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The Brethren

by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 43,273 ratings · 832 reviews

They call themselves the Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison.

One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. And the third, for a career-ending drunken joyride.

Meeting daily in the prison law library, taking exercise walks in their boxer shorts, these judges-turned-felons can reminisce about old court cases...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published December 27th 2005 by Delta (first published January 1st 2000)

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Dec 11, 2008 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Brethren by John Grisham

I found this to be a pretty interesting book. It is the story of the brethren, three ex-judges in a low-security prison called Trumble, who come up with a scheme to extort money from older homosexual men. Two victims and one hundred eighty-nine thousand dollars into the scam the judges run across their biggest victim of all – Aaron Lake. He is the next president to be and seems to have a lot to offer.

One of the cool parts of this book is how much of the story happe...more
The Brethren by John Grisham

I found this to be a pretty interesting book. It is the story of the brethren, three ex-judges in a low-security prison called Trumble, who come up with a scheme to extort money from older homosexual men. Two victims and one hundred eighty-nine thousand dollars into the scam the judges run across their biggest victim of all – Aaron Lake. He is the next president to be and seems to have a lot to offer.

One of the cool parts of this book is how much of the story happens in a prison. If you are not in the prison with the brethren you are probably traveling with Aaron Lake around the United States on the campaign trail or with Trevor, the brethren’s lawyer, in Neptune Beach.

John Grisham makes the brethren by far the best characters in the book. Joe Roy Spicer is an ex-Justice of the Peace sent to Trumble for skimming bingo profits. Hatlee Beech was a federal judge with a drinking problem that led to the death of a two hikers in Yellowstone. The last is Finn Yarber – Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court sent away for income tax evasion. The attitude of the brethren is very comical. They have “court” once a week in Trumble and their answer to one of the questions was “It’s whatever we say it is.”

Aaron Lake is portrayed in this book as a very boring character. If there is downside to this book he would be it. He is the up-and-coming president having been appointed by the CIA director to save the United States and maybe even the world. Yet he does nothing interesting; except his secret letters to a homosexual boy in rehab. This is a problem in more ways than one because the boy is actually the brethren running their fabulous scam.

Trevor is probably my favorite character in the book. He runs the letters of the brethren and their victims back and forth between the post office and Trumble. He has a severe problem with alcohol but that just makes him more interesting. Some of his “colleagues” were not drinking so he said to them “Guess I’ll have to drink for all three of us.” Funny comments like this are a big reason why I liked the book so much.

The main theme of The Brethren is not the type of theme you normally hear. Usually you will hear the moral “crime never pays” or “crime doesn’t pay.” To me, it seems like the theme of this book is the complete opposite--that crime does pay. To find out what I mean by that it looks like you will have to read the book.

Page Count: 440

Genre: Realistic Fiction
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Feb 06, 2008 Marty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: attic-bookshelf

