The Blurb
In his final hours in the oval office the outgoing president grants a full pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. It's a controversial move, but what no one else knows is that the presidential pardon comes as a result of enormous pressure from the CIA. They claim that Backman may have 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; he is given a new name, a new identity and a new home in Italy. Eventually, when he has settled into his lifestyle the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does the best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive - there's no chance of that. The question that the CIA needs answered is: who will kill him.
About
The Broker starts with outrageous tension in the oval office of the White House as the president ponders over the last minute pardons before leaving the office for his successor to take over. The CIA pressures the president to grant full pardon to a once powerful Joel Backman. In the dead of the night Backman is smuggled to Bologna, Italy with a new identity and a new passport.
As Grisham provides a flashback, readers get to know that Backman's company had once received an offer to sell the most advanced satellite system known to man. The system was capable penetrate the highly secure systems of the Chinese and even control them. As the Chinese got a whiff that such system had been made, they went after the three Pakistanis who were the father of that system and the partner of Joel's firm. With four people already killed, Backman is terrified. He pleas guilty and flees to the federal prison.
This is the biggest mystery that CIA wants to solve, to know who built this seemingly most impenetrable and advanced satellite ever.
Backman, smart enough to know the intentions of the CIA for his pardon secretly contacts his son for some sort of help. As the CIA leaks the whereabouts of Backman, he is completely ready for the upcoming hurricane in a manner CIA had never imagined.
My Views
John Grisham is known for his quality thriller writing all over the world. The way he gushes life into the characters is amazing. But I started reading with the usual anticipation I have while reading a Grisham novel. It started fine. I then waited for something to happen. And waited. And waited. Grisham seems to be lost somewhere. The whole story seems to lay forgotten as Grisham slowly rides through Italy. There is analysis of Italian life, language, culture and cuisine from the point of an American. I finished the book and couldn't help thinking that I had just read a report by someone who had spent a long time lounging in Italy.
The plot is very weak and confusing. A veritable carousel of characters with the most bizarre names appear in the plot, play no role and disappear for never to be heard again. Joel Backman is sometimes tagged as 'notorious'(as in The Blurb) and sometimes and just a man with high goals.
The other thing that sets me thinking that Grisham describes in the blurb that there's no chance that Backman will survive but in the end he emerges as the powerful broker again (and of course! Wonderfully alive.). What I mean to say is that isn't that ridiculous that a man with no skills that of a spy can survive when the most skilled agencies of four countries are hunting for him.
My review for the broker is that it is a good read but very low by Grisham standards. Start with this if you want to start reading Grisham though.
Author: John Grisham
Title: The Broker
Genre: Thriller, Fiction (Not Travel!)
Publisher: Arrow books
Publisher: Arrow books
Published: 2005
Pages: 368
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