The Client

After reading the bestselling paperback "The Firm," I fell into the habit of reading John Grisham's novels. Of the half dozen titles that I read, this is probably the best of the lot. I would rate it as being better than several of his other better known novels. What made this book stand out in my opinion is the fact that the lead character is a minor. The legal system can be a bewildering labyrinth for most adults. How much more terrifying can it be for a preteen? The youngster in this case had the misfortune to witness the suicide of a crooked criminal defense attorney. The drunken shyster spoke to the boy before his death and the unfortunate kid soon finds that he is a target for a team of Mafia killers. The dead man knew too much and the mobsters do not want to take the risk that the eleven year old may communicate any incriminating information from the mouthpiece's dying declaration to the authorities. This is one of Grisham's better efforts. It is a good book filled with suspense. John Grisham is a former state legislator from Mississippi and an attorney, so he knows enough about the practice of law to provide the necessary details. Sometimes, I found it a trifle incredible that the Mafia has suddenly departed New York and New Jersey to set up sattelite offices in the rural South. As an aside, I have to confess that I gradually tired of Grisham's writing. His approach became overly familiar and formulaic. Many of his books read as if the author was planning for an immediate movie adaptation of the current novel (the Stephen King Movie of the Week syndrome) while he was writing. As a consequence, I simply stopped reading his subsequent books. Grisham can produce page turning prose with the best of them, but after awhile the repetition became monotonous for me. After reading six of his books, I stopped cold. It was not so much a case that Grisham was not entertaining, he was, but as a reader I had the sense of having been there and done that. Some gifted authors have a talent for writing books that always seem to be fresh and new, even when employing the same set of characters, while others seem to fall into a predictable, if profitable rut. Someday, I may check out another Grisham book to see if I was incorrect in my original assessment.

John Grisham's, The Client was extremely thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was suspenseful and humorous several times throughout the book. I enjoyed it all the way through, it kept asking so many questions to where I had to keep reading. I could barely even put it down. John Grisham put so much emotion into the book I could almost feel the characters feelings. Grisham illustrates in such a way I admired it from the beginning. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books about lawyers and to anyone who likes suspenseful and emotional books. This book was an easy read and I hope you enjoy it.

Acabo de leer El Cliente (en versión castellana) de Grisham y me queda bien la impresión que deja la novela. Como todo el mundo, ya había visto la película con Susan Sarandon y Tommy Lee Jones (los puristas se quejaron porque los actores no eran fieles a las personas en el libro), pero las diferencias no me molestan - no son importantes. ¡Cuidado! ha sido traducido por un español (Tremps), entonces hay "camareros", se "cogen" taxis y todo lo demás - si no os molesta, ¡comprad esta versión castellana!

This book was my first of John grishams books and still my favorite. I can read this book over and over agian I really enjoy it. This book is put together with real charm. It displays excitment,drama,comfort,sensitivity and even (and greatly) humor. #1 in my book!

thank you, Mr. Grisham, for the realistic portrayal of a child torn apart and manipulated not only by the mob but by the federal government. it just goes to show that us kids are still the most vunerable in life. scary for me as a young girl, but exciting and eloquent. again, thank you.