The Partner (Mass Market Paperback)

by John Grisham (Author) "THEY FOUND HIM in Ponta Pora, a pleasant little town in Brazil, on the border of Paraguay, in a land still known as the Frontier..." (more)
Key Phrases: New Orleans, Patrick Lanigan, Northern Case Mutual (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Literary slugger John Grisham returns with a story about-- surprise!--a lawyer in trouble. Patrick Lanigan had been a young partner in a prominent Southern law firm. He had a beautiful wife, a new baby girl, and a bright future. Then one winter night Patrick was trapped in a burning car; the casket they buried held nothing but ashes.

A short distance away, Patrick watched his own burial then fled. A fortune was stolen from his ex-firm's offshore account. And Patrick ran, covering his tracks the whole way.

But, now, they've found him. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Grisham tries his hand at the fake-your-death-and-change-your-identity theme. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Dell; 1ST edition (January 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440224764
• ISBN-13: 978-0440224761
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (894 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #305,627 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and suspenseful but unbelievable..., May 9, 2005

By	Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I don't know how The Partner by John Grisham has escaped me for so long as this is one of his earlier books. It has the action packed, conspiracy laden plot that we have come to expect from him. I read this 480 page book in less than 24 hours. While it was entertaining and suspenseful, I knew it was impossible for one character to have everything figured out.

Patrick Lanigan is a partner in a law firm in Biloxi Mississippi when he is killed in a fiery car crash. He is burned beyond recognition, and his remains are cremated and then buried. But when several weeks later, 90 million dollars goes missing from his law firm, Patrick becomes the chief suspect. Four and a half years later, Patrick is discovered living in Brazil, and is captured and tortured by some disreputable characters who are working on behalf of the companies that were bilked of their millions, including two insurance companies. Patrick does have the money, although he doesn't know the exact location of it. But he also knows a terribly powerful secret that can bring many people crashing down if the information was to be made public. The Partner becomes a literary game of chess as Patrick uses this information while bargaining with the FBI, the Justice Department and Harrison County Law Enforcement.

But while The Partner is entertaining, it is totally unbelievable. First, Lanihan has managed the almost perfect crime, and there are just too many coincidences to be realistic. He becomes an expert at disappearing, becomes proficient in a new language, masters electronic surveillance, tackles offshore banking, learns to hide money, creates gasoline bombs, and a host of other skills. I'm not sure that Lanigan was even likable, and when the book ended with a shocker, I wasn't sure if I was glad or sad for Patrick. In fact, there weren't a whole lot of likable characters in The Partner, except for maybe Sandy McDermott, who was Lanigan's college friend and served as his lawyer.

So if you're looking for something with lots of action and some twists and turns, The Partner is vintage Grisham. But don't expect it to be believable. It's more a light, summer beach book than a work of great literature.

34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scheming and Suspenseful, February 17, 2000

By A Customer

Patrick Lanigan was a young lawyer who had recently become a partner in a propsperous law firm. Feeling a sense of hopelessness in his life, he plotted for months on how he would disappear and start a new life in a foreign country. He learned about a scheme in which his law firm would earn $90 million dollars for their client. Patrick obtained a new identity and stole the money. He started a new life in Brazil with a beautiful young woman, but was always looking over his shoulder. Four years later, he was found and tortured. He was brought back to the US and treated at a hospital while under arrest. He took that time to create an impecable defense for himself and eventually all charges were dropped and he went back to Brazil with $30 million dollars to live happily ever after. But he didn't... I would strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for an intriguing story that is a fast read. I loved the character of Patrick Lanigan, with his attention to detail and the remarkable tactics he used to win his case. I did not enjoy the ending, however, because it left you with a sense of disappointment and wonder. It was still an entertaining book that I couldn't wait to finish.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fun legal thriller; refreshing change of storytelling style for Grisham, November 15, 2005

By	Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I thoroughly enjoyed the intricacies and twists in Patrick Lanigan's master plot to rip off his crooked law firm of enough money to be set for life. As someone who had gotten tired of Grisham's plot technique of using a super-powerful all-knowing company or firm who could track our hero to the ends of the earth and ruin in his life, this was a refreshing change. Quite the opposite was true-those seeking Lanigan were perilously close to running out of money for the effort. Also, the painstaking methods for tracking Lanigan's whereabouts were spelled out entirely for the reader, silencing even the most doubtful reader. In many of Grisham's other books, he shirks on the plot-building duties and just tosses out a super-sleuth team that can find anyone anywhere with no explanation.

I enjoyed the non-linear storytelling style: the book opened with Lanigan being found by his pursuers, and then the backstory of how and why he stole the money, and how he hid from his pursuers, is filled in. For most of the book, Lanigan looks like a "bad guy" himself, in fact. It was a nice change-up on the way the plot was laid out.

Many have complained about the end of the book. I enjoyed the journey enough to trust Grisham with the end. I'll leave all readers to make up their own mind about Lanigan's fate.