All Joel could see were dollar signs in front of his eyes and so he tried to sell it to the highest bidder. When the CIA became aware of this Joel was arrested and convicted for treason and to spend the next twenty years of his life behind a prison door. The church dedicated to Saint Petronius is called "cathedral", but although it is the largest church in town, it has never been the Cathedral of Bologna, as the author himself states elsewhere in the same book.

The Broker: A Novel - John Grisham - Google Books The Broker: A Novel - John Grisham - Google Books

This was a great read and kept me hooked until the end. The danger the main character was in felt real and exposed the potential power plays going on at the highest levels of American government and within the intelligence systems. I thought this was a very entertaining book, fairly easy to read and with a bunch of interesting characters. Perhaps the most amazing thing was that it got me to cheer on a guy that was a total asshole before going to prison - a super rich lawyer/lobbyist who liked to show off how rich and powerful he was more than he liked to spend time with his family. One of the few people who even admitted to knowing him after he went to prison was his mother, who barely knew who she was herself, and perhaps one son who didn't hate him too much. He was arrogant, and seemed only interested in power. Yet somehow, Grisham made him likable, and someone we wanted to see win. There's not a single likable main character in this book and I hoped every single one of them would go down in flames. Of course that doesn't happen (and I really didn't really expect it to). Nevertheless, I was disappointed in the book's finale. In addition, there's a whiff of homophobia about the story (IMO)....though this may have been unintentional. Where the story got scary was when the head of the CIA wanted the incumbent president to increase military spending to counter a perceived Russian threat.I have been reading Mr. Grisham for a long time….got us thru the COVID situation…kept my sanity. However, I have lost my list of books by ‘group’ and cannot seem to find any way to reprint it! What an amazing talent you have…don’t ever stop writing! Reply The plot was alright, I enjoyed some parts of it and found some others quite- unnecessary but oh well. The description of the town of Bologna, Italy, in the novel is quite accurate; however, it contains a few mistakes. For instance: As it turns out, there is a seperate book titled 'The Brethren,' not by Grisham, that may or may not tell the story. But I didn't find this out until I got done reading his.

The Broker -- book review The Broker -- book review

Besides the 'judges' plot, there is also a parallel plot featuring mister Lake, a rare specimen of what seems to be an honest politician. Lake is a widowed man, a congressmen who never broke the law and seems to be actually doing his job, i.e. serving the people. In other words, Lake is just what the CIA's director wants. What the CIA's director wants is a sure win presidential candidate they can control. What could Lake possibly have in common with the judges? How will they paths cross? Is CIA money all it takes to win an USA election? Well, you'll have to read this book to see but not everything is what it seems. Where credulity leaves us was when Joel, who knows about as much about espionage as I do, decides to takes on the CIA at there own game.Finally, and perhaps this will be quite difficult to believe, it is also a charming low-key romance and a wonderfully informative travelogue on Italian life in the city of Bologna. By the bye, THE BROKER also relates an exceptionally interesting narrative of the difficulties of cultural assimilation and learning a foreign language. As surprising as the juxtaposition of these story components may be, Grisham has pulled it all off quite effortlessly. It's not a combination that will work and be of interest to every reader but I found it thoroughly enjoyable and charming at the same time as it was exciting. Grisham] is exceptionally good at what he does. . . . Indeed, right now in this country, nobody does it better.”— The Washington Post As many readers will guess, it turns out that Aaron Lake is a secret homosexual who gets caught up in The Brethren's flimflam. When the CIA Director gets wind of this, he'll do whatever it takes to 'save' his candidate. Moreover, Teddy has the whole CIA at his disposal!

John Grisham | Goodreads The Brethren by John Grisham | Goodreads

This left the head of the CIA with a dilemma. If the President won’t do as he is told we’ll just have to find one that will.

The American south has long been a point of interest to historians as it was the place where slavery once boomed and racisim ran rampant. Although the land has been a place of much turmoil, some positive things have arisen for it, as it was in Jonesboro, Arkansas that John Grisham was born. He arrived in the world on February 8, 1955, when cotton was still a major product of the south. His father happened to be a cotton farmer at the time. Some time ago, i entered a multistore in my area. I was just browsing books, when this book caught my eye. I took it in my hands to take a look at it. When i saw writers name, a had a feeling that i know this name. But in a world of secrets there was one secret that the CIA did not know, their candidate was gay and the judges were turning the screws.