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The only advantage of being in a wheelchair was that it provided a wonderful excuse to go or stay or do whatever he damn well pleased. No one wanted to push around an old crippled man. The church dedicated to Saint Petronius is called "cathedral", but although it is the largest church in town, it has never been the Cathedral of Bologna, as the author himself states elsewhere in the same book. I enjoyed the book just as much as all the other John Grishams I have read through the years. It helps that he was a practising lawyer and know the ropes....mmm...yes...definitely the ropes The President told the head of the CIA “that he could fly a kite; it was not going to happen whilst he was the president”.
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 prison to get very rich—very fast. ... Readers will find an amiable travelogue to Italy and its charms in Grisham's latest. What they won't find are the suspense and inspired plotting that have made the author ( The Last Juror 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.” But anyways, as I said, first half was a bit… boring and didn’t quite trap me cause I was trying not to fall asleep at every single phrase, however the second half was quite enjoyable and, wow, I also found it funny! I wasn’t expecting any less of the humor because after reading the testament (that made me giggle every once in a while, ngl) I wasn’t expecting to be that bored. I must say it is a refreshing change to read a story with a plot. For some reason, my preferred stories are character based – this is the first time I’ve ever read Grisham, or any thriller/spy type story, with the possible exception of a Le Carre tale when I was in high school. I think I need to change this!The story, almost too fictional to be complete fiction, has this idea as starting point and proceed to implement it in a highly suspenseful drama in which three incarcerated judges execute a scam which works perfectly until they target the 'wrong' man. This man had the clout to make their actions look like a Sunday school picnic, which in the end, it was. John Grisham? John Grisham? I know him for sure…», i thought. It felt like, i’ve heard of him, before. Of course! It’s the write of «Pelican Brief», the book that, the 1993 homonymous film, was based on. As i start to read it, it felt like i was the main protagonist and i was commiserated with him. Note: The Brethren was published in 2000, so the social issues may seem a little out-of-sync with current times.....or maybe not. The president had shifted to the 'we' mode now, something he invariably did when a potentially unpopular decision was at hand. For the easy ones, it was always 'I.' When he needed a crutch, and especially when he would need someone to blame, he opened up the decisionmaking process and included Critz.”
They were about pardons—desperate pleas from thieves and embezzlers and liars, some still in jail and some who’d never served time but who nonetheless wanted their good names cleared and their beloved rights restored. All claimed to be friends, or friends of friends, or die-hard supporters, though only a few had ever gotten the chance to proclaim their support before that eleventh hour. How sad that after four tumultuous years of leading the free world it would all fizzle into one miserable pile of requests from a bunch of crooks. Which thieves should be allowed to steal again? That was the momentous question facing the President as the hours crept by. For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings. The vice was controlled by small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumored to be members of the Dixie Mafia.I read this novel a couple of days ago (while I was recovering from an incredibly painful operation which was also a horrible failure so imagine my mood & sentiments). The book was exactly what I expected it to be, and it that sense I can honestly say that I'm not disappointed. I quite liked the implied irony and sarcasm of this novel. If you want to read someone who is able subtly make fun of election system, politicians, secret services, legal system and prisons, The Brethren is a novel for you. Here you basically have a story without a moral character. Everyone is corrupted, one way or another. You can't love these characters, but it's hard to hate them either. They're so human you're compelled to ,if not sympathize with them, then to understand them. Additional errors include a scene where a character suggests that he be sent any medical bills for an injury sustained; in Italy there is a comprehensive state healthcare system and so this would not be relevant. In a later scene, a CIA agent travels on an Alitalia flight to Washington in economy class and has to pay for drinks; Alitalia long haul services include all drinks. That said, I always like the way Grisham draws out the deceit of wealth, and this novel is no exception: I thought this was a very entertaining book, fairly easy to read and with a bunch of interesting characters. Perhaps the most amazing thing was that it got me to cheer on a guy that was a total asshole before going to prison - a super rich lawyer/lobbyist who liked to show off how rich and powerful he was more than he liked to spend time with his family. One of the few people who even admitted to knowing him after he went to prison was his mother, who barely knew who she was herself, and perhaps one son who didn't hate him too much. He was arrogant, and seemed only interested in power. Yet somehow, Grisham made him likable, and someone we wanted to see win.
Another enjoyable and easy-read by Grisham, for a while for me it was extremely hard to follow, where the main part of the story involves a scam, and for the longest time I wasn't sure who was scamming who, the story kept jumping around, but as it progressed it all started to some together. Besides the 'judges' plot, there is also a parallel plot featuring mister Lake, a rare specimen of what seems to be an honest politician. Lake is a widowed man, a congressmen who never broke the law and seems to be actually doing his job, i.e. serving the people. In other words, Lake is just what the CIA's director wants. What the CIA's director wants is a sure win presidential candidate they can control. What could Lake possibly have in common with the judges? How will they paths cross? Is CIA money all it takes to win an USA election? Well, you'll have to read this book to see but not everything is what it seems. John Ray Grisham Jr., popularly known as John Grisham, is an American attorney and award-winning author of legal thrillers, young adult and non-fiction books. He was wrapped in a heavy gray quilt, and tended to by Hoby, his faithful aide. As the van moved along the Beltway at a constant sixty miles an hour, Teddy sipped green tea poured from a thermos by Hoby, and watched the cars behind them. Hoby sat next to the wheelchair on a leather stool made especially for him. As with most of Grisham's books, there are a few swear words, some violence and some sexual innuendo. There is nothing grossly offensive or especially graphic.Grisham claims to love Italy and he certainly loves Italian food. But the stuttering begins when he tries to compete with Dan Brown’s two fast-moving, history-rich novels, Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. When the current Presidents term was just about over he gave, much to Joel’s delight and surprise, a pardon for past wrong doings. The reality was that this was a CIA ruse to see who would kill Joel first. Maar Joel is een echte manipulator. Hoewel hij soms in nauwe schoentjes komt te zitten, slaagt hij er toch in te ontsnappen uit Bologna. Maar zal hij zijn problemen kunnen oplossen? Zal hij ervoor kunnen zorgen dat hij ooit terug ergens veilig kan leven?
Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. It is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption. Inspired by cases and testimony, Grisham began writing for fun in the wee hours of the morning before going to work. 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.
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Drie rechters zitten in een gevangenis in Trumble. Het zijn mannen van middelbare leeftijd, die nog een hele tijd moeten uitzitten. Ze willen wat geld verdienen voor als ze op vrije voeten zouden komen. Daarom zetten ze een zwendel op: ze plaatsen een advertentie in een homoblad waarin ze schrijven dat ze een jongeman zijn die graag wil corresponderen met een wat oudere man. Van degenen die reageren proberen ze zo veel mogelijk te weten te komen, vooral of ze rijk zijn en of ze getrouwd zijn of op een andere manier gechanteerd zouden kunnen worden. Een tijdje gaat het goed, maar dan reageert er iemand waar ze last mee gaan krijgen: Aaron Lake, de man die kort nadien de nieuwe presidentskandidaat wordt en een hoop te verliezen heeft als zijn geheimpje uitkomt. This was a great read and kept me hooked until the end. The danger the main character was in felt real and exposed the potential power plays going on at the highest levels of American government and within the intelligence systems. There wasn’t really a main character so uh, I guess I really was conflicted with myself because I truly had no idea if I had to support someone on the book- and if I had to support someone, then did I have to support the “bad guys”? I was so confused by that but eh, it was still a decent narrative.
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