October Book Review

The Brethren

By: John Grisham

I found this book in the .99 cent bin at my local Goodwill store and thought it might be a fun read. I was not disappointed. It’s a heist story of a different kind. 

Imagine 3 judges stuck in a very minimum security prison in Florida. They each have done something in their lives that caused them to be stripped of their rank and position and tossed in jail. Once there they get to know each other and help their fellow inmates with appeals cases and other minor disputes over property inside. 

They don’t do this for free, no, these guys are in it for the money. They’ve lost everything on the outside and know they’ll need money if they want to have some kind of comfortable living on the outside again. The three ex-judges, known as the brethren, are a trio of scheming, conniving and shrewd operators. 

With the help of a washed up, broke lawyer on the outside, who also has a gambling and drinking problem, they set out to prey on lonely, older men, who live respectable lives, have money but are ‘in the closet’. They’ve concocted the perfect con. (It’s what’s known these days, as cat-fishing, which is a growing ‘sport?’ or hazard at social media sites and online dating sites.) 

That is, until they snare a presidential candidate. Now, it takes them a while to figure that out and when they do, they assume they’ll have it made. Except that they didn’t count on the CIA becoming involved. 

It will take all their ingenuity and shrewdness to come out of this free, alive and wealthy. 

The book is fast paced and well written. It was a quick read and taught me some more about writing. As I’m guessing you can tell, I’m reading some very varied types of books … the goal is to learn style, writing craft and to explore different ideas. It will all lead to better writing for me.