A man will do almost anything for ninety million dollars. So will its rightful owners. They found him in a small town in Brazil. He had a new name, Danilo Silva, and his appearance had been changed by plastic surgery. The search had taken four years. They'd chased him around the world, always just missing him. It had cost their clients $3.5 million. But so far none of them had complained.
The man they were about to kidnap had not always been called Danilo Silva. Before he had had another life, a life which ended in a car crash in February 1992. His gravestone lay in a cemetery in Biloxi, Mississippi. His name before his death was Patrick S. Lanigan. He had been a partner at an up-and-coming law firm. He had a pretty wife, a young daughter, and a bright future. Six weeks after his death, $90 million disappeared from the law firm.
It was then that his partners knew he was still alive. And the chase was on
John Grisham is the author of forty-seven consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include The Judge's List, Sooley, and his third Jake Brigance novel, A Time for Mercy, which is being developed by HBO as a limited series.
Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.
When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.
”The Firm – Il socio” è il primo film realizzato da un romanzo di Grisham. Era il 1993 e a dirigerlo uno dei miei registi preferiti, Sydney Pollack, qui impegnato col protagonista Tom Cruise. Antagonista quello splendido attore, uno dei miei preferiti di sempre, a nome Gene Hackman.
Credevo d’aver letto almeno un Grisham, forse due, parecchio tempo fa, senza particolare entusiasmo. Ma mi sbagliavo, lo confondevo con Scott Turow: entrambi avvocati convertitisi in scrittori di legal thriller.
Questo mio primo Grisham è stata proprio una sorpresa: storia decisamente originale, piena di fatti e nomi e personaggi e luoghi e passaggi di tempo, che si riesce a seguire con piacere e precisione grazie alla scrittura di Grisham – essenziale, sobria, senza fanfare ad annunciare o sottolineare i colpi di scena, senza effetti effettini o effettacci, senza scene di sesso voluttuoso, senza gore e senza splatter (chapeau alla lunga toccante scena di tortura), senza divagazioni o diramazioni, pochissima psicologia – sul pezzo, molto concreta, quasi un elenco di accadimenti enunciati con secchezza e semplicità e chiarezza, ma anche piacere di lettura e sapiente suspense.
Il secondo film tratto da un romanzo di Grisham esce nello stesso anno del primo, 1993. Si tratta di “The Pelican Brief – Il rapporto Pelican”. Protagonisti Julia Roberts e Denzel Washington. Alla regia altra firma prestigiosa, Alan J. Pakula. Ma tra tutti io ricordo l’uomo nella foto, Sam Shepard, che fa una piccola parte, solo qualche scena all’inizio, e poi lo fanno saltare in aria: la sua bella dolente intensa faccia per me è rimasta indimenticabile.
La storia viene così riassunta dallo stesso Grisham a pagina 124: La storia dell’avvocato americano che aveva messo in scena la propria morte, aveva assistito al proprio funerale, aveva rubato novanta milioni di dollari dallo studio per il quale lavorava ed era stato catturato quattro anni dopo in Brasile, dove conduceva una vita modesta sotto falso nome. L’avvocato simula la sua morte in un infuocato incidente d’auto, e mai l’aggettivo rovente è stato più appropriato, nello scontro brucia tutto. Si nasconde su un albero e segue col binocolo il suo funerale: ma quindi qualcuno sta venendo sepolto al posto suo, la bara è vuota oppure contiene il cadavere di un altro? I novanta milioni che ruba – e che nei quattro anni di fuga e latitanza trascorsi perlopiù in Brasile fa fruttare e moltiplicare con sapienti investimenti – sono frutto di una truffa: li sottrae allo studio del quale è partner, ma i suoi soci stavano comunque per fregarlo e silurarlo alla grande.
L’anno dopo, 1994, diretto da Joel Schumacher arrivo “The Client – Il cliente”, col dodicenne Brad Renfro protagonista, (Renfro è morto di o.d. a soli 25 anni). Ma per me a rubare la scena due attori strepitosi: Susan Sarandon e Tommy Lee Jones.
