Cons: The ending leaves more questions than answers
The Bottom Line: A typical good legal thriller by John Grisham, this novel's plot brings to mind some of the plots used by Brad Meltzer. That is a compliment from this reviewer.
gamblin_man's Full Review: John Grisham - The Associate
Very early on as I pressed the Kindle page button I sensed this story as something from the pen of Brad Meltzer, say in the manner of The Zero Game. Although it had the traditional Grisham character of Kyle McAvoy, a senior law student at Yale, it also had the trappings of the signature plot lines of Brad Meltzer. Thisyoung man was finishing up his last coaching chore of an inner city basketball team of youngsters, part of his community service requirement to graduate, when a trench coat clad man came into the ratty gym and lounged against the stands staring at him.
As Kyle left he was met by a second man similarly garbed. They both showed their FBI credentials. Brad was asked, rather forcefully, to visit a third man who had something to show him. When Brad entered the seedy motel room he came face to face with a guy calling himself Bennie. He is reminded of the rape charges he and his roommates faced as an undergraduate at Duquesne. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. There was a persistent rumor of a video tape. Now he got to watch it.
He was given an out, though. If he accepted a position at the largest law firm in New York, one he had decided to eschew in favor of low paid work for indigents, and if he did exactly what Bennie told him to do - steal confidential information that was part of the biggest corporate lawuit in years - the tape would not be released to the girl still wanting her revenge.
The group had lots of money and resources to help him get the information they needed and he would be watched carefully while he worked his way into the proper place in the firm, with their help. Thus began a terror filled six months for this young man, not yet even a member of the New York bar. He knew they could and would ruin him if he failed to cooperate. If he was caught stealing secrets he would be ruined as well. Even if he got away with the theft how would he live with himself. Talk aboiut being between a rock and a hard place. Grisham sets the tension at a high level early and ratchets it up regularly.
For several months it was a battle of wits between this near unarmed advocate and those who had their hooks in him. When one of his roommates was killed on his way to confront the rape accuser, things got more serious. Through an apparent fortunate set of circumstances this young first year advocate got to the point he was assigned to the case and had access to the information those who were handling him wanted.
Although the writing is pure John Grisham, the plot is more that of Brad Meltzer. The writing is crisp and the story line flows. The reader is pulled along with Kyle. No extra information is given. The first half of this well written novel is a little slow. The tension quickly builds after the shooting and it becomes a page turner. It is one of John Grisham's better efforts in his legal thriller venue.
For those who thought The Firm was suspenseful, wait until they meet The Associate, the newest legal thriller from bestselling author Grisham.More at Buy.com
With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains, and featuring all the twists and turns that have made John Grisham the most popular storyteller...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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