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Hard to believe, but there was a time when the word "lawyer" wasn't synonymous with "criminal," and the idea of a law firm controlled by the Mafia was an outlandish proposition. This intelligent, ensnaring story came out of nowhere--Oxford, Mississippi, where Grisham was a small-town lawyer--and quickly catapulted to the top of the bestseller list, with good reason. Mitch McDeere, the appealing hero, is a poor kid whose only assets are a first-class mind, a Harvard law degree, and a beautiful, loving wife. When a Memphis law firm makes him an offer he really can't refuse, he trades his old Nissan for a new BMW, his cramped apartment for a house in the best part of town, and puts in long hours finding tax shelters for Texans who'd rather pay a lawyer than the IRS. Nothing criminal about that. He'd be set for life, if only associates at the firm didn't have a funny habit of dying, and the FBI wasn't trying to get Mitch to turn his colleagues in. The tempo and pacing are brilliant, the thrills keep coming, and the finish has a wonderful ironic flourish. It's not hard to see why Grisham changed the genre permanently with this one, and few of his colleagues in a very crowded field come close to equaling him.
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THE FIRM
Mitchell Y. McDeere has worked hard to get where he is: third in his class at Harvard Law. Aggressively recruited by all the top firms, and initially headed for Wall Street, Mitch surprises everyone by joining Bendini, Lambert and Locke, a very private, very rich tax firm in Memphis. Mitch and his wife Abby move to Tennessee and quickly settle into their new life: they're young, happy, and on the fast track. Or so they think.
Soon, though, Mitch senses trouble: two of the partners die in a suspicious diving accident off Grand Cayman; the firm's management is overly proud of the fact that no one has ever resigned; and security measures at the firm are even for a company with billionare clients more than a little stringent. Then, suddenly, Mitch's vague suspicions come to life. While eating alone at a nearby diner, he is approached by a man named Tarrance who claims to be with the FBI. Tarrance tells Mitch that the firm's "security" people have bugged his phone, his house, and he is in great danger and should be extremely careful; that he cannot tell a soul of their meeting; and that the FBI will contact him again soon. Then he is gone.
In subsequent meetings with Tarrance, Mitch is told that the FBI has been studying Bendini, Lambert and Locke for years, and that while they have a few legitimate clients, they are most assuredly not a law firm. When Mitch learns what they really are, he is at first shocked, then frightened; when he learns what they really do, and how they do it, he is terrified. And when Tarrance tells him the FBI needs an informant inside the firm, he realizes he's trapped: the FBI will bust him if he doesn't cooperate, and the firm will kill him if he does. There's no way out. Or is there?
Blending the suspense of Ken Follett with the legal intrigue of Scott Turow, this is one of those rare novels that grab you on page one and simply cannot be put down.
Give me a break.
A law student gets wooed by a "small firm in Memphis" paying top dollar and promises huge returns. Yeah, that wasn't suspicious. Okay, suspend belief. Greedy lawyer takes obvious bait. Now, go cheat on your beautiful wife with a stranger on the beach? Please. Who does that? Mitch is endeared to his wife, Abigail. Grisham makes that abundantly clear, so he cheats? A bit too convenient, don'tcha think? Photos for blackmail - whew, couldn't see THAT one coming. Come on. The worst thing about the book is that the last 30 pages feels as though Grisham is trying to figure out a way to clear McDeere. He runs around the south east, to Florida, gets on a boat to escape, blah, blah, blah. I think the ending of the movie was more creative than the book. At least the mail fraud was plausible.
The central idea of the book was my favorite part. I thought the mafia cover up for laundering money was a great idea, and sucking in unsuspecting lawyers was smart. But Grisham could have done better with the twists and turns, and could have developed a better escape path than just having McDeere run around until he fell onto a boat. Further, having the Firm's security team doctor fake photos of McDeere and mistress would be far better than tarnishing his reputation. Same effect of blackmail without the shame.
"The Firm" is an easy read with shallow characters and shallow, convenient plot line, and a lame ending.
Enjoy the movie. Cruise is a perfect McDeere, and the ending is better.
A Book that will keep you saying WOW!
I tried reading other kinds of books, like Stephen King books but they just didnt do it for me. The action started way to late. However, in The Firm the action started right in the begininning of the book. After the first 40 pages I could already notice something wasnt quite right about the Firm. This made me want to find out even more. Some of the situations that Mitch Mc Deere got himself out of were pure genius on Grisham's behalf. It was also the plot as a whole was just superb. I urge everyone to read it. The thrill of this book will keep you yurning pages until you finish. It had a fully satisfying ending. I just couldnt stop think WOW how did he get himself out of that. It is my new favorite book and I cant wait to read some more of his book. Also , if you like the Firm you will also enjoy the client.
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