Customer Reviews

The Firm

5 star:		(273)
4 star:		(89)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

The Firm was published in 1991, and almost overnight John Grisham became a household name and a force to be reckoned with in the realm of fiction. There must be something in the water down in Oxford, Mississippi; while Grisham is certainly no Faulkner, he is a man who knows how to make a novel come alive and ensnare any reader who comes along. I really do not care for lawyer-type novels as a general rule, and the fact that Grisham makes such stories so gripping and fascinating has me quite in awe of his talents. Mitch McDeere (whom many may still envision as Tom Cruise, since he played in the role in the movie based on this novel) is a highly intelligent yet monetarily challenged law student finishing up his degree with high honors at Harvard. Holding serious offers from prestigious Chicago and Wall Street law firms for his services, he decides to go ahead and hear the pitch from a smaller law firm in Memphis. What he hears is an offer he cannot believe and cannot refuse. A starting salary significantly higher than he would make elsewhere, promises of large bonuses for passing the bar exam and succeeding on the job, an ascension to partner in as short a time as a decade, a new house with a miniscule mortgage rate, a brand new BMW, and other perks soon have Mitch and his wife Abby settling down in Memphis to enjoy a life of luxury (albeit with hard work on his part). The firm really seems to care about Mitch and his family, wanting happy marriages with several children, to a degree that has Abby a little suspicious. Mitch passes the bar exam, and life is great, despite the fact he is working eighty hours or more a week. Then an FBI agent comes to see him, dropping hints of nefarious dealings at the law firm, asking him for help. Thus begins a journey in which Mitch must first decide whether to risk the lives of himself and his wife to violate his legal oaths and sell out the Mafia-controlled law firm, or take his chances, make his millions, and hope the feds dont find enough evidence to eventually land him and all of his coworkers in prison. It is really an exciting story, as the McDeeres have to deal with and evade both the feds and the Mafia in their efforts to somehow bring down the firm without sacrificing their own lives.

I found the schemes Mitch employed on his behalf were quite inventive and plausible, but as the novel progressed in the later stages I found myself wondering how the Mafia could really be incompetent enough in their surveillance to keep losing track of Mitch at crucial times. I can understand the feds having a little trouble staying a step behind him, but you would think that the Mafia could have put an end to all of these games (and to Mitch) long before he got into a position to bring them down. Also, Abbys transition from a housewife who wishes her husband wasnt spending all of his time at work to a wily assistant to her scared and scheming husband is a little abrupt. I also had a hard time completely liking the protagonist after a certain indiscretion on his part early on. Im not complaining, though, because the tension of the novel ratchets up nicely in the final stages and kept me turning the pages with bated breath. I havent read Grishams more recent novels, so I cant say whether or not the quality of his writing has gone down over the years. What I can say, having read both A Time to Kill and The Firm, Grishams first two novels, is that the man really and truly had it at the start of his career. The action never ebbs, the story never bogs down, and the reader finds himself hanging on for dear life and loving every minute of it as he/she follows the course of whatever events Grisham chooses to relate.

Mitch McDeere accepts a position with the Memphis law firm, Bendini, Lambert and Locke, a firm specializing in tax law.

Shortly after starting his employment with the firm, he learns that two of the newer associates in the firm were killed while boating in Grand Caymon.

After passing the bar, Mitch is approached by an agent with the FBI who tells him that the Mob actually owns the firm and that many of the firm's clients are engaging in tax fraud. The agent also informs him that Mitch's home, car and office at the firm are being bugged by his company. He is also being followed by the firm.

Mitch hires Eddie Lomax, a detective friend of Mitch's brother, Ray. He asks Lomax to look into the death's of the associates and of two other associates. Lomax gets the information but is caught and pays the price.

Mitch works with Avery Tolar who brings him to a meeting in Grand Caymon. There, Mitch is set up and incriminating photos are taken. Back home, the head of the firm's security, a man named DeVasher, informs Mitch that the photos are help as a warning not to do anything to harm the firm.

We follow Mitch's life as he changes from an ambitious employee to a man in fear of his career and his life. Will the FBI be able to help? How will Mitch survive and get out of this situation?

This is a well plotted novel that is just as engrossing the second time it is read. The reader is drawn to Mitch's dilemma and can visualize soomething like this really happening and we hope for a successful conclusion.

The setting is well done, with the traditions and old time beliefs of Memphis but underneath there is corruption. Grisham also writes in a visual method so that the reader can picture the action taking place. This creates a most entertaining reading experience.

This is a truly amazing Grisham book, full of plot twists and suspense. It's no wonder it catapulted Grisham into the bestseller arena.

The story starts out simple: Mitch McDeere is recruited into a creepy law firm situated in Memphis. They give him a high salary, a BMW, and a good mortgage. No one has ever quit this firm, which seems to be a good thing... But then Mitch realizes that people from the firm have a tendency to die, and the FBI is involved too. No spoilers, but it gets even more intense as the book goes on.

This is a great and fairly easy read. Like most Grisham books, you will find yourself hooked to this book from the start. The ending is good, and you may even find yourself re-reading it sometime in the future. You will not be disappointed with this book.

PLOT: Mitch McDeere is fresh out of Havard Law School with an ambitious attitude and the will to succeed. He receives the best job offers from the largest firms in the country, but a small firm out of Memphis brings him in with the best pay, a new home, relief of his student loans, and a new BMW. Within his first week at the firm, two of his coworkers are killed in a mysterious explosion off the coast of Grand Cayman Island. This makes him suspicious and later finds out that five lawyers have died in the past fifteen years, all very suspicious. An encounter with an FBI agent investigating the firm arouses his curiousity with the security of the firm and starts to unravel a downward spiral of crime, corruption, danger, and possibly death.

