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Audio CD Description John Grisham's novels have all been so systematically successful that it is easy to forget he is just one man toiling away silently with a pen, experimenting and improving with each book. While not as gifted a prose stylist as Scott Turow, Grisham is among the best plotters in the thriller business, and he infuses his books with a moral valence and creative vision that set them apart from their peers. The Brethren is in many respects his most daring book yet. The novel grows from two separate subplots. In the first, three imprisoned ex-judges (the "brethren" in the title), frustrated by their loss of power and influence, concoct an elaborate blackmail scheme that preys on wealthy, closeted gay men. The second story traces the rise of presidential candidate Aaron Lake, a puppet essentially created by CIA director Teddy Maynard to fulfill Maynard's plans for restoring the power of his beleaguered agency. Grisham's tight control of the two meandering threads leaves the reader guessing through most of the opening chapters how and when these two worlds will collide. Also impressive is Grisham's careful portraiture. Justice Hatlee Beech in particular is a fascinating, tragic anti-hero: a millionaire judge with an appointment for life who was rendered divorced, bankrupt, and friendless after his conviction for a drunk-driving homicide. The book's cynical view of presidential politics and criminal justice casts a somewhat gloomy shadow over the tale. CIA director Teddy Maynard is an all-powerful demon with absolute knowledge and control of the public will and public funds. Even his candidate, Congressman Lake, is a pawn in Maynard's egomaniacal game of ad campaigns, illicit contributions, and international intrigue. In the end, The Brethren marks a transition in Grisham's career toward a more thoughtful narrative style with less interest in the big-payoff blockbuster ending. But that's not to say that the last 50 pages won't keep your reading light turned on late. --Patrick O'Kelley

Customer Reviews cheap and gratuitous antisemitism John Grisham is too good a writer and weaves too good a tale to have to stoop to engaging in cheap antisemitic stereotyping (multiple references to rich Jews) and gratuitous anti-Israel rhetoric (multiple references to an Israel that is concerned only with its own survival and callously indifferent to the interests of its allies) to get a rise out of his reader. It comes as a surprise, particularly as these references are at best only marginally relevant to an otherwise solid story. A work of art, like all the rest! As a big Grisham fan, perhaps I am bias.. I have never read one of his books that I didn't like and this one was no exception. :: Warning: Plot spoilers :: This book's main plot point is three ex-judges doing time for different federal crimes. All three are serving time at Trumble, a low security camp. The judges established a court system in which inmates may plea cases against other inmates without having to struggle through the prison's grievance process. But that is only the surface of how the Brethren spend their time. With nothing but time on their hands, the Brethren have created a successful scam with the help of their crooked mail-running lawyer. Their system is simple; running ads in a national alternative lifestyle magazine and blackmailing the "closeted" respondents. A lucrative scam. In a parallel plot, the U.S. CIA is secretly funding, and pulling strings for, their own personal Presidential candidate. Aaron Lake is a strong, intelligent, and educated man who is not afraid of ramping up military defense spending. Lake has a spotless background and has little to nothing that could come back on him during the race to the Presidency. One day, the Brethren receive a new letter that would lead the lawyer to death and the Brethren down a path to freedom. I don't want to give too much away, but I felt this was a very good book. Perhaps not an easy book to get into if you aren't already familiar with Grisham's books. Very entertaining and gripping although I have to admit that it is a little slow to get into. The first 100 pages are the hardest due to the complexity of the overall plot and the necessary character introductions. After that though, it is fairly fast paced and clever. I highly recommend this book. Standard Grisham legal/political thriller This is your standard Grisham thriller about the law and politics, yet he doesn't repeat any of his old plot elements. This is a fresh plot by some jailed ex-judges to blackmail closeted gay men. It's a neat storyline, with all the legal twists and turns we've come to expect from Grisham. I thought that the power and corruption of the CIA were a little over-exaggerted in the book, and the CIA's scheme seemed to be a little roundabout, but it all made for compelling reading, so I tried not to dwell on any implausibility too much. If you want to have your beliefs challenged and read a masterful plot, go read The Runaway Jury or The Chamber. For a quick escape in a nice paperback format, The Brethren is recommended.