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3.7 of 5 stars
The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic... read full description

reviews

Jan 26, 2012
Will rated it: 5 of 5 stars
When I first began reading John Grisham’s The Litigators I was immediately drawn into it. It's a must-read book, if you enjoy the snappy witty charm of a young black woman keeping her older bosses together.

It begins with the plot centering on Wally, Oscar, and Rochelle – then a short time later David – who’s personalities are as different as night and day. Oscar, the senior partner in Finley and Figg law offices situated on the West Side of Chicago, is a conservative jaded attorney More...
0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Nov 25, 2011
Stephen rated it: 4 of 5 stars
As a John Grisham fan , I was surprised to hear some early criticism of his latest book. However, as I got deeper and deeper into the story, I am starting to understand. This story has much more humor in it than many of his previous books ......and that's good not bad.
One can't help but chuckle at the law firm of Finley & Figg. They are the epitome of the storefront, ambulance chasing,divorces and DUI small time lawyers. They have never been very successful and they are just about able More...
7 comments like (13 people liked it)
Nov 07, 2011
Cheri rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This book was great....went through a bit of a ho-hum section, but the ending was fantastic...couldn't read it fast enough!!!!
2 comments like (3 people liked it)
Feb 22, 2012
Book Him Danno rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Sometimes when I read Grisham I get a serious legal drama really tearing into some piece of the law. It makes me reconsider some of my preconceived notions as a legal novice. Then you also get the lighthearted Grisham who is merely trying to entertain. This book read like a movie, a dramedy. And that is not a bad thing. Grisham has a track record of writing some really good movie plots.

The characters that interact with our hero are in place to create laughs, to remind us not to More...
Feb 14, 2012
Linda rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Finley and Figg is a two-man law firm that usually makes its money by ambulance chasing, car accidents, hospital visits, quickie divorces, and DUIs. Trying to gain notoriety and millions of dollars, they chase after a large class action tort claim against a cholesterol drug, Krayoxx, that allegedly causes deadly side effects. Allegedly, as in ‘innocent until proved guilty.’

To add to the humorous, bickering couple of Finley & Figg and their office assistant, Rochelle, a young 32-yea More...
Feb 11, 2012
Ankit rated it: 4 of 5 stars
The Litigators by John Grisham.
The Legal Thriller is my favorite genre. There is nothing more interesting than watching lawyers battling and out witting each other in the court room or sometimes outside court room. It is better than war fought with weapons. It is the battle where words are used as weapons. I have been long-term Grisham fan since he specializes in Legal thrillers. Well actually not thrillers. When I read his Novels I always felt that theme Thriller always lacks in his novel More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Feb 08, 2012
Jane rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Not the suspense and thriller of his early books, but fun, engaging, and entertaining. It’s cute.

STORY BRIEF:
Finley & Figg are partners in a two-bit-operation law office. They advertise cheap divorces, chase ambulances, and prowl hospitals looking for victims. They make very little money. Rochelle is their receptionist, clerk, and office manager. She turns away clients calling for real estate and certain other services - because she ends up doing most of the paperwork, and More...
2 comments like (2 people liked it)
Feb 07, 2012
Nancy rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Since this is the first Grisham I have read in long time, I wasn't expecting much. I loved his early books, but just got tired of the same old lawyer story. This one was defintely different, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It could be because I listened to the audio book in the car on a long trip. The story was gripping enough and actually funny which made the drive almost fun.
The story involves 3 lawyers with completely different personalities. David, the youngest, has been working for a hig More...
Jan 17, 2012
Donna rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Reveiw from the internet:

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in search of their big break, ambulance chasers who’ve been in the trenches much too long making way too little. Their specialties, so to speak, are quickie divorces and DUIs, with the occasional jackpot of an actual car wreck th More...
Jan 10, 2012
Cindy rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I've been a fan of John Grisham's since The Firm, so I was very eager to read The Litigators.

Although this book followed Grisham's quick, easy-to-read writing style, for me, it fell a little short. Everything tied up so quickly and easily at the end that it left me feeling a little cheated.

The main character, David Zinc, leaves his big, reputable firm and his hefty paycheck for the simpler life. And what does that "simpler life" mean? David stumbles into the office More...
0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Jan 08, 2012
Kerry rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I haven’t touched a John Grisham novel since the summer of 2008. After a good stint where I read and enjoyed over a half dozen of his works, “The Appeal” stopped me cold. That book was so incredibly anti-corporation and its characters were so unbelievably stereotypical—with the valiant and poor lawyers fighting against those evil and selfish corporate overlords—I couldn’t make it through it. In fact, I didn’t want to believe Grisham wrote it. I couldn’t get rid of the book quick enough.