I would not say I'm a reluctant John Grisham reader. I just haven't felt a dying urge to search out his novels. Maybe I'm just afraid of any sort of legal setting and try to avoid it in any medium it's presented in. Finally, I picked up a paperback of Grisham's novel, Runaway Jury and plodded through it. Certainly he can present some very intriguing characters and situations, and his mastery of plot intricacies and how it plays out demonstrated to me why he has garnered the bestselling status he...more I would not say I'm a reluctant John Grisham reader. I just haven't felt a dying urge to search out his novels. Maybe I'm just afraid of any sort of legal setting and try to avoid it in any medium it's presented in. Finally, I picked up a paperback of Grisham's novel, Runaway Jury and plodded through it. Certainly he can present some very intriguing characters and situations, and his mastery of plot intricacies and how it plays out demonstrated to me why he has garnered the bestselling status he has. And yet, halfway through the book, I realized that, though all the characters were interesting, I didn't connect personally with any of them. They all seemed to be despicable, corrupted characters going about and doing despicable, corrupted deeds. Well, it's hard for me to not finish a book I've started, so I plodded through anyways, not really caring about the result. Imagine my surprise when Grisham pulled it off. He had a slam bang plot twist at the end, plus, he completely redeemed my view of a couple of the characters. I loved Runaway Jury and became an instant Grisham fan. By saying that, I don't mean, of course, that I went out and actually read more of his stuff (I mean, let's not get too carried away here), but I sure did like his one book I read. Fast forward a couple years (or a ton, I guess I'm not getting any younger). With a few minutes on hand and desperate to keep myself from using those few minutes from actually thinking in any way, I picked up the nearest book at hand in my parent's house. John Grisham's, The Brethren. Once again, Grisham reeled me in with an interesting premise and intriguing characters. About halfway through the novel, once again, I began to complain to my wife that there was no redeemable character, no one to root for, nothing to ultimately care about. As I told her this, I realized that Grisham must be pulling another one-two on me. Brilliant. He's hiding one of his good characters again and there will be a carefully contrived twist at the end. Bravo! With this in mind, I read much more enthusiastically. I even thought I figured out which character would be redeemed. I had it all worked out in my mind and wondered how Grisham was going to pull it off to match. And how did he? ... well, to my frustration, he didn't. No character redemption. No twist. The story ended, and that was it. Why? Why would Grisham do that? He had the ability ... he even had a probable character with which to do it ... but he chose the anti-climax instead. I have several theories. He was bitter that they changed parts of Runaway Jury for the movie, so he ensured that he would make this story completely unfilmable. Take that, Hollywood! Or, he was planning on turning it all around at the end, but he never figured out how to do it, a deadline came, so he just finished it and turned it in. Those are two major possibilities, but I suspect it was something different. I suspect he came up with a cool plot idea, and then decided to play it out. Then, at the end, the pay off is that the guys get away with their scheme. Ehhhh. I suppose that is a semi-forgivable offense. Unfortunately, the only way that works is if the reader isn't fully aware of some aspect of the scheme and then it is all revealed at the end and we are wowed and like the story. Not in this case. The scheme is given away, pretty much in its entirety, right off the bat. Therefore, when they get away with it in the end, I thought ... well, yeah, that's what they had planned. What's the big deal? Besides that, their big heist was something they couldn't have planned for and stumbled into by sheer dumb luck. So what do we have at the end? Unsympathetic criminals deceiving unsympathetic victims in a predictable, non-climax ending. Well, my Grisham experience is 1-1. I'm not looking for a tiebreaker, but I have a funny feeling one will end up finding me someday anyway.
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Oct 25, 2007 Josh Feinzimer rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: suspense junkies

Shelves: thriller

I really enjoyed this book. I've read several of the lesser known Grisham books because I've seen the others on film.

I thought Grisham tackled sensitive subject material with with grace and intelligence. We all know, paying attention to the news, that there are in fact closeted gay men in elite positions in this country. Grisham explores this reality in the novel, which makes for genuine and realistic prose.

It's hard to determine who the hero is in this work because each character seems to be so...more

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May 15, 2013 Spencer rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is one of the most interesting books out there. It really makes the reader think, could something like this really be true? Regardless the book is quite intruiging and my opinion of this novel is that although it may let some readers down at the end it is definitely a great read.Personally i really liked the way it was written however I do feel this way with many of Grishams books.
Although this book does not direcly relate alot with my life or the average persons life it still has a wa...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Janice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though many of John Grisham novels usually contain numerous courtroom scenes, this book does not. His books are interesting and can be read in few sittings since we tend to get absorbed with the characters he writes about. I normally give his books a better rating, but it's the subject of this particular book that bothered me. That being said, I had to read it to the end to see how it ended.

Three ex-judges are serving time in a minimum security prison when they come up with the idea of extorting...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Daniel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: penny-dreadfuls, 2012, summer-12

A fine read indeed. It's as if Grisham's entire effort is expended on winding a premise, and the work is simply watching that premise unravel the way it inevitably would. This is to credit his imagination and critique the inevitable nature of his premise. It was very easy to see how his two plots related, and once this was seen it made the book less enjoyable.

