Bookmarks Subscribers discussion

The Associate by John Grisham

I picked this up at the Goodwill and read it around Thanksgiving. I was a perfect, light read for the holidays.

It's been a long time since I read a Grisham novel, and I was intrigued by this one because an alleged rape of a Duquesne University student at a frat party was the instigating incident that set the plot in motion. My son is a recent graduate of Duquesne, and he said the university was not happy to be associated with this fictional rape, especially in light of the negative publicity surrounding the school shooting involving the basketball players a few years ago.

Anyway, the story was typical Grisham. It was fast moving. The plot showed lots of promise. The main character, Kyle, is blackmailed into stealing firm secrets by mysterious agents. Ultimately, I was unsatisfied with the ending. The blackmailers were never really identified or caught. It was never explained where the video came from. And the expense of all the subterfuge, bugs, apartments and hotel rooms seemed excessive. I felt like if an organization or person had this much money, plus all the knowledge it appeared to have, then it probably had a better means of obtaining the info they wanted than by blackmailing a decent law student over a college indiscretion. I think Grisham should have provided more details into these mysterious agents, then the story would have been more plausible. Still, it was an entertaining book.

My Rating: 3.5 stars