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0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Jan 06, 2012
Johnrh rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second book I've inhaled in just under two weeks.  (See my recent review of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.)  This one took about five days.  I like to read but I'm lazy about it so I must have been gifted with two decent books this Christmas.

The Litigators is "good Grisham".  IMO it's not as gripping as The Confession (chilling because it could happen), The Innocent Man (chilling because it is non-fiction and did happen) or The Appeal (disconcerting because it too More...
Dec 31, 2011
Sheila rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Another great John Grisham book! A young lawyer, David Zinc has been working 80 hours a week doing research at a big corporate office. He is burned out and stressed out. He has a melt down on his way into the office, leaves and spends the day at a local bar. On his way home, he sees an ad for a lawyers office specializing in drunk driving and decides to have the cab driver drop him off. He steps into the shabby office and he tells the receptionist he wants a job. He realizes he spent the last 5 More...
Dec 26, 2011
Cj rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Poor David.
A lawyer in his prime, working 60 hrs a week for a huge firm on the eighty-something floor of a chicago high-rise, can't even make it home to procreate with his wife, as HE is too tired and his falling asleep before she can even make a move.
One day, as he's going up to his office, he snaps, dives headfirst back into the descending elevator, and this is where the story begins.

... Folks, in John Grishams recent book, The Litigators, he does NOT disappoint!

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Dec 26, 2011
Dimity rated it: 2 of 5 stars
I won this book as a First Reads giveaway. In high school, I loved John Grisham but haven’t returned to him since reading The King of Torts as a college sophomore. I couldn’t tell if my tastes had matured or his quality had diminished but I was not impressed at all and he’s fallen off my radar since then. (In fact, I didn’t realize he was back to writing legal fiction.) The Litigators started out rather promising; it lacked the intensity of earlier Grishams but it was also surprisingly hilarious More...
3 comments like (4 people liked it)
Dec 26, 2011
Seth rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I just realized I've now read twenty of John Grisham's books. Whoa. That's a large chunk of my adult reading life spent in his world. And the thing is, I know exactly what I'm getting with each of his new books, and they still work for me. It's a strange thing, kind of like the way Colonel Sanders puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes you crave it fortnightly. (Actually, I haven't had KFC in maybe three or four years.)

When I picked up The Litigators, I wondered how More...
Dec 24, 2011
Lorri rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I have read several of John Grisham's books, but this one is a bit different because it is actually funny. It doesn't seem so 'stuffy.' David is going about his usual day of heading to work at a big law firm, but starts having a panic attack and just wants out. After several curious looks by fellow employees, he ends up jumping head first into the elevator and laughing as the doors closed, leaving behind his job and security. After walking around the city, he then goes into a bar and proceed More...
Dec 13, 2011
Sidna rated it: 4 of 5 stars
John Grisham's latest book is a fun read, but not great literature. I wondered if Grisham wrote it expecting that it would be made into a movie because some of the scenes would be hilarious. He treats serious subjects with humor that keeps the reader reading.

Although all the promos make it seem as though this book is about the two-man boutique law firm of Finley and Figg, the main character is David Zinc. David is a Harvard Law School grad who has toiled miserably in a large law firm More...
1 comment like (1 person liked it)
Dec 09, 2011
Jonathan rated it: 5 of 5 stars
John Grisham’s The Litigators is easily one of his best legal novels. As a lawyer, I’ve enjoyed all of his books, but this one I could hardly put down. David Zinc, a young Harvard graduate, is fed up with 80-hour weeks doing mind-numbing transactional work and quits his 600-lawyer Chicago law firm. After way too much to drink to celebrate his freedom, he ends up with the law firm of Finley and Figg—about as far removed from a major national firm as one can get. Calling them ambulance chasers wou More...
0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Dec 06, 2011
Nancy rated it: 5 of 5 stars
The Litigators is a tremendously entertaining story, filled with the kind of courtroom strategies, theatrics, and suspense from Grisham. This one is a little more light-hearted than usual, with not as much backstabbing. Nice read, entertaining story.