Towards the end some character development is seen in the Brethren, three ex-judicial felons, and this is nice because it is not made cle...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Soumia soltani rated it 5 of 5 stars

Soumia Soltani

The Brethren by John Grisham is a suspense novel that won number one New York Times bestseller. The book lives up to it’s title. It is about three ex judges that are confined within Trumble prison. Joe Roy Spicer had been a Justice of the Peace, and was sent to jail for skimming bingo profits. Another judge called Hatlee Beech was arrested after killing two hikers in Yellowstone National Park due to driving under the influence. The third judge was arrested for tax evasion, his nam...more Soumia Soltani

The Brethren by John Grisham is a suspense novel that won number one New York Times bestseller. The book lives up to it’s title. It is about three ex judges that are confined within Trumble prison. Joe Roy Spicer had been a Justice of the Peace, and was sent to jail for skimming bingo profits. Another judge called Hatlee Beech was arrested after killing two hikers in Yellowstone National Park due to driving under the influence. The third judge was arrested for tax evasion, his name is Finn Yarber. Each character is very complex and has their own personality. Together they call themselves the Brethren. The judges are allowed to have court to solve problems among the prisoners. One of the courts they had was to solve a problem between two prisoners that were fighting over a phone, and the way they solve the problems is very humorous. The judges get bored in the prison and they look for a way to make some cash. All three judges dream of the day that they will be freed. Some are more optimistic than the others about the day they will finally get out of Trumble prison. “Joe Roy Spicer, Finn Yarber, Hatlee Beech. The Inferior Court of North Florida, better known as the Brethren around Trumble, a minimum security federal prison with no fences, no guard towers, no razor wire. If you had to do time, do it the federal way, and do it in a place like Trumble” (Grisham 4). The three judges soon discover a way to make money in the prison, and they take advantage of it.

The morality of each of three judges is revealed to the reader after they plan to extort money out of gay men. They find a magazine with a gay ads and they write to the men pretending to be a interested lover. They pretend that they are a gay lover named Ricky who is in his twenties. They save the letters that the gay correspondents send, then they blackmail them by telling them that they are going to tell their friends and families if they don’t wire them money to their back account. Their accomplice is a lawyer named Trevor. He also brings the mail to them. A congressman running for president named Aaron Lake responds to Ricky’s ad. He is chosen to run for president by the CIA director named Teddy who wants military spending to be doubled. Teddy creates terrorist bombings to fit his needs, so that Lake can win. The CIA figures there is a correspondence between Ricky and Lake because they go through his mail. They do whatever it takes to track down the extortionist who they know as Ricky. The characters all develop, as we begin to see who cracks under pressure. Trevor’s character is revealed as selfish, and worried about being caught. The Brethren stick together as the extort thousands of dollars, hoping that one day they would be able to use them.

I admired the suspense that the author uses. The book is a page turner because the reader is dying to know if the three judges will get away with their extortionist schemes. There is a lot of plot and the characters develop after each chapter. The question the reader keeps in mind is, how far will these men go? I don’t want to completely ruin the ending, but I want to comment that the ending surprised me. The bad guys usually don’t get away with their crimes, but the Brethren not only get away with their crimes but they get much more than that. It doesn’t show the proper message that bad guys never win, but the characters do change and so the reader does start to feel bad for the characters, and the reader starts to hope that they get out of jail. Another positive characteristic of the novel is that it feels like it is more than one single novel because there is so much going on with the plot but the author does a nice job of connecting it into one single story. It’s an action packed novel that is a page turner. I read the book twice because it has so much plot that I wanted to re read it to understand the book more. I also read it again because it’s a great book and I enjoyed it. Read the book for yourself to find out what happens to the president, is his secret revealed? Also read to find out what happens to their accomplice Trevor, and to find out if the Brethren ever make out of the prison.
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Jan 23, 2011 Alex Telander rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2001