The Passenger è il titolo di uno dei film magnifici realizzati da Michelangelo Antonioni, quello (1975) che mi fece innamorare di questo grande regista. Nel film Jack Nicholson è un reporter in crisi (il titolo italiano è Professione: reporter) che durante un servizio con interviste nel Sahara si accorge per caso che il suo vicino di stanza è morto di cause naturali, nessuno se ne è accorto, il cadavere ha una certa somiglianza con lui, somiglianza che si rafforza invertendo fotografie sui passaporti. E così il reporter in crisi assume l’identità di uno sconosciuto. Ma soprattutto, abbandona la sua precedente. Cambia nome e cambia vita. Perché tutti sognano di svanire. A un certo punto nella loro vita, tutti meditano sulla possibilità di abbandonarsi ogni cosa alle spalle. La vita è sempre più bella su una spiaggia o in cima a un monte. Senza problemi. È un desiderio innato.
Ancora Joel Schumacher nel 1996 dirige un altro adattamento da Grisham, “A Time to Kill – Il momento di uccidere” con Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey.
Solo che ahinoi, un piano B così radicale i problemi se li porta dietro eccome. E se il reporter Nicholson scopre troppo tardi di aver assunto l’identità di un trafficante d’armi – lo spettatore ne comprende le conseguenze drammatiche nel magistrale piano sequenza finale che ancora si studia nei corsi di cinema – qui, Patrick Latigan diventato Danilo Silva trascorre quattro anni a nascondersi, fuggire, spiare chi è convinto lo stia spiando, fino a desiderare di essere trovato e catturato. Riuscirà a chiudere davvero col suo passato?
PS E nonostante Grisham sia amato dalla settima musa, il film, più volte annunciato, con Mark Whalberg protagonista, non è mai stato realizzato.
Nel 1997 tocca niente meno che a Francis Ford coppola cimentarsi con un film tratto da Grisham: “The Rainmaker – L’uomo della pioggia”, con Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Claire Danes.
A man jogging down a lonely road in Brazil is kidnapped and tortured, accused of being Patrick Lanigan, an American lawyer who was thought to have been killed in an automobile accident four years earlier--about the same time that $90 million disappeared from his law firm's offshore account. If he really is Lanigan, everyone wants a piece of him: his former partners, the client that the money came from, his wife, the insurance companies, the feds . . . Everyone. So is this guy really Patrick, and if so, what's his plan?
I thought this was a highly entertaining legal thriller--implausible maybe, but who cares as long as it's fun?--until the very end. It lost a whole star with that ending. If you're going to pull off a twist like that, it needs some additional foundation. Foreshadowing. Something.
It felt like a cheap shot, manipulative and tacked-on, and left me more annoyed than an insurance company out a few million dollars. Or at least as annoyed as a reader out several hours and $26.50.
My recommendation: rip the last few pages out of the book and pretend they were never there. *plugs ears* Lalalala!
LOVED this book - so smart and witty and edge-of-your-seat reading with lots of twists and turns. I'm torn about giving this 4 or 5 stars because the ending of this book taunts me in an intriguing and enjoyably annoying way...
I do own Grisham books, but only because family members keep buying them for me on birthday's and xmas's. I smile politely and thank them, wishing they would include the receipt. I have read this, and i don't recommend it unless you are 10 years old and want to start reading adult fiction. Dull, dull, dull. How this man is a best-selling writer is reflection of today's society's IQ.
