Book recommendation for September 2025: “The Broker” by John Grisham
John Grisham is the King of legal thrillers and I’ve read easily a dozen of his books, if not more, and this is my favourite. He is a master story teller and he has never let me down, not to mention the list of excellent movie adaptations from his works (including, surprisingly, one of my favourite Christmas films).
What’s it about: Joel Backman is “the Broker”, one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington D.C. Until, that is, a deal to sell a hacked satellite system collapses and he is imprisoned. Several years later, the outgoing President issues him a surprise pardon at the behest of the CIA and he is whisked away on a military plane for a new life, with a new name, to Bologna, Italy. However, all is not as it seems, and he realises he is under constant surveillance as various assassins try to kill him, with the CIA sitting back and watching, trying to figure out who built the hacked satellite system in the first place.
Why I love it: John Grisham is the King of legal thrillers (is there even a contender to his throne?), although this one has less of a “lawyer” angle to it than some of his others (perhaps why it is my favourite!). This book is full of thrills and international espionage and assassination attempts, while mixing in Italian history and culture (like how it is a faux pas in Italy to drink a cappuccino after 11am!). I’ve always found his writing so easy to read and pure escapism, and I know when I pick up a Grisham book that I’m going to enjoy it. I also love that you can read any of his books and not need to have read any other before (there may be exceptions I cannot think of right now). The Broker is one of those. I was gripped from Chapter 1 and, if you enjoy thrillers, I’m sure you will be too.
Beyond the book: I am a lawyer. That sounds like the start of a confession, and I suppose it is. While studying law at university I must have read a dozen, if not more, John Grisham books. He himself was a lawyer and wrote “The Firm”, I believe, while practising law (writing 3 pages every day, or so I’m told). He managed to get exciting stories out of seemingly ordinary (at the beginning) cases and made practising law sound, if not fun, an adventure. Sadly, I have not found that to be the case. (Though I am glad I have not had international assassins or corrupt corporations sending hitmen after me). Since I qualified as a lawyer, I have had an aversion to reading legal thrillers in my spare time, so it has been a few years since I last read one of his books. However, there were many times where I’ve been in an airport or train station and seen one of his books and thought, “why not, I haven’t read that one before”, and happily passed away a long journey. He’s never let me down as a storyteller and I even discovered he wrote the book “Skipping Christmas”, which one of my favourite Christmas movies was adapted from (“Christmas with the Kranks”)!
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