The Brethren
Book - 2000
Trumble is a minimum-security federal prison, a "camp," home to the usual assortment of relatively harmless criminals--drug dealers, bank robbers, swindlers, embezzlers, tax evaders, two Wall Street crooks, one doctor, at least five lawyers.
And three former judges who call themselves the Brethren: one from Texas, one from California, and one from Mississippi. They meet each day in the law library, their turf at Trumble, where they write briefs, handle cases for other inmates, practice law without a license, and sometimes dispense jailhouse justice. And they spend hours writing letters. They are fine-tuning a mail scam, and it's starting to really work. The money is pouring in.
Then their little scam goes awry. It ensnares the wrong victim, a powerful man on the outside, a man with dangerous friends, and the Brethren's days of quietly marking time are over.
And three former judges who call themselves the Brethren: one from Texas, one from California, and one from Mississippi. They meet each day in the law library, their turf at Trumble, where they write briefs, handle cases for other inmates, practice law without a license, and sometimes dispense jailhouse justice. And they spend hours writing letters. They are fine-tuning a mail scam, and it's starting to really work. The money is pouring in.
Then their little scam goes awry. It ensnares the wrong victim, a powerful man on the outside, a man with dangerous friends, and the Brethren's days of quietly marking time are over.
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Publisher:
New York : Doubleday, 2000.
ISBN:
9780385497466
0385497466
9780712680066
0712680063
9780440236986
0440236983
0385497466
9780712680066
0712680063
9780440236986
0440236983
Characteristics:
366 p. ;,24 cm.
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Add a CommentOne of Grisham's slow moving books. Interesting enough plot and characters, it just is there - not doing too much.
NO, way too long; too much narrative (again)
Some serious flaws in the plot, but overall not a bad read. Grisham is always eminently readable.
well written, but mostly boring and heavy to read. Perfect for bathroom or airport.
Hmm - meddling by powerful interests in a presidential election against the backdrop of increasing Chinese power and a potential Russian dictatorship (not to mention the usual charming smaller tales of corruption in the judiciary)... Perhaps it is time to give this older Grisham another read. :)
Not one of my favorite Grisham books but still interesting enough. Don't expect and action-packed thriller a la The Firm.
A good read but frustrating for non Americans to understand the culture and the motivation of these white collar criminals and the system of punishment. As well, being gay is not a scandal in this province so the concept of blackmailing someone for sexual orientation is not really a risk today.
This book is a strange one with no good guys just different degrees of bad guys. Three incarcerated judges running a mail scam and extorting money from rich closeted gays accidentally net a candidate for president. He's not just any candidate but one hand-picked by the director of the CIA and manipulated on a grand scale into winning first the nomination and then the election. I didn't like this book at first because there's nobody to pull for but I got sucked in and ended up liking it quite a bit.
A terrific plot. Amasing ending.
A realistic novel.