The Exchange: After The Firm

I have been especially looking forward to this new Grisham book for a few months, and now still looking forward to a good one. When I first started listening I was missing Michael Beck, but it became plain to see why he might have chosen not to narrate. The story was lame and confusing, but not confusion on the reader's part -- the author's. I think the author got the Tom Cruise from his MI career instead of the TC Mitch McDeer character, and gave Abby an improbable and gratuitous role. Those problems along with the narrator's propensity to whisper the last word or syllable for sentences, plus the painfully slow delivery made for a boring read. In fact, I had to speed it to 1.4 or 1.5x to get a listenable cadence. Don't waste your time or money on this book.

Barely made it through it..

Very disappointing for a follow up to The Firm. To be honest, I wanted my credit back it was that bad.

This is the best that John Grisham could come up with as a sequel to The Firm? This should have just been one of his throw away books with a random lawyer rather than Mitch Mcdeer. I do not get it. Very boring and disappointing. Narrator was ok.

Bad ending !

I thought it was entertaining and a good way to tie up loose ends. It kept me entertained and that is not always easy. I tend to get stuck on authors and on characters. There are so many choices and I want to try them all.

As always I love Grisham’s novels

Too much traveling around and not enough about Mitch’s family.

Not to good I believe the firm is over

My least favorite Grisham novel. It didn't seem to be his writing. Boring.

Mr. Grisham may be past his days of interesting writing. This one moves slowly without an engaging plot, and is unnecessarily violent, we didn’t bother to finish it.

To be honest I did not read The Firm (I only watched the movie). So I am not able to compare the writing but the story itself was a let down. I was sure there would be some great twist at the end but it just rambled on and then finished without so much as a flutter of excitement.

Well, even a slugger like JG can’t hit a home run every time. Save your credit

Absolutely the worst JG book I have ever read. So disjointed. Difficult to follow story lines. All of that made worse by the narrator who had no personality and could therefore give none to the characters.

Not very exciting and predictable

Surprised this story got past the editors. Mitch’s trip to Memphis in the beginning had nothing to do with the rest of the story. It was as if Grisham had one story in mind but then decided to go in a completely different direction. It was painfully slow and filled with mundane details that had nothing to do with the plot. Why do we need to know that Abby packed wrinkle free dresses for Morocco? Or how much she liked British Airways? Or that Mitch’s junior associate had to fly coach? Silly stuff that took away from the seriousness of the crisis. I wish I could have my credit back!!

Too violent. With the climate in the Middle East now, probably a good idea to avoid such new writings on the topic. I was curious why one reviewer said he wished Grisham had not written this book. I understand why now.

Another Grisham winner!!

NOT ONE OF HIS BEST

Excellent Narrater Very good book 1 to 10, definitely a 10

I enjoyed this book but had a hard time with all the lawyers in different countries. Wish Abby didn’t have as much of a role, but really thought there would be surprise ending tying this event to the mob from The Firm and that was who was really after Mitch even thou 15 years later. But maybe another book will tie these 2 books together.