"The Firm" was the first book by John Grisham that I had ever read. I have since read nearly all of his others, and, after a recent reread, this remains my favorite of the bunch.
"The Firm" is about a young lawyer named Mitch McDeere. Mitch is graduation in the top five from Harvard's law school, and could have his pick of any number of large, prestigious law firms in which to set up his practice. Then along comes Bendini, Lambert, and Locke, a small firm located in Memphis, Tennessee. This firm is desperate for Mitch's services. They throw a huge salary, a new car, and so many other benefits in Mitch's face that he'd be foolish not to accept. So he does.
It turns out that Mitch's foolish action is the acceptance of the offer. Mitch is soon approached by the FBI. They tell him that his house was bugged by the firm and that the two lawyers that died in a mysterious boating accident were actually killed by the firm. Then they drop the shocker--Mitch's firm is the sole legal counsel for the Mafia, and the FBI wants Mitch to help them from the inside to bust the firm and therefore the Mafia.
"The Firm" offers a spooky look at the underground of America. The surveillance measures employed by the firm had me checking for cameras in doorways for days. It also made me start to wonder about any "hidden agendas" that might exist in my life. Not that I could be representing the Mafia, but could my actions or words be unknowingly used as ammunition for some cause?
If you've seen the movie version of "The Firm," please don't let that prejudice you against the book. The movie is highly implausible--Mitch manages to hatch a plan to trick both the firm and the FBI into thinking that he's doing what they want him to do, and he actually does something completely different. He also manages to outrun--literally--the thugs who want to kill him. He is a man in control of it all.
In the book, Mitch is less superhuman and more realistic guy. His wife behaves as a typical wife whose husband is gone 18 hours a day would, and he pays the consequences. His plan of action doesn't proceed flawlessly. Most importantly, he doesn't fool the Mafia and the FBI and turn in charges that are cheesy at best. In the book, there is no extended scene where Mitch runs around town trying to hide from both the Mafia and the FBI. These are all GOOD things about the book!
"The Firm" is a quick and interesting read. One page has a way of dissolving into the next, and you can feel Mitch's despair and confusion right along with him. I highly recommend it to anyone with even a remote interest in the law.
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