"Every decision seemed to be layered with irony." (2.5 stars)
THE PARTNER…a fun book. Not very realistic, but it piles on the fun reveals, and the “hero” of the story is a white-collar criminal. Maybe even a Robin Hood, so you can’t get too worked up about his getting away with a crime. And does he really get away with it? The plot is simple, Patrick Lanigan is a lawyer on the Gulf Coast who fakes his own death, and then steals 90 million dollars from his former law firm, three weeks after he is supposedly buried. Naturally, the folks who lost 90 million bucks go looking for it, and Patrick. The text begins with them finding him. The enjoyment of this story is that as the novel progresses, we realize that Patrick is one step ahead of pretty much everyone he encounters. And that makes for easy delightful reading. Especially since the folks he is mainly ahead of the game with are either criminals or the government. And both of those entities do very unethical things in this story, so the reader cheers as David keeps nipping Goliath in the shins. There is not a lot to say about THE PARTNER. It is a legal thriller with pleasing (although not unexpected) twists. As far as books in that vein go it is a fine effort. The ending irritated me, but only because it was what I suspected might happen, and I did not want it to. However, in a cosmic justice sense, and in the world of human behavior it is probably perfectly appropriate. If you are looking for diversions, this text can provide it.
Sometimes, John Grisham gives me 'forced' endings. Sometimes, I would imagine him going: "When's the deadline again? Holy sh*t, there's only a week left!"
or
"I'm already near my page limit, let me just squeeze everything in the last remaining pages."
or
"Let me just finish these in 2 chapters so I could go back to *insert hobby/party/gathering/person here*"
Quite juvenile thoughts for a well-published writter but just humor me here okay.
That being said, this is the first John Grisham book that didn't feel like he was simply trying to end the story in a few pages or so and trying to tie whatever loose ends in whatever way possible. I didn't expect the ending too and made me go "Oh."
It is because of books like this Mr. Grisham (or would you prefer John?) that makes me want to pull your book out of anyone's bookshelf if I just want to pass the time.
Now, would you be kind enough sir and tell me what happened? Was she kidnapped? Or simply ran away? I have think Stephano got her. Maybe this is her way of making Patrick pay.
"After his death, the firm's letterhead properly included him: Patrick S. Lanigan, 1954-1992. He was listed up in the right-hand corner, just above the paralegals. Then the rumors got started and wouldn't stop. Before long, everyone believed he had taken the money and disappeared. After three months, no one on the Gulf Coast believed he was dead. His name came off the letterhead as the debts piled up." (PG. 40)
I'm stuck between a 4 or 5 star but it was a criminally amusing, fast-paced thriller. Grisham knows how to tell a story with so many twists and turns that I'm sure the reader would think this type of crime isn't doable. Who can steal 90 million dollars from their law firm, die, and come back to life in Brazil after four years on the run? Mr. Patrick Lannigan, that's who. Did he do it for greed or revenge?
The plot unravels at a pace where maybe you won't have much sleep tonight or the next until you finish it. The brain to create this crime and the work it took was pretty amazing. Grisham also shows the disappointing angle of the justice system but we all know justice is all in who you know and that money talks.
The ending was satisfying and surprising. "Where else could he go? His journey was over. His past was finally closed." (PG. 401)
Such a fascinating read from page 1. I will do more of these white-collar thrillers. My nails are very chewed up.
Well, John Grisham has done it again. Talk about partners in crime on so many levels! I was shaking my head in utter surprise and disbelief through each chapter. Grisham did not disappoint.
Patrick Lanigan (a.k.a. Danilo Silva) has embezzled from his partners at the law firm he worked at. He cleverly faked his death, got plastic surgery and got lost in in another country, living frugally while spreading the stolen money in offshore accounts that could not be tracked. Now, based on a credible tip, he's the one who has been tracked down and caught by some bounty hunters. They tortured him until the FBI got involved and took over the investigation.
Now, who you may think is innocent and a victim throughout this story turned out to be guilty. The very person you thought was guilty was actually the person who is instrumental in putting a lot of people away on corruption charges, including former partners at his law firm and a U.S. Senator. Oh what a tangled web this story weaves.
Lanigan hired Eva Miranda (a.k.a. Leah Pires)a lawyer who he later fell in love with. He investigated his firm who was about to give him the shaft. There were so many money hungry backstabbing players in this game and Patrick had the evidence to back everything up. His plan was executed almost flawlessly. He had everything planned to the "T." Eva was on every detail of the plan and was the only person at the time to know where the money was distributed in which banks around the world.
