The Racketeer by John Grisham
Published: October 23rd 2012 by Doubleday
Genre: Fiction, Crime, mystery
Pages: 389

My relationship with John Grisham, like all relationships, has had its ups and downs. But the reason that I keep reading is as simple as this, when he nails it, he nails it.

The Racketeer is a book about a lawyer who got tangled up in some bad business and unfairly sentenced to ten years in jail. This provides ample time to plot his revenge on the government that placed him there, and that time is fastly approaching.

I knew nothing of the book beforehand, I was just gifted it by my father who simply said “Grisham is back” and then I knew. I knew I was going to enjoy this one. I knew that this one was going to leave me with a satisfaction like I felt after the first time I read “The parter”. Because the legal thriller is Grishams forté, and when he flexes his strengths, I am putty in his words.

I thought the book was clever, and it kept me guessing throughout. I’ve read a pile of book lately that have been trying very hard to shock and twist things and that, believe it or not, can be quite tedious. When you know the author pushes it to the limit just to get a reaction, it loses its effect. It becomes forced. Grisham isn’t like that, his books keep it within a reasonable pace and theory.

Equal parts predictable and unpredictable, and just enough to keep me interested all the way through. The perfect structure if you will, and not over the top or trying too hard.

If you’ve been scratching your head at a few of his other books, this is the one you’re searching for, go get it!