The Brethren

By John Grisham

Book Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Three disgraced judges plot a major scam from behind bars--with national consequences--in this "crackerjack tale" (Entertainment Weekly) from the master of the legal thriller.

They call themselves the Brethren: a trio of former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. The third for a career-ending drunken joyride.

Meeting daily in the prison law library, taking exercise walks in their boxer shorts, these judges-turned-felons can reminisce about old court cases, dispense a little jailhouse justice, and contemplate where their lives went wrong. Or they can use their time in prison to get very rich--very fast.

And so they sit, sprawled in the prison library, furiously writing letters, fine-tuning a wickedly brilliant extortion scheme--while events outside their prison walls begin to erupt. A bizarre presidential election is holding the nation in its grips, and a powerful government figure is pulling some very hidden strings. For the Brethren, the timing couldn't be better.

Because they've just found the perfect victim.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385339674
• ISBN13: 9780385339674
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Twisted but so good

The plot is unlike most of grisham’s work, yet it works perfectly. The whole time you’re marveling at why the brethren are doing what they do and how it’s linked to the other half of the story. Then you find out and it’s like *jaw on floor*

Great

It seems like the fashionable thing to do is trash an author who has become very popular. Individuals who undoubtedly want to appear 'chic' have done this with Grisham's latest. I refuse to get caught up in this trend. The Brethren is a delightful read. The plots are interesting, but above all it is just plain fun. Ignore the literary snobs and enjoy the book. It is worth it.

Grisham at his best, again!

Don't start this book unless it's a Friday night, you won't want to stop reading!

Another great one!

Admittedly, I'm biased: I have read and enjoyed all the Grisham books, five of them last year alone. The Brethren is a fun, great read, and the author easily combines political intrigue with one of his favorite topics: people scheming over money that does not belong to them (see The Testament, The Partner). This is a very enjoyable book, and Teddy Maynard, Aaron Lake and the three judges are some of Grisham's finest and deepest characters. As long as the author keeps churning out this quality of work, I will keep standing in line to buy it, and so should you.

They are never the same...

With the majority of mass market autors, you are guaranteed the same kind of read over and over. Not grisham. The Brethren focuses on a little clan of judges in a low security prison setting up a get rich quick scheme that will guarantee they are set up for good after jail. They lure the men in through placing ads in gay magazine and then track down the men who reply. This leads to the perfect extortion scheme because these men don't want to be found. They make a mistake with one of the men and it just gets better. if you like Grisham, you'll love the Brethren. Not his best, but great anyway, you won't be disappointed.