"The Brethren" by John Grisham

John Grisham has a great mind for writing novels and he displays his amazing ability as a raconteur in his novel, "The Brethren". Just as many of his other novels deal with lawyers and government people, so too does this novel.

In the beginning, the reader meets three prominent lawyers who have landed themselves in a federal state prison. Judges Joe Spicer, (theft), Finn Yarber (not paying taxes), and Hatlee Beech (killing two men while driving drunk), get sent to a  minimum security prison in Florida called Trumble. Inside the prison, the three form an unofficial court system to help fellow inmates with anything from fees to pleas and they also resolve disputes between the men when the situations arose. They call themselves The Brethren. But being paid small amounts to help fellow inmates simply isn’t enough. With the help of an Spicers’ outside, scumbag  lawyer, the three have developed a get rich scheme. After posting ads for gay pen pals in a magazine, the three men decide among the men that respond which are the richest. Using fake pen pal names such as Percy, The Brethren demand vast amounts of money from their correspondents to keep the correspondents gay statuses kept quiet; a prime example of blackmailing. 

Sort of a mini-plot at the beginning of the story, Grisham also introduces the reader to Aaron Lake, an Arizona congressman who has been chosen by an elite group to run for president. That elite group happens to be the CIA. Under the direction of Teddy Maynard, the CIA know what terror could preside over the United States if the US doesn’t boost military spending and quickly. So Teddy and the rest of his group have picked Mr. Lake, a handsome, good natured man with a clean resume, to be their man in making it to the White House and boosting military budget.  Even after entering the race later than all other candidates, Lake quickly climbs the polls as he stuns the country by receiving virtually mystery funds, although the reader knows that the money is coming from inside the US government. Using horrific commercials and powerful words in speeches, Lake captures the broad attention of the country as he smoothly glides his way into the White House.

But before Pennsylvania Avenue and the White House are reached, Lake and his party representatives have to take an emergency landing on the CIA’s airplane given for Lake’s campaign and the CIA’s presidential project runs into a drastic road bump.

This is my fourth Grisham novel I have read and he has yet to disappoint. This book, like his others, although it does have somewhat of a strange plot, is one which kept me reading page after page, never putting it down. I finished within a time span of one week. I simply could not put the book down. The two stories inside the overall story were spectacular by themselves and when put together at the climax, were unbelievable, with great details and several twists and turns. I didn’t really have any questions with the context because of the nice ebb and flow of the plot. I advise this book to anyone who enjoys a fantastic page turner.