Ratings14
Average rating3.2
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham delivers high-flying international suspense in a stunning new legal thriller that marks the return of Mitch McDeere, the brilliant hero of The Firm. What became of Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke and fled the country? The answer is in The Exchange, the riveting sequel to The Firm, the blockbuster thriller that launched the career of America’s favorite storyteller. It is now fifteen years later, and Mitch and Abby are living in Manhattan, where Mitch is a partner at the largest law firm in the world. When a mentor in Rome asks him for a favor that will take him far from home, Mitch finds himself at the center of a sinister plot that has worldwide implications—and once again endangers his colleagues, friends, and family. Mitch has become a master at staying one step ahead of his adversaries, but this time there’s nowhere to hide.
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Firm is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1991 with contributions by John Grisham.
Reviews with the most likes.
Readable, as always, but I feel like it was a poor follow-up to the first book.
When you review a book written by a profusely successful author, it's tempting to say that reading it gives you the classic experience. But while I would agree that this new Grisham work does do that, I found I most appreciated the consistency of one of his classics coupled with the wildly unexpected. I enjoyed “seeing” Mitch and Abby again because I loved those characters in The Firm. And when I first understood he would write the continuation of their story, I wondered about it. I was concerned it would be the same kind of expected sequel. But I had no reason to be concerned. Grisham not only delivered that wonderfully consistent tone he struck in the first book, but he built on and stretched Mitch and Abby's story and experiences to new boundaries in unfamiliar territory. It was such a win because Mitch and Abby are consistently people to whom we easily relate which creates a wonderfully unexpected rollercoaster ride by the time he is done. I think if he wanted to, he left himself plenty of room to write yet another book about Mitch and Abby. This could be a series.
Grisham writes well. The book paints vivid and interesting pictures of an intrigue that keeps you in suspense. I'd have enjoyed a little humor and romance but the plot didn't really call for those elements. The denouement was a little abrupt, but overall, a satisfying read.
Thank you Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Exchange for review.
Fans of John Grisham will not be disappointed as he once again delivers high stakes legal drama on an international stage. A wiser, more experienced Mitch McDeere returns to the page as he struggles to save the life of a colleague from international terrorists in exotic settings abroad and a money-hungry legal establishment at home. Thrilling action scenes had me perched on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat.
But there weren't that many action scenes. What tied the scenes together was often heavily summarized business minutia. In very few scenes were we in the moment with the characters. I never felt the sense of threat to Mitch's personal relationships as I did in The Firm. In fact, I'm not sure why this warrants being called a sequel. It didn't deliver the legal conspiracy and pressure on Mitch's personal relationships that I enjoyed in The Firm.