"The Exchange," new Grisham book a bit of a disappointment
First off, I need to confess that I'm an unabashed John Grisham junkie. I believe I've read almost all of his books and generally enjoyed them. This affinity goes all the way back to "The Firm," his break-through novel and first movie success.
So, when his team announced "The Exchange" would be a follow-up to the Mitch and Abby McDeere hit, I was excited to read it. The new novel was one of my book Christmas presents and I cracked it open soon after the family celebration and hoopla slowed down. It's not polite to stick your nose in a book and ignore the visiting relatives – no matter how sloshed, boring, or obnoxious they become.
When the right time arrived, I dove into the 334-page yarn like I was coming off the high board. The plunge was fast and deep, and when I surfaced, I gasped for air with a slight feeling of disappointment.
The writing is lively and crisp with the usual mix of Grisham sly humor and irreverence. And his team of researchers did a great job of setting international scenes for McDeere, who, in the new book, has matured into a major player in international law for the biggest law firm in the world, perhaps the galaxy.
Where the new book falls short of the earlier novel is plausibility. No matter how hard I tried, i simply could not swallow the idea that two brilliant, world-savvy, Harvard-trained lawyers, would stumble into a kidnapping by terrorists in Muamaar Gaddafi's Libya, a country plagued by tribal violence and strife for centuries. Sure, the lawyers had so-called security and assurances that all would be fine when they roamed outside of Tripoli, but come on – this is Libya with a crazy Gaddafi at the helm. How dumb! How would they not walk into a trap?
I don't want to spoil the ending here. Some Grisham fans will love the book. It's got his hallmarks all over it. He's still a great storyteller and as prolific as authors come these days.
But I was hoping for more. Four Stars out of Five on this one. The Exchange: After The FirmJohn Grisham
So, when his team announced "The Exchange" would be a follow-up to the Mitch and Abby McDeere hit, I was excited to read it. The new novel was one of my book Christmas presents and I cracked it open soon after the family celebration and hoopla slowed down. It's not polite to stick your nose in a book and ignore the visiting relatives – no matter how sloshed, boring, or obnoxious they become.
When the right time arrived, I dove into the 334-page yarn like I was coming off the high board. The plunge was fast and deep, and when I surfaced, I gasped for air with a slight feeling of disappointment.
The writing is lively and crisp with the usual mix of Grisham sly humor and irreverence. And his team of researchers did a great job of setting international scenes for McDeere, who, in the new book, has matured into a major player in international law for the biggest law firm in the world, perhaps the galaxy.
Where the new book falls short of the earlier novel is plausibility. No matter how hard I tried, i simply could not swallow the idea that two brilliant, world-savvy, Harvard-trained lawyers, would stumble into a kidnapping by terrorists in Muamaar Gaddafi's Libya, a country plagued by tribal violence and strife for centuries. Sure, the lawyers had so-called security and assurances that all would be fine when they roamed outside of Tripoli, but come on – this is Libya with a crazy Gaddafi at the helm. How dumb! How would they not walk into a trap?
I don't want to spoil the ending here. Some Grisham fans will love the book. It's got his hallmarks all over it. He's still a great storyteller and as prolific as authors come these days.
But I was hoping for more. Four Stars out of Five on this one. The Exchange: After The FirmJohn Grisham
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