The Broker - by John Grisham (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "A fast-paced, fun read with echoes of something deeper. The author's command of pop fiction delivers crisp, sharp prose." --The Boston Globe

In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA.

It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world's most sophisticated satellite surveillance system. Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis.

Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive--there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?

Review Quotes

"Most and best of all, it's Grisham living up to his reputation as a great storyteller."--USA Today

"[Grisham] is exceptionally good at what he does. . . . Indeed, right now in this country, nobody does it better."--The Washington Post

"Where Grisham leads, millions of readers follow."--New York Daily News

"Like a meticulous magician debuting a fancy trick, Grisham takes great care creating his setup."--People

"The Broker is smart, quick and fun. Time will slip by . . . it has 'major motion picture' written on every page."--Rocky Mountain News

"This is one of his David-and-Goliath fables--a little guy battling a powerful, deadly enemy. . . . Once you've started the book you're not likely to give it up--he still has the knack of creating suspense."--Charlotte Observer

About the Author

John Grisham is the author of numerous #1 bestsellers, including The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Innocent Man, The Whistler, The Boys from Biloxi, and many more. His books have been translated into nearly fifty languages. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system. He lives on a farm in central Virginia.