Doing Time Never Paid So Good

To quite a few people, when they hear that John Grisham has come out with a new novel, their first hasty generalization is that it is another “lawyer book.” This may have been true with his first five novels, but the subsequent five had been entirely different. Yes, each involved a lawyer or the court in some way, but they entailed an interesting story not to do with law and the courts, but with ordinary happenstances of life. Once again, John Grisham has delivered w...more Doing Time Never Paid So Good

To quite a few people, when they hear that John Grisham has come out with a new novel, their first hasty generalization is that it is another “lawyer book.” This may have been true with his first five novels, but the subsequent five had been entirely different. Yes, each involved a lawyer or the court in some way, but they entailed an interesting story not to do with law and the courts, but with ordinary happenstances of life. Once again, John Grisham has delivered with The Brethren, a unique story that keeps the reader hooked until the very end.

The Brethren are three judges doing time in a prison in Florida. All three have committed somewhat serious crimes, nothing as major as murder or manslaughter, but enough that they are doing ten years at Trundle, a minimum-security prison. What separates them from the rest of the inmates is the elaborate scheme they have concocted.

They enter personal ads in gay magazines, and then reply to those interested who seem to be rich and stable. They created a fictitious yet perfect setting: a young boy in rehab, getting off his drug addiction, trying to get accepted back into the real world, and needing someone to comfort him. Then, when the right moment is reached, they launch their attack, revealing their identities and their plot, demanding large amounts of money. The people who have been had have no choice but to comply, unless they want their hidden sexual leanings reveled to their friends and families.

Juxtaposed with this is the election for President of the United States. There is a perfect candidate, backed and controlled by the CIA, guaranteed to win; except he has answered one of the personal ads and currently has a “rich” correspondence with “Ricky” in rehab.

And so begins the ongoing game where the Brethren scam and scam, bringing in the dollars, while the CIA fight to preserve the secrets of the new president. One cannot help but be sucked into the raging maelstrom Grisham has created with The Brethren, following the lives of the judges, the candidate, the CIA and its agents. This tale is sure to delight any reader, whether they are a John Grisham fan or not.

Originally published on April 2nd 2001 ©Alex C. Telander.

For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.(less)

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Jan 04, 2011 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was very skeptical of this book because of the plot line, but I ended up enjoying the book. I think that I liked it because of the fun that was had at the expense of modern day politics. The judges were fun characters even though they were convicted of crimes and extorting innocent people they were hard not to like because of there polar opposite personalities that mesh so perfectly together.

Three former judges (known as "The Brethren") incarcerated at Trumble, a fictional, federal minimum sec...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Eric Dunn rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is probably the 5th or 6th Grisham book that I have read and I would have to say that it is a middle of the pack book for him. It's isn't great but it also wasn't terrible. Most of the time when I pick up a Grisham book I have a hard time putting it down and will read it until it's finished. That was not the case with this book.

The plot took a very long time to develop and once it did you could see the ending coming for about 100 pages. Usually with his books there is a surprise at the end...more

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Oct 29, 2009 Siobhan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, guilty-pleasures, fiction

John Grisham is the only author whose books attract attention when I'm reading them on the Metro. "Is that a new one?" another rider will ask, voice filled with excitement. Then, of course, they seem so deflated when I say I'm reading an old one. And I have to admit, I just don't get it.

Grisham writes airport fiction, athough when I bought The Brethren, I was just looking for a quick read, not for something to take my mind off my fear of flying.

