not what it appeared. When he sold the film rights to The Firm to Paramount Pictures for $600,000, Grisham suddenly became a hot property among publishers, and book rights were bought by Doubleday. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, The Firm became the bestselling novel of 1991.

The successes of The Pelican Brief, which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and The Client, which debuted at number one, confirmed Grisham's reputation as the master of the legal thriller. Grisham's success even renewed interest in A Time to Kill, which was republished in hardcover by Doubleday and then in paperback by Dell. This time around, it was a bestseller.

Since first publishing A Time to Kill in 1988, Grisham has written one novel a year (his other books are The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Partner, The Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, A Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, The King of Torts, Bleachers, The Last Juror, and The Broker) and all of them have become international bestsellers. There are currently over 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Chamber, A Painted House, The Runaway Jury, and Skipping Christmas), as was an original screenplay, The Gingerbread Man. The Innocent Man (October 2006) marks his first foray into non-fiction.

Grisham lives with his wife Renee and their two children Ty and Shea. The family splits their time between their Victorian home on a farm in Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, VA.

Grisham took time off from writing for several months in 1996 to return, after a five-year hiatus, to the courtroom. He was honoring a commitment made before he had retired from the law to become a full-time writer: representing the family of a railroad brakeman killed when he was pinned between two cars. Preparing his case with the same passion and dedication as his books' protagonists, Grisham successfully argued his clients' case, earning them a jur(less)

More about John Grisham...

Books by John Grisham

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About El Intermediario/...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Broker

“The president had shifted to the 'we' mode now, something he invariably did when a potentially unpopular decision was at hand. For the easy ones, it was always 'I.' When he needed a crutch, and especially when he would need someone to blame, he opened up the decisionmaking process and included Critz.” — 5 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Broker
avg rating	preview: The Broker Goodreads rating: 3.68 (38467 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1110.The_Broker?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320488156l/1110.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1110.The_Broker?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Broker by John Grisham[/url]

The Broker

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website