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Author name: John Grisham

: The Broker
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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780385340540
ISBN number: 0385340540
Label: Delta
Manufacturer: Delta
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 384
Printing Date: September 26, 2006
Publishing house: Delta
Release Date: September 26, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 7340
Studio: Delta



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Editor's Notes and Comments:

Amazon.com:
Before he was sent to federal prison for treason (among other things), Joel Backman was an extremely powerful man. Known as 'the broker,' Backman was a high roller--a lawyer making $10 million a year who could 'open any door in Washington.' That is, until he tried to broker a deal selling acess to the world's most powerful satellite surveillance system to the highest bidder. When caught, Backman accepted prison as the one option that would keep him safe and alive, since the interested parties (the Israelis, the Saudis, the Russians, and the Chinese) were all itching to get their hands on his secrets at any cost. Little does he know that his own government has designs on accessing that information--or at least letting it die with him. Now, six years after his incarceration, the director of the CIA convinces a lame duck president to pardon Backman, and the broker becomes a free man--and an open target.

The Broker marries the best of John Grisham's many talents--his ability to immerse himself in the culture of small town life (in this case, Bologna, Italy), and his uncanny mastery of the chase. The very first half of the book focuses on Backman's transformation from infamous power broker to helpless victim in his own game. Upon his release from prison, Backman is taken into 'protective custody' and whisked off to Italy where he is assigned a new identity, and a tutor to help him blend in. Sure he is on the run, but some readers may feel that Backman's time spent in Bologna is a bit too leisurely--readers join him on an almost cinematic tour through the Italian town, complete with language and history lessons. Impatient readers will be happy to know that the final half of the novel is classic Grisham--a fast-paced, thrilling cat and mouse chase pitting Backman against the numerous agencies that want him dead--as the broker makes a move to take back his life. --Daphne Durham

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    Grisham: The Books





    • A Time to Kill, 1989
    • The Firm, 1991
    • The Pelican Brief, 1992
    • The Client, 1993
    • The Chamber, 1994
    • The Rainmaker, 1995
    • The Runaway Jury, 1996
    • The Partner, 1997
    • The Street Lawyer, 1998
    • The Testament, 1999
    • The Brethren, 2000
    • A Painted House, 2001
    • Skipping Christmas, 2001
    • The Summons, 2002
    • The King of Torts, 2003
    • Bleachers, 2003
    • The Last Juror, 2004
    • The Broker, 2005


    Essential Grisham
    Amazon Editor Favorites














    A Time to Kill
    The Firm
    A Painted House

    The Client
    The Rainmaker
    The Pelican Brief




    Bestselling Grisham
    Amazon Customer Favorites














    The Last Juror
    Skipping Christmas
    Bleachers

    The Testament
    The Partner
    The King of Torts




    If You Like Grisham, You'll Love...







    • John Lescroart
    • Richard North Patterson
    • David Baldacci
    • Lisa Scottoline
    • Robert Crais
    • Michael Crichton
    • Harlan Coben
    • Dennis Lehane
    • Ken Follett


    Best Grisham Books on DVD
















    A Time to Kill
    The Pelican Brief
    The Client

    The Firm
    The Rainmaker
    The Chamber




    Product Description:
    In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system.

    Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive—there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?


    From the Hardcover edition.



    Customer Reviews
    User popularity level: out of 5 stars

    Rated by buyers 4 out of 5 stars - low-key suspense
    Joel Backman is "the Broker"--a Washington power broker-lobbyist. Then his empire collapses when a deal collapses involving a hacked spy satellite that nobody acknowledges, and Backman ends up in jail, broke.

    Six years later, he's pardoned by a lame duck President, and whisked away to Italy by the CIA. Everyone's after him, including the CIA, though they're more interesting in finding out who kills him than in either killing him themselves or keeping him safe.

    So Backman is completely out of his element, under constant surveillance, and kept deliberately short of money and paperwork so he can't run far, even if he tries. But he didn't get to be "the Broker" by being stupid, either.

    This was a fairly low-key suspense book, but I enjoyed the transformation from wealthy cold-hearted power broker to someone who's dependent on others for everything, and who's learning to reevaluate his priorities. It was also quite lovely to revisit Italy.


    Rated by buyers 4 out of 5 stars - Grisham back on great form
    Not everything John Grisham writes is a winner. Remember 'The Brethren' about some highly unlikely judges in jail? And 'The Testament' was also a clunker. But basically Grisham is a safe bet, with a good tale, well told and the usual young and struggling Mississippi lawyer hero who appears under different names but always gets justice in the end. Well, forget all that. Here, our hero lives in Italy and he's not really a hero at all. But he's a hell of a lot nicer than the guys who are after him.

    The Broker is a lot of fun. It's a just a great read - pick it up and whizz through it. It's not great literature, but it is Grisham doing what he does best - producing an intriguing plot, credible characters and a setting spiced with real detail that comes from knowing the location well. I liked it and I think you will.


    Rated by buyers 1 out of 5 stars - If you don't know it, don't write about it
    Hate to say it, but about 300 pages of this book were unncessary. The entire "leanin to talk Italian" portion was a waste of time since it had almost no bearing on the plot, nor did it get me to care about the main character. Didn't really develop the guy at all. The story was plausible, but couldn't figure out if it wanted to be a love story, inner-person struggle, or spy novel. Too bad - Grisham's early work was so good, and now it's come to this. Best part - the author's disclaimer at the end about how he doesn't know about technology, spies, espinoage, etc. but wrote a book and took my money. Pretty cheap.


    Rated by buyers 4 out of 5 stars - Perfect For A Long Car Trip
    I bought this unabridged version of the CD read by Michael Beck for a long car trip, and wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed Michael Beck as a reader. I've listened to many books on tape, and I've actually gone looking for other books he's read because he does it so well. (I've listened to other readers, and there's definitely a skill involved there.)

    First, if you're looking for the courtroom drama/action, you won't find it here. I do feel I could figure out how to change my identity and that part was really interesting an entertaining. Second, I would suggest that maybe the abridged version would have been a bit easier to handle. All the learning of the Italian, exercise drills, etc, while probably natural when actually reading a book, just really slowed the whole process down in audio. I kept wanting to get on with the story since I'm listening to it to take my mind off tedious travel, and instead I'm getting tedious Italian lessons.

    Grisham has a writing style that's enjoyable, but I was hoping for something really suspenseful. The beginning was great, the middle slow and the end felt a little too convenient. Not as good as his other books, but he took me to someplace other than boring highway, so 4 stars from me.


    Rated by buyers 3 out of 5 stars - Good read- rushed ending
    I liked reading the book, but as you get to the last 50-100 pages it seems as though the author was in a rush to get it to his publisher. The ending was very compacted given the pace of the very first 2/3 of the book and could have been greatly expanded upon. I left feeling as though the author met his quota of pages and wanted get on with the subsequent novel.

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