I wouldn't say that this is the worst Grisham boo...more

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Jun 18, 2009 Nathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Let me make a confession. I only checked this book out because, sitting in my bar review course on Constitutional Law, the teacher made a reference to a book titled "The Brethren" that purported to report that the clerks (and some of the Justices themselves) on the Surpeme Court would hold 'movie day' where they would watch the evidentiary movies that were being appealed on First Amendment obscenity-content/free-speech grounds. Such a statement was so absurd to me that I had to find-out for myse...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Adam Johnson rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was a very interesting book, but I was never comfortable with the subject matter of the book. A group of ex-judges begin an extortion scam and inadvertently hook a very big fish. The judges pose in letters as a troubled young man looking for male companionship. Once they have built a relationship through letters they threaten to expose the secrets of their pen pal, but will remain quiet for money. I really don't know who I would recommend this book to even though I didn't hate it.

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Jan 08, 2013 Dave marked it as to-read

Shelves: calibre

SUMMARY: They call themselves the Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. And the third, for a career-ending drunken joyride. Meeting daily in the prison law library, taking exercise walks in their boxer shorts, these judges-turned-felons can reminisce about old court cases, dispense a little jailhouse justice, and contemplate where their lives went wrong.Or they can use their time in pr...more

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May 23, 2012 Jawe Querimit rated it 3 of 5 stars

While reading the book, I felt like I was watching a movie. The characters are very interesting. I find them interesting not because they're evil but because they served as containers of the author's thoughts. Grisham was able to touch one serious problem that happened, may still be happening and may still happen in the future in the real world.

The plot's fantastic. The reader might have this feeling that he's reading two different stories at the same time at the onset of the book.

The ending wa...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics-and-crime-fiction

Depressing topic. Unlikeable characters. No one was fun to watch.

STORY BRIEF:
Three former judges are running an extortion scam while serving their sentences in a minimum security prison. They write letters pretending to be Ricky a twenty-something gay guy looking for an older male friend. When they find someone who has money, a wife, and is still in the closet, they threaten to expose his gay activities and demand money. Trevor is their unscrupulous attorney who brings and sends mail for them. V...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers, fiction

I've enjoyed John Grisham's work over the years. I tend to avoid "phenomenon" writers, who become hugely popular, but Grisham's work has always been solid and intelligent.

"The Brethren" is no exception. In a minimum security Federal Prison, three disgraced judges are serving their terms. They form a sort of semi-official court to mediate disputes between inmates. They also operate a mail scam through their lawyer. The Brethren placed personal ads in gay magazines, and set up pen-pal relationship...more

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Mar 28, 2010 Patrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a good book about three judges in minimum security prison who extorts rich married gay men in the closet and with a family for money. Suddenly, they hooked Aaron Lake who is the Republican candidate for presidency and the champion of the CIA. I did not like how the booke ended because the bad guys won. The three extortionist judges got $2 million a piece to live abroad for 2 years and the CIA because they have dirt on their candidate controls him because of answering to a gay ad.

The boo...more This is a good book about three judges in minimum security prison who extorts rich married gay men in the closet and with a family for money. Suddenly, they hooked Aaron Lake who is the Republican candidate for presidency and the champion of the CIA. I did not like how the booke ended because the bad guys won. The three extortionist judges got $2 million a piece to live abroad for 2 years and the CIA because they have dirt on their candidate controls him because of answering to a gay ad.

The book does bring up some interesting talking points:

1)It is better for gay men to come out of the closet before they get married and have children for not only their sake but also for their family's sake. In the book, the rich gay men really wanted to out of their bogus heterosexual relationships. Who can blame them, because they continuously live a lie.

2)I think politicians have to be consistent with their values. If you are a politicians who believes in family values, then you should not cheat on your wife with a mistress. This is the reason, I think it is worse for a Republican who espouses family values to cheat more than a Democrat (ie: Bill Clinton).

3)Why do we subsidize for-profit corporations such as insurance companies (Medicare Advantage). If one trully believes in free-market concept then it does not make sense to subsidize these industries. Because the more money we give them, the more the corporation have a stake in influencing government. The only private companies that the government should be subsidizing is defense because if not they can sell their hardware abroad. But at the same time, we cannot give defense contractors a blank check because a blank check creates waste for the government to pay them. Another area in which I allow government to subsidize is in an industry that they think is the future (ie: clean energy). But, I would prefer giving these companies tax credits instead of out right money from the coffers of the government.