After the charges were dropped, by Patrick's design of course, as Sandy (Patrick's attorney) was driving him to the freedom he planned, Sandy said something was gnawing at him. It was about something the bounty hunter, Jack Stephano asked him. Sandy said to Patrick that Stephano asked point-blank if Eva was his Judas, because something didn't add up. Of course, Patrick denied it. Once Patrick reached the Villa Gallici in Aix, where he was to meet Eva, he found out that she indeed was his Judas.
Never thought I'd be entertained by a 'legal' thriller, but here we are. Another addictive read!
The plot begins with the capture of 'Danilo' - an ex-lawyer who stole 90 million bucks from his partners and fled.
First and foremost, I LOVE that I spent this entire book rooting for the crafty lawyer who stole a ridiculously excessive amount of money. That's great writing, right there. Patrick was a fantastic protagonist and I wanted so badly for him to get away with everything.
This book really plays on that fantasy we've all had of running away from all our problems; of having more money than we can dream of; of pulling off the perfect crime. It banks on our sympathy for Patrick, who only did what we all have wished we could do at some time in our lives. It succeeded.
The story of Patrick's perfect crime unravels over the course of the book, and it's the slow leak of details that keeps the tension taught throughout. We're dying to know how he pulled it off, but we're also secretly waiting to find out why we're totally okay with it.
A cleverly composed story with fantastic character development to tie everything together. Highly recommend.
This is not one of the best Grisham books, but there is enough suspense and drama to make it worth reading. I don't think it has been made into a movie yet although there may be a TV series pending...
A man is hiding out in Brazil under an assumed identity. Four years before he had been a partner in a successful law firm in America. By all accounts he was happily married and adored his daughter. But then, he had died in a car accident. Shortly afterwards ninety million dollars had disappeared from a client.....It's only a matter of time before the man is found and positively identified, but who will get to him first?
It's difficult to come up with the moral of this story without ruining the plot for those who have yet to read it. One obvious lesson is that living on the run from the law or running away from your past is no fun and will eventually catch up with you. This applies across the board.
God has created us with a conscience and knowledge of right and wrong. If we persistently sin, our conscience may become dulled but there will be a nagging feeling that something is not quite right. We cannot escape it. The Partner is a good illustration of this truth--the man is always looking over his shoulder and waiting for the inevitable. He cannot relax and enjoy the things he has acquired. We know too, that those who evade justice in this life will face the ultimate Judge in the next. The One who judges perfectly according to His law all those who have not trusted Jesus for their salvation. This book also reminds us that relationships are more valuable than possessions.
There is some mild swearing. There is no sexual content apart from some references to nudity. There is some graphic violence including torture scenes which will upset some. Grisham fans may enjoy this, I doubt anyone could have predicted the ending!
There is none of the action of The Firm or The Pelican Brief. It doesn't have the interest of A Time To Kill or The Chamber.
The book starts at the end and then explains what happened. Remember, "Show, don't tell?"
It's a dull story about what happens when you steal a lot of money, and how to keep it hidden. Why not start at the beginning and show what led to the crime and then the escape from justice?
A good editor, agent or publisher should have reminded Grisham of the basics, before letting this book go out. Instead, "the emperor's new clothes" syndrome kicked in, again, and no one told him the truth. Although, to be fair, he should have realised it himself and probably did, but decided to publish anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a really fast paced, gripping story more like 'The Firm' & 'The Runaway Jury'. It's not a courtroom drama but more about how the protagonist uses the system & legal maneuvers to get himself out of trouble. Grisham’s writing style keeps you engaged at all times & there are not many dull moments in the book. The detailed plans & strategies he executes, the subplots, the suspense elements keeps you hooked till the end. Only the ending leaves you a bit disappointed & ruins what could have been a great reading experience. Except for that, a great read. 3.5 stars!
