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The Brethren
 
The Brethren
Author: John Grisham

Book Information
Publisher: Island Books
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780440236672 - ISBN-10: 0440236673
Publication Date: 12/26/2000
Pages: 464


Other Versions of this Book: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Audio Cassette

Book Description:
They call themselves The Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. And the third, for a career-ending drunken joyride. 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. And so they sit, sprawled in the prison library, furiously writing letters, fine-tuning a wickedly brilliant extortion scam...while events outside their prison walls begin to erupt. A bizarre presidential election is holding the nation in its grips--and a powerful government figure is pulling some very hidden strings. For The Brethren, the timing couldn't be better. Because they've just found the perfect victim...

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Top Member Book Reviews

Janis K. (scrapbooklady) wrote on 6/26/2007...

4 member(s) found this review helpful.

The premise here was enormously fun: three aging, disgraced judges serving time in a minimum security federal prison concoct a mail scam to extort money from unsuspecting victims. Their little scheme is succeeding quite well, slowly building enough money to give them hope that perhaps there is life after prison. When it turns out that one of the victims of the mail scam is the front-runner in the upcoming presidential election, things get very interesting and suddenly the three inmates realize they have far more power than they thought.

You'll be hooked within the first chapter. Grisham has a great sense of humor and it shows in this book, both in the characters and in the dialog.

(J) wrote on 4/24/2007...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I was never a Grisham fan, but this made me become one! Loved the book, loved the ending!

miss-zuzu - WI wrote on 4/3/2009...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

I thought this was a really great book.. couldn't put it down!! It's one of my favorites by John Grisham!

Debra L. (countrylane) wrote on 8/5/2008...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

John Grisham is a master storyteller. This book is a romp in prison. Three corrupt judges, doing time, dream up a brilliant extortion scam. This book will have you rolling in the floor laughing at times. But these good old boys are deadly serious as they discover the perfect victim! A very entertaining book! There are quite a few surprises here. You will be grinning or gasping with each chapter. If you haven't read this one yet, don't wait any longer!

J. C. E. (jaycee) wrote on 7/27/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

I have read everything written by John Grisham but could not finish this book. It did not hold my interest long enough to really get into it for long, and I found myself having to re-read portions to get back into it when I picked it up again. Not much going on there for me.

Jonathan C. (jdcollins) wrote on 5/1/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Probably one of Grisham's most far-out-there books that I've read. Completely different story than usual. Three convicted Judges in jail pulling off schemes...Definitely worth the read.

Michelle K. wrote on 4/16/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

They call themselves the Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. And the third, for a career-ending druken joyride. 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.

Paula W. (mrspotts66) wrote on 4/16/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

From Publishers Weekly
Only a few megaselling authors of popular fiction deviate dramatically from formula--most notably Stephen King but recently Grisham, too. He's serializing a literary novel, A Painted House, in the Oxford American; his last thriller (The Testament) emphasized spirituality as intensely as suspense; and his deeply absorbing new novel dispenses with a staple not only of his own work but of most commercial fiction: the hero. The novel does feature three antiheroes of a sort, the brethren of the title, judges serving time in a federal prison in Florida for white-collar offenses. They're a hard bunch to root for, though, as their main activity behind bars is running a blackmail scheme in which they bait, hook and squeeze wealthy, closeted gay men through a magazine ad supposedly placed by "Ricky," a young incarcerated gay looking for companionship. Then there's the two-bit alcoholic attorney who's abetting them by running their mail and depositing their dirty profits in an overseas bank. Scarcely more appealing is the big fish the trio snare, Congressman Anthony Lake, who meanwhile is busy selling his lifelong integrity when the director of the CIA offers to lever him into the White House in exchange for a doubling of federal defense spending upon Lake's inauguration. The expertly orchestrated and very complex plot follows these evildoers through their illicit enterprises, devoting considerable attention to the CIA's staging of Lake's presidential campaign and even more to that agency's potentially lethal pursuit of the brethren once it learns that the three are threatening to out candidate Lake. Every personage in this novel lies, cheats, steals and/or kills, and while Grisham's fans may miss the stalwart lawyer-heroes and David vs. Goliath slant of his earlier work, all will be captivated by this clever thriller that presents as crisp a cast as he's yet devised, and as grippingly sardonic yet bitingly moral a scenario as he's ever imagined. Agent, David Gernert. 2.8 million first printing. (Feb. 1)


Please Rate these Book Reviews

Karen H. (hickman) wrote on 2/3/2009...


Very good read!! A real page turner.. Keeps you wondering,"what the heck is going to happen".

Tuesdee O. (mrsoswood) wrote on 1/28/2009...


This was actually a riveting book. It was easy to read and get into unlike some of Grisham's works. I'd recommend it.

Susan B. wrote on 1/6/2009...


very good

Cristina M. (cristinamoore) wrote on 12/8/2008...


Not one of Grisham's best. There are some highlights, and it's an easy read. It took me a while to get into it. The second half is a lot better than the first half of the book. If you like suspense, it's good, just not great!

Barbara L. (thecomet) wrote on 8/5/2008...


This book takes place in a prison. Who is in control? Was a great read and very interesting.

Cheryl L. wrote on 2/1/2008...


This book was very entertaining. I have read many of John Grisham's books and this is one of my favorites.

Catherine K. wrote on 12/14/2007...


Typical Grisham. It was a better than average read but not a book I'll read again. Formulaic but still entertaining thriller about crooked judges.

Karen A. (Kayloa) wrote on 11/11/2007...


Interesting book. Took me awhile to get into it. It's a good, light read. To me, not what I expect from John Grisham.

Wayne L. (WaltWayne) wrote on 10/8/2007...


#1 New York Times Bestseller, a tale of 3 disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. Very entertaining novel!

Stephanie R. (neimanmarxist) wrote on 7/16/2007...


meh. john grisham was better when he was hungry and thoughtful. i find his recent work to be dull, slow-moving, uninventive and preachy.


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