4)The evils of PACs. The reason I am uneasy about PAC's is one does not know where the money is coming from. In the book, unlimited money in a campaign seem to be able to buy elections with a caveat that you have the right candidate on your side.

5)This book suggests that the CIA sits on information all the time only letting the President know on morsels of truth at a time. They, the government allows innocent American lives to be killed in order to change the politics or policy of the US. For example, in the book, they knew about an Egyptian plot to bomb the US embassy but sat on the information so their candidate for president will get boost in the ratings. They were later able to manipulate the election by causing havoc oversees. Thus, the CIA can interfere with elections not only outside of the United States within it too. In real life, some people think that FDR already knew about the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor but just did not tell the naval base so that the American Public would be galvanized in the support for war in WWII. Also, there are some circles that the neocons knew that 9/11 would happen but told know one so their would be war against Islam and so we could plant democracy in the middle east. Scary stuff.

In the book, Israel gave intel to the people who bomb the embassy that we would retaliate agaisnt them via cruise missles. The reason Israel did this is so we would have a common enemy, Islamic Fundamentalists. Also, did our "allies" (Israel) already know about Al Quaeda in real life but just failed to tell us about the 9/11 attack so we would have more sympathy to their cause? Or worse, did they give them intel through some intermediary to help them plan for 9/11 so the US would be even more sympathetic to their cause as what happened when Bush demonized the Palestinian cause for statehood after 9/11.

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Nov 06, 2012 Ithlilian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I'm not sure I really see the point of some of these Grisham books. This can't be considered a thriller since nothing thrilling happens, and it's not a mystery, it's basically just a long winded story, and not a very interesting one at that. It's as if three old men are sitting down to tell their tale of being corrupt unlikable people that scam from a comfortable prison. There's a presidential race going on and supposedly something nasty is going to happen to cause a world war, but that never ac...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Steph rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not usually a John Grisham fan. As a lawyer, I read to escape the drama of my daily life, not to be immersed in another attorney's fictional version of what he wishes our occupation looked like. However, this book far exceeded my expectations. The writing was creative, descriptive, and exciting, with incredible attention to detail. Although technically a drama, reading this book felt like an adventure I did not want to end.

This wasn't a book about the law, or lawyers, or the legal field. Hal...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Tracy Darity rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: tracy-s-book-club

I give The Brethren 3.5 stars.

The Brethren by John Grisham is about a scam pulled off by 3 Felons in a low security federal prison, located in North Florida. But these aren’t your everyday criminals, they are public officials gone bad. With the help of a lazy attorney on the outside, they extort money from wealthy men with a secret they don’t want revealed. When they snag the wrong person in their trap things begin to unfold. Who they think is on to them really isn’t, but they are never the wis...more

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Feb 27, 2013 sinta nisfuanna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: misteri-detektif-thriller

Rasa bosan ternyata bisa membuat seseorang menjadi kreatif. Sayangnya, daya kreatif tak selalu beriringan dengan cara dan sikap yang positif. Tiga mantan hakim yang telah berstatus narapidana di penjara federal 'berkreasi' untuk mengisi tahun-tahunnya yang membosankan. Spicer, Beech, dan Yarber, yang menamakan dirinya Majelis, menciptakan sosok imajinasi, Percy dan Ricky, untuk mengelabui dan menjebak para pria paruh baya. Mereka memasang iklan di sebuah majalah yang seolah-olah dikirim oleh seo...more Rasa bosan ternyata bisa membuat seseorang menjadi kreatif. Sayangnya, daya kreatif tak selalu beriringan dengan cara dan sikap yang positif. Tiga mantan hakim yang telah berstatus narapidana di penjara federal 'berkreasi' untuk mengisi tahun-tahunnya yang membosankan. Spicer, Beech, dan Yarber, yang menamakan dirinya Majelis, menciptakan sosok imajinasi, Percy dan Ricky, untuk mengelabui dan menjebak para pria paruh baya. Mereka memasang iklan di sebuah majalah yang seolah-olah dikirim oleh seorang pemuda yang ingin 'berteman' dengan pria usia 40-50th. Sudah tentu, iklan tersebut disambut para gay.