GENRE: Drama-Suspense

STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES: Grisham's character development is perfect in a sense where you know the characters, but not too well. The predictability of the book is impossible as well as the ability to put it down. The scene changes act as a stimulant for the reader, not elaborating one part of the book too much. Grisham did a supurb job in entailing drama, suspense, and humor into his work.

This book was the first of Grisham's I read and it will not be the last.

When John Grisham published his first novel in 1989 the results were mixed. Now with this book everything changed for him. The book became an instant hit earning excellent reviews across the board. At the centre of the story is a young Harvard Graduate Mitch Mcdeere who has chosen to sign with a prosperous firm known as Landini Lambert and Locke. They lease him a new car, buy him a very expensive home and hire an interior decorator to help Mitch and wife Abby with the decorating of the home. It all seems to good to be true. It is. An FBI agent who claims that they have evidence of corruption and murder within the ranks of the firm and unless he helps them out he will go down with the rest of them contacts Mitch. They agree to help shorten Mitch's brother Ray's prison time in Tennessee where he is serving a fifteen-year sentence. Now Mitch is torn between a rock and a hard place and whatever choice he makes will forever change his life. The Firm is a brisk thriller that starts good and ends with a rowdy finale. The supporting characters are all really good as is the pacing of the story.
A superb read.

This was my first ever Grisham book, and it is definitely not going to be my last. I loved this book. And I would recommend it to anyone, even if you aren't a Grisham fan, or someone who loves courtroom drama (which there isn't much of anyway). It's the story of Mitch McDeere, a new lawyer employed by a seemingly perfect law firm until he discoveres the Mob is behind the firm. The book is about his grappling with what to do concerning the FIB, the mob, and his friends at the firm.

I truly enjoyed this book, it made me want to keep reading. Grisham's writing is witty and never boring.

Since I read The Firm, I have dove into "The client" which I am enjoying, however I enjoyed The Firm more.

Read this book, you'll love it!

Well I guess I am alone on this one. To put it plainly- I did not find this book very good or suspenseful. I found the character of Mitch to be shockingly thin. I wasn't sure of who he was. He was smart talking and bold right from the start- which you could argue is appropriate when you consider his rough childhood- but still, it doesn't really fit together- it doesn't seem right and certainly this one personality trait of his is not enough to establish his character. Also and more importantly his personality stays entirely static throughout the whole book- I didn't see any changes in him- NONE. Also he was completely unsympathetic- he supposedly loves his wife so much but cheats on her like its nothing and then barely seems to regret it (also it bothered me that the book left off with a reflection back to this infidelity- left a bad taste in my mouth. I am not trying to be a prude- I mean he can cheat on his wife and still be an interesting, sympathetic character- but its just, there was no darkness there, or complexity to explain the cheating or his feelings towards it and to connect his character to the reader. The best words I could describe his character development was SHALLOW. No depth to him whatsoever, completely plastic. I didn't know who the hell this guy was, and why I should even care. Also I thought the character of his wife came off sweet but equally shallow. Grisham obviously attempted to add an edge to her character by showcasing her snapping about not caring about what the firm wants as far as children went...but I think it fell flat, and didn't do the job. He seems to think that giving a character a slight attitude and some wit is enough to create life- but it is not. The only character that really left any kind of impression on me is Mitch's brother.

Anybody else feel unsatisfied?

This book is the story of Mitchell McDeere, a young, poor lawyer out of Harvard Law. He finished among the top three in his class and has recieved offers from law firms all over the country, including the small, conservative tax firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke in Memphis, Tennessee. They offer more than any other firm: a new BMW, a new house, a large salary with many incentives and bonuses, student loan relief, and a community and way of life. But before long, Mitch is confronted by the truth: the firm is actually owned by a powerful Chicago mafia family and once you are in, there are but two ways out: dying and retiring while keeping your mouth shut. The whole book is fascinating, from the beginning when the lawyers were outlining the terms, to the middle, when we discover why those terms are in place, and the espionage begins, to a suspenseful manhunt for the McDeeres which includes the police, the FBI, and the mob. This is absolutely compelling reading and makes you think about if a firm that controls every aspect of your life, that can hear every word you say, does exist.

This book starts out smoothly and finishes, well, not so smoothly. This book about Mitch McDeere and his job at a Mafia-run law firm-and it's pretty good at making the reader love the book for suspense and such, but I didn't really like the ending at all. For those of you who have not read the book, go and buy another John Grisham book, anyone but this one. I think I might have liked it A LOT more if Mitch McDeere had cooporated with the FBI (Don't worry, that line won't give away the book.) It's an okay book, but if you don't want to waste time with so-so books, go read something else!

A great story which keeps the suspense up right until the end as you wonder how the protagonist is going to escape his predicament.

One aspect of the novel which I think somewhat flawed is the way that Grisham is trying to package a social message. While I agree with his message, that lawyers and some other white collar workers enjoy enormous privileges of which they often are not particularly conscious, this message is here blurred by the fact that in this case, these privileges are justified by the shady activities the Firm engages in. Furthermore, after all his lamentations about his ill-gotten privileges, ultimately the protagonist opts for a life of wealthy retirement rather than working for the betterment of society (as opposed to, e.g., the protagonist of Grisham's later novel _The Street Lawyer_).

However, this flaw does not detract much from the reading enjoyment in this highly entertaining novel.