Se spune ca fiecare om are pretul sau. V-ati gandit vreodata care ar fi suma pentru care v-ati vinde sufletul? Dar trupul? Dar totul? Patrick Lanigan are raspunsul pentru toate aceste intrebari: 90 de milioane de dolari. Pentru aceasta suma el renunta la identitate, familie, cariera si prieteni. Inscenandu-si moartea reuseste sa incaseze banii si sa-i transfere in diferite banci din Panama si Elvetia, apoi sa se faca nevazut in Brazilia. Trecutul insa ii bate in mod insistent la usa deoarece fostii sai parteneri influenti socotesc ca nu e de prisos sa mai cheltuiasca niste milioane in plus pentru a-l gasi. FBI-ul il cauta de asemenea si romanul incepe chiar cu momentul in care identitatea sa este descoperita si cade pe mana unor mercenari care incep sa-l tortureze pentru a dezvalui locul unde sunt banii. Ceea ce ei nu stiu este ca Patrick are o complice avocata, brazilianca, sexy si desteapta care are grija de ei. Pe o plaja din Franta, intr-un bikini minuscul are foarte mare grija de bani. Romanul mi-a placut foarte mult datorita ritmului alert, personajelor interesante si de care te poti atasa si mai ales a intrigii cu tematica juridica foarte inteligenta si captivanta. Consider ca planul lui Patrick este foarte bine elaborat si pentru un plan de o asemenea anvergura este si realist, chiar realizabil pentru anul 1992 cand are loc actiunea. As vrea sa amintesc si de Thiopental de Sodiu - adica 'serul adevarului', ce este folosit pentru marturisiri, in special de psihologi si anchetatori. Este bine de stiut ca acesta este un barbituric cu efect rapid, insa, care trebuie administrat cu foarte mare grija si atentie pentu ca pacientul sa ajunga la nivelul de constienta potrivit, la care sa poate fi supus unui interogatoriu. Daca doza este prea mica nu are efect iar daca este prea mare subiectul cade lat. M-a amuzat faptul ca in roman toata lumea bea cola dietetica ca si cum s-ar face reclama produsului si consider ca, daca tot consumi asemenea bauturi, atunci s-o faci ca lumea, nu la modul dietetic. In ceea ce priveste autorul, Grisham este unul dintre preferatii mei datorita experientei sale vaste in domeniul juridic, a mintii sale stralucite cu care tese aceste intrigi si mai ales a plot-twist-urilor de la final. Si romanul acesta are unul senzational, insa pe care l-am prevazut datorita, ati ghicit, braziliencei sexy. Nu e bine niciodata sa lasi banii pe mana unei femei atat de frumoase si atat de destepte. Trebuie sa amintim si de romanele lui Grisham care au fost ecranizate: "The Rainmaker" 1997 - un film senzational in regia lui Coppola, unde recomand intai sa cititi cartea si apoi sa vedeti filmul. "Runaway jury" 2003, cu Dustin Hoffman si Gene Hackman. "The Pelican Brief" 1993, cu Julia Roberts si Denzel Washington. "A time to kill" 1996, cu Samuel L. Jackson si Sandra Bullock. "The Firm" 1993, cu Tom Cruise si Gene Hackman. In incheiere subliniez ca atunci cand vreau sa citesc o carte buna mereu mizez pe John Grisham si daca vreodata doriti sa fugiti de nevasta, de facturi, de creditori, banci sau orice, atunci cititi mai intai acest roman ca sa stiti cum se face ca la carte.
I finished reading this book within 3 days, a gripping story which full of twists and the unexpected. Here’s my 5 cent review...
Luck was always on his side, his plans were well thought out, and they turned out to be perfectly schemed, and he finally succeed in buying his way out of jail, the punishment he always wanted to avoid, a nightmare to him. Started with how brilliantly he faked his death, ran away with his ex-firm’s USD 90 million and lived on the run for four years in Brazil, fell in love with and had a loyal companion in Eva, and finally when knowing that the people after him someday will be able to capture him, taught Eva meticulously how to vanish and what to do with the money and how to keep in touch with him when they had him in their custody. As the plots developed, Eva turned out to be a lovely wife-to-be, faithful friend, brilliant and dependable partner. But you have been warned, read until the last word...