The partners at Finley & Figg—all two of them—often refer to themselves as “a boutique law firm.” Boutique, as in chic, selective, and prosperous. They are, of course, none of these things. What they are is a two-bit operation always in s More...
Dec 04, 2011
Eric rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I like to think that when it comes to reading, everyone has a guilty pleasure, whether it's a genre, a series, or an author. Mine might be John Grisham books. I actually really like Grisham books, I have for just about as long as I've liked books at all. Aside from having an identifiable writing style and having created a genre (legal thrillers), I actually think that Grisham is a pretty good writer. My best evidence of this would be some of his more recent efforts, like Playing for Pizza (a was More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)
Dec 02, 2011
Jay rated it: 3 of 5 stars
“The Litigators” is less legal thriller than small law firm ve′rite′. In a similar fashion to his earlier “The Street Lawyer,” Grisham makes clear that he holds reservations across the whole continuum of legal practice -- from mindless billable hour firms, to class action personal injury pirates to ambulance chasing hustlers – yet despite this, he make a compelling case for the value of the legal profession.

I really appreciate that Grisham hasn't taken the easy way with his mass a More...
Nov 30, 2011
Sue rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I had been looking forward to the next John Grisham book and was not disappointed when it arrived. His extensive knowledge of the law and lawyers came through, again, in a story that is chilling in its reality, especially with recent headlines.

The novel had a dual story-line that Grisham melded together very nicely at the end. Big pharmaceutical companies are touted through advertising media campaigns, perhaps exceeded only by the auto industry. At the same time, our television viewin More...
Nov 28, 2011
Linda rated it: 4 of 5 stars
What happens when the world surrounds you and suddenly you realize that your dreams of the life you want have been pushed aside for a job? You SNAP! You back away! You RUN! ...and that was what happened to David Zinc; he left a pretigious lawfirm and his six figure salary and ran to the nearest bar and after several hours of drinking he was placed in a cab by a bartender. As the cab wound through Chigago, David sees a sign for the law firm of Finley & Figg which included an address, ther same ad More...
Nov 21, 2011
Mal rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Get This: John Grisham's latest novel is funny

If you’re a John Grisham fan, as I am, you’ll probably be surprised at how many chuckles and guffaws his latest novel forces out of you. The Litigators, on one level a legal procedural like so many other Grisham works, is also a comedy. Even the title is a joke, as you’ll learn once you’ve made your way into the meat of this book.

Grisham’s protagonist is 31-year-old David Zinc, a Harvard Law graduate who has slaved away for five More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Nov 21, 2011
Dan rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Grisham can certainly write entertaining novels, and "The Litigators" is another quick, light, and entertaining read. Any reader who has ever had a soul-sucking job will immediately identify with the novel's opening wherein the protagonist dramatically reaches his breaking point with his current position. Ultimately, the novel develops into a half-hearted expose of two sides of a very dirty coin: Big Pharma vs. Mass Tort litigation. As somwhat of a thematic aside, Grisham also parti More...
2 comments like (1 person liked it)
Nov 20, 2011
Donald rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Most Grisham books are an escape. I know when I pick one up that I will be carried away for a few hours to a world of legal intrigue, with a different focus of law every time. This book was no exception.

The ending had a different twist from the usual black-and-white happy or sad conclusion, which made it more interesting and definitely different from other of his books. One other noteworthy comment: it appears that Grisham has gotten better at character development. It used to be that More...
Nov 16, 2011
Jackie rated it: 2 of 5 stars
I've long been a huge fan of Mr. Grisham. And remember seeing him as a guest on a news show - talking about how his goal was to write books that would be exciting and interesting for 3 generations of a family: Grandma, Mom, and adult daughter. Funny how that sticks with me after all these years. It must have been his soft-spoken southern drawl that made it so memorable.

And yes, this one is pretty clean. And I truly value interesting, clean books.

This one was a disappo More...
0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Nov 16, 2011
Deborah rated it: 4 of 5 stars

All the good and bad within the practicing of law is within the pages of The Litigators by John Grisham. Whether it’s the attorneys handling the case,the firms they work within,or the clients they represent,Grisham gives us another great view into the world of legal matters. Sometimes hilarious sometimes woeful. The aging two man firm of Finley &Figg,small time ambulance chasing attorneys,find themselves taking on the big guys when a younger attorney stumbles into their office and stays More...
Nov 16, 2011
Margaret rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this quite a bit, as I've enjoyed most of Grisham's books. I was trying to think of the right metaphor. I definitely bought and read this as a "comfort" book during a tough stretch of time, so first I thought of a big box of chocolate or something, but it's not so much empty calories as that. So let's say a big warm afghan and a hot cup of tea on a chilly night: comforting and not at all bad for you.

And yes, it's comfort reading for me, and follows the typical Grish More...
0 comments like (2 people liked it)