The Broker by John Grisham (Review)

Genre: General Fiction 
Released: January 11, 2005
419 pages

About the Book:

In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison.

What no one knows is that the President issued the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, 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, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive, there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I listened to this on audiobook and I am so glad I did. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it physically. We are following Joel Backman who has just been pardoned from prison and transported from America to Italy with a handler. He appears to be in a witness protection type program and is working with a language tutors to learn Italian. He doesn't understand why he has been brought to Italy and is suspicious of those around him. For a lot of the book we are following Joel learn the Italian language and explore the city of Bologna. But we also get snippets from others that shows us that Joel is in danger. I did not fully comprehend what exactly sent Joel to prison in the first place, why he was pardoned and all the political stuff that was happening, but I was intrigued to see what would happen with Joel. I was impressed with the way he was able to learn the language, outsmart those around him at times, and figure out how to survive with few resources. Does Joel survive in end?

There is some violence, a few swear words and sexual innuendo mentioned, but nothing that made me feel conformable.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:  

   

The Litigators

The Innocent Man

The Runaway Jury

The Summons

The Testament

The Whistler

Bleachers