I feel something awkward about the ending. Never did it come across his mind even once that it would happen to him, that she would do that to him? True, that he had found his love in her, that they’d both had a wonderful feeling to each other, but how could he ruin his brilliant plans ever since he decided to part with his former life and begin a new one by putting so much undivided faith on her, and how could the shrewd master of scheming fell foolishly to his partner? Hemm, but that twisted ending certainly will give readers a great surprise, as it did to me...
Brilliant strategizing, excellent suspense, but FRUSTRATING AND SAD ENDING.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: I love Grisham’s writing style. I was engaged all the way through. There was good action and a lot of suspense. By the end I was amazed, impressed, and intrigued with all the planning, strategizing, and how things worked out. It may not be believable but it was fun. Then the ending was frustrating and unhappy. I WANT HAPPY ENDINGS. Unfortunately that was my only problem with the book. I loved the experience. The only thing positive about the end was that it was thought provoking. I had to tell myself yes I could see that. But it’s not a story I want to hear. I normally would give this book a below average rating due to the ending, but because the rest was so good, I compromised at 3 stars. For someone who would enjoy smart-thinking, out-thinking others, and a good suspenseful read, go ahead.
STORY BRIEF: Patrick worked for a law firm that was about to receive 90 million dollars from a lawsuit, 60 million of which would go to their client Arecio. Patrick fakes his own death in a burning car. Soon after that, he steals the 90 million, transferring it to an offshore account. For four years he has been hiding with a fake name in Brazil. Arecio and two insurance companies hire Stephano to find Patrick. They have just found him. They kidnap and torture him asking “Where is the money?” Eva is a Brazilian lawyer who helps Patrick during this time.
The narrator Frank Muller is great. He adds fun suspense and drama to his reading of the book.
DATA: Unabridged audiobook length: 11 hours 26 minutes. Narrator: Frank Muller. Swearing language: none that I recall. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day mostly various places in the U.S., plus S. America and Europe. Copyright: 1997. Genre: legal suspense.
OK, it reads fast and it is entertaining. But I really do not buy the premise that the protagonist would give himself up in a occult way to put a complicated plan in play. Granted without that conceit we would have no story. But if you are going to start a complex mechanism going you had better be sure that no gremlins can spoil it and this is full of gremlins. And then the ending! The whole plot depended on the loyalty of a character that after giving up most of the money and aiding the main character faithfully decides to abscond with the remainder. WTF?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Wow! What a cleverly written story! One of the best books I have read in a long, long time. And with a twist of irony at the end. A real page-turner. Loved it.
I didn't find this one as entertaining as The Client or The Runaway Jury. Like Pelican Brief and The Firm, I felt it started strong but petered out. For starters, Patrick Lanigan is, to me, Grisham's least likable protagonist I have read thus far. He is really just an arrogant wise-ass, his development is lacking, and his "midlife crisis" motivation was less than compelling. There is no suspense in the final two-thirds of the book; just extended dialogue, legal procedure, and backroom dealing. The premise on the back of the book suggested a bomb shell and there was none. Subplots were established and simply forgotten. It took me longer than usual to finish because I honestly wasn't interested at all to see how it would end. Overall, I was disappointed because I was led to believe that this was one of his best books, and I didn't find it that enjoyable.
Another great tale by Grisham, I flew right through it!
The Partner tells us about Patrick Lanigan, who once worked for a high law firm, and after overhearing about a scheme they're conspiring, which Patrick heard he wasn't gonna be in on, and that they were planning to fire him, Patrick splits. He steals millions of dollars from the corrupt firm, fakes his death, leaves the United States and transfers the money to an offshore bank account. Now 4 years later Patrick is living in Brazil under the name Danilo Silva. Until a gang of thugs who were hired by the crooked lawyers to hunt him down find and kidnap him, and demand where the money is, and Patrick says he doesn't know, and they torture him almost to death, but he still doesn't talk.
Now Patrick has returned home and is being put on trial for not only stealing the money but for a murder he did not commit. And he is also filing for divorce. He is assisted by his lover Eva Miranda, and his longtime friend and lawyer Sandy.
