by John Grisham
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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.
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 access 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 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 Exclusive Video Interview with John Grisham 
Watch the interview (high bandwith)Watch the interview (low bandwith) |
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 |
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Bologna Food Guide, 2008-08-17
John Grisham Called his publisher, i have this great idea about a spy novel, but i need to spend 3 months in Italy for "research". Publisher: Sure!
Mr. Grisham start to write the first part in the USA then goes to Italy and the novel switches to sort of daily diary for eating, learning Italian and site seeing in Bologna! That has so little to do with a spy novel! and filling more then half of the book!
Publisher calls Mr. Grisham.. hmmm its time to get back! Mr. Grisham oh... I need to wrap this thing! lets do the quick ending trick!
Waste of Money! unless you need a detailed guide to what and where to eat in Bologna.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Fun for lovers of Bologna, 2008-07-18
I was pretty disappointed with all the fictional elements of this book. There was an unbelievable plot, terrible dialogue, and characters that never develop or interest the reader. It would have been less stars but I lived in Bologna for a year and I have weakness for anything of the kind.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Fine as far as it goes, 2008-07-12
I'm not an avid reader of Grisham's - I might have read a couple of his early books in high school - so I can't really measure this against previous work. As a suspense/thriller type book, it's fine as far as it goes. The plot isn't terribly complicated and it is difficult to get very involved...at the end of the book, I was left with a feeling of, well, not much. Still, it is a fun read and has inspired me to visit Bologna!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
It built and it built... for what?, 2008-07-12
This is the only John Grisham book I have read, and I was very disappointed.
Basically, the plot takes the standard ingredients of a spy novel (foreign countries, powerful Washington players with hidden motives, secrecy, scary technology, etc.) and throws them in a bowl, expecting a great thriller to automatically come out. The plot keeps hinting at intrigues, keeps building up to a big climax, but never reaches it.
For instance (spoiler alert, but it shouldn't matter because I don't recommend the book to anyone), it introduces the character of this great Chinese assassin, builds him up to be the deadliest, most effective assassin in the world, shows him closing in on the target, and then -- nothing. He's completely dropped with no explanation!
I actually liked the whole sub-plot of the protagonist having to learn Italian in a hurry. But it was all for nothing, because he never had to use it in the end. Use that in another book, it would be great!
This book was a waste of time! I'll give Grisham another try, with something more well-liked by his fans, but for anyone considering this book, I wouldn't recommend it at all.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 low-key suspense, 2008-06-26
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.
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