Komunikasi dilakukan lewat surat-menyurat dengan perantara pengacara mereka, Trevor. Surat-surat yang masuk mereka pelajari dengan cermat, siapa yang layak untuk dijerat. Pilihan jatuh pada pria-pria yang terlihat kaya tapi berusaha menutupi hasrat menyimpang mereka. Dengan mengancam akan membeberkan rahasianya, para mantan hakim tersebut menuntut uang tutup mulut. Semua berjalan lancar, sampai siasat mereka mengenai orang yang salah.

Di sisi lain, Amerika sedang dihebohkan dengan suasana jelang pemilu presiden. Teddy, direktur CIA memiliki ambisi untuk meningkatkan anggaran militer. Dia pun mencari seseorang yang layak dicalonkan menyaingi calon-calon yang jauh-jauh hari telah gencar berkampanye. Satu yang tak boleh ketinggalan, harus bisa mewujudkan ambisinya, maka terpilihlah Aaron Lake.

Lake dipersiapkan sebagai calon presiden dengan misi utama meningkatkan anggaran militer demi menjaga keamanan negara. Kemunculan Lake sebagai calon presiden yang mendadak ternyata tak membuatnya minder, kelihaian Teddy dalam mencari dana kampanye serta menciptakan konspirasi, membuat Lake menjadi kandidat yang diperhitungkan. Semua tampak berjalan lancar, hingga muncul masalah 'kecil' yang mengejutkan Teddy. Masalah yang terurai dalam sebuah surat, mengawali kegelisahan Teddy dan dianggapnya berpotensi menggagalkan impiannya.

Membaca The Brethren saat pemilu sedang ramai di Indonesia, membuat saya sedikit bisa membayangkan apa saja yang dilakukan dan dipersiapkan para calon pemimpin negara. Semakin menarik ketika ada suguhan konspirasi bom/ perang yang dilakukan supaya meningkatkan pamor si calon. Hanya saja, kedetailan Penulis dalam menjalankan alur cerita, agak terasa membosankan dan ada bagian yang menurut saya kurang efisien. Aktivitas Trevor yang bolak-balik ke penjara untuk memberi dan mengirimkan surat 'jebakan' pada para korban, cukup menjemukan. Untungnya, saya terhibur dengan pengadilan mingguan yang diadakan dalam penjara.

Tokohnya lumayan banyak, terutama para pria yang terjebak, yang ternyata pengaruhnya tidak terlalu besar dalam plot cerita. Ada tokoh yang menurutku kurang jelas perannya, yaitu pria yang sempat memata-matai kotak pos para mantan hakim [saya lupa namanya] dan ceritanya berhenti saat pria tersebut mengikuti Trevor sampai ke kantornya. Jadi, peran pria tersebut sebenarnya apa? Setelah jauh-jauh mengintai, kemudian apa? Padahal masalah pekerjaan Trevor sebagai pengacara dan metode surat menyurat melalui kotak pos sudah dipaparkan sebelum-sebelumnya.

The Brethren adalah buku kedua dari John Grisham yang saya baca, setelah Theodore Boone; Kid Lawyer. Keduanya, sama-sama kurang 'nendang' klimaksnya, tapi saya masih penasaran dengan karya John Grisham lainnya, terutama yang berada dalam daftar 'tabungan buku' saya(less)

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Feb 03, 2009 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

I figured out the plot in the second chapter.

There are 2 stories happening simultaneously.

There is a guy running for president. The CIA picked him because he was clear and free of anything in his past or present that would cause a problem for a candidate.

