Title: The Associate
Author: John Grisham
Publication Information: Doubleday (January 27, 2009), 384 pps.
Genre: Fiction/Mystery & Thriller/Legal/Suspense
Explanation/Summary:
From the inside cover:
If you thought Mitch McDeere was in trouble in The Firm, wait until you meet Kyle McAvoy, The Associate.
Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.
But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want—even though it’s a job most law students can only dream about.
Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.
With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains—from Baxter Tate, a drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist, to Dale, a pretty but seemingly quiet former math teacher who shares Kyle’s “cubicle” at the law firm, to two of the most powerful and fiercely competitive defense contractors in the country—and featuring all the twists and turns that have made John Grisham the most popular storyteller in the world, The Associate is vintage Grisham.
Analysis and Evaluation:
Yes, Grisham delivered another legal thriller with lots of drama.
The writing kept me engaged in the story through most of the book, but eventually it seemed to become a bit stale.
The strength is the story – it was interesting, and I really liked that Grisham was into the legal genre as opposed to sports or something else.
The weakness is that it seemed like it was a remake of The Firm.
My response is that it was an entertaining read. A little stale, but this is the best Grisham novel I’ve read in a couple of years. While I don’t think this is his best work, it is still a good read. I’m still hopeful that Grisham will produce another book that will keep me turning pages until 3am.
Sure, especially if you’re a Grisham fan. For anyone else, I’d say wait for it to be available from the library or wait for the paperback version.
Entries (RSS)