Although as much as I enjoyed the storyline, I didn't much like the ending, I felt it was rushed, like bing-bang-boom, and there were a lot of unanswered questions. Still it was an enjoyable read.
Un thriller espectacular, de la década del 90,entre los primeros libros de Grisham. Como siempre, juega con las lealtades del lector, quien transita entre la identificación con el protagonista y el rechazo por su descaro. El mundo de los abogados desnudado, al menos de los abogados gringos, aunque siempre sorprende la universalidad del mundillo judicial y sus corrupciones y trampas. El romance aquí se lleva con maestría. Un genio John, que bueno que abandonó la abogacía para escribirnos estás novelas geniales. Eso sí, como por ésta época empezó a modificar su estilo de finales, así que nadie espere un cuento de hadas judicial. #johngrisham #elsocio
Setelah hampir 5 thn melarikan diri dan melanglang benua Amerika dan Eropa, Patrick ditemukan dlm keadaan nyaris kritis. Dihadapkan pd berbagai tuduhan, dari penggelapan uang sebesar 90 juta dollar, hingga pemalsuan kematiannya, menyeret dirinya utk membeberkan dan menuntaskan satu per satu masalah pelik yg jatuh beruntun menimpa dirinya.
Thriller dgn penceritaan yg dituturkan dr tokoh utama bukanlah tema yg saya sukai. Cenderung membosankan dan situasi kondisi hanya berkisar di ranah itu-itu saja. Tidak ada debaran jantung yg bergolak saat membaca buku ini. Spt biasa, author memberikan twist-twist ala pengacara yahud yg menyeret Patrick ke dunia kejahatan.
Entah dimulai dr pernikahannya dgn wanita jalang hobi selingkuh, membuat Patrick menyusun rencana jahatnya utk menghilang dan dinyatakan meninggal, tetapi jg sekalian melenyapkan uang 90 juta dollar tsb. Patrick tidak diragukan lagi adalah bajingan licik yg super cerdas, tapi jelas tidak punya garis kehidupan yg baik.
I'll give this one a grudging "check it out" rating. It's the tale of a lawyer, Patrick Lanigan, who had faked his death and then swiped ninety million dollars that his law firm had gathered in a settlement. As the book opens, it is four years later and Patrick is discovered. The rest of the book details how he attempts to escape the civil and criminal cases against him, intertwined with the details of how he pulled off the scam in the first place. Like the other Grisham novels I've read, the characters are well done. This is the first novel, though, where the hero of the tale is an honest-to-Ghandi bad guy. Well, mostly bad guy. Mr. Grisham does a good job of gaining sympathy for the character. Throughout the book, I found myself rooting for Patrick, feeling guilty all the while. Anyway, though it is an entertaining read, this has to be my least favorite of the Grisham novels I've read. While the caper is intricate, it's a bit too flawless. At the end, I have a hard time believing that it could really happen.
I had read The Partner by John Grisham years ago and have just recently re-read. I believe I am more impressed today with the novel than 15 years ago when first published. The way Grisham is able to tell a story is, of course, entertaining, but Grisham’s descriptions of attorneys, their behaviors, and their egos are absolutely hilarious and spot-on! If you want some insight into how our justice system behaves look no further. Here is an entertaining story that will provide all the fun of a great storyteller and the insight to the mechanics of a justice system fraught with egos, ineptitude and downhome stupidity. Enjoy!
This book was brilliant. I loved the characters, the writing style, the plot and the pure thought and dedication that ultimately went in throughout the writing process. It was amazing how it all slowly came together and you found everything out in small pieces. It kept you interested until the end.
The one thing however, that made me put it down to 4 stars was the ending. Now I'm not gonna lie, I like the way it ending but it wasn't the happy ending I was hoping for, or a happy ending at all, for that matter. It could have been better set up and more importantly, explained. I was extrememly confused. I was unsure of what was happening in the last two pages and now because of that I have many questions but no answers which doesn't help my case at all.