There are 3 judges (in jail) who are extortionists. They are blackmailing rich men. While some of the subject matter in this book is "outing" gay men..I don't feel like it was explicit in any way. I thought it was sad that these married men had...more

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May 11, 2012 Tom Burke rated it 2 of 5 stars

I remember readying The Firm when everyone else discovered John Grisham. I enjoyed the book and read a few others, The Pelican Brief and A Time to Kill, before becoming bored with the formulaic, almost robotic novels that followed. On a whim, I picked up A Painted House a few years ago and was captivated by the storytelling. No Lawyers, no firms. Just people on the fringes in the back country.

The Brethren came highly recommended so I gave it a go. Back to the formula. Grisham can write, as anyo...more

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Mar 26, 2009 Susan Morris rated it 1 of 5 stars

I like John Grisham as a writer, but not this book.

Three things:

1:

There was something about the homophobia in the novel that made me squeamish. I understand there are homophobes, but there was nothing in this novel to offset it. It's a dominate theme in the novel, normal and accepted, as if there is no alternative to homophobia.

2:
The reader gets to know the inner workings of the minds of some of the worst lowlifes in the book, which is amusing at times. Not so with the protagonist. In fact, I'm...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Shannon added it · review of another edition

Eerie, how prophetic this novel is. Terrorism. A new election. Promises for retribution. Even passivists wanting blood. A politician using taxpayer money to visit an international mistress. Corruption. War. I thought, SURELY this novel treaded on some toes! So, I glanced at the front to see when it was published.

2000.

Grisham's novels "roar to life," as one critic noted. I have never encountered a novel of his that I could put down. Every book I end up finishing at 4 or 5 in the morning. You smil...more

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Jun 27, 2007 Sulan rated it 2 of 5 stars

As far as John Grisham goes... I have to say I was disappointed. I mean it was easy to read, and entertaining as Grisham always is, but the ending really sucked. To be fair, I don't know if he could ever top his classics like The Firm and A Time to Kill, etc. Let's just say, I wouldn't bother making a film out of this one.

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Mar 02, 2013 Mary Abigail Gabriel Sumiguin rated it 5 of 5 stars

not the usual Grisham novel i've read before. i grew up reading his courtroom novels and when my dad suggested this book i was more than glad to do so.

without giving out much detail, the story is in a word, original.

the start of the story is a little slow paced compared to other Grisham novels but once the story unfolds you realize the relevance of all the other parts.

it was written charmingly so you'll definitely enjoy those parts.

it's not your ordinary mystery-courtroom-novel. the three inmat...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Remo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2005, novela

¡Más John Grisham [JG]! Es lo que tienen los veranos. Lo cierto es que los libros de JG son difíciles de comentar. Suponen una lectura ligera, con tramas aceptablemente interesantes, con un gran desarrollo de la acción, y ya está. Se los lee uno estupendamente, aprende cosillas, y pasa un buen rato. Poco más hay que decir. ¡Ah, sí, el argumento! Pues ahí lo tienen, en la misma portada. Tres jueces se dedican a extorsionar a ciudadanos inocentes desde una prisión federal de baja seguridad. Pero u...more

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Feb 24, 2011 JoPaul rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: legal, fiction

I don't have any doubt that Grisham will once again cast a spell on me with th rich story he had crafted through The Brethen. This is despite the selected diatribes I have read from the critics and fellow goodreaders. Undeniably, this novel is an amalgamation of humor and wit.

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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)

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Quotes from The Brethren

“And they drank heavily, partied with great enthusiasm, and relished the drug culture; they moved in and out and slept around, and this was okay because they defined their own morality. They were fighting for the Mexicans and the redwoods, dammit! They had to be good people!” — 23 people liked it

“What would his friends think? The Honorable Hatlee Beech, federal judge, writing prose like a faggot, extorting money out of innocent people.” — 4 people liked it

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