The Exchange

"I was looking forward to reading about the characters from the Firm, but this book did not meet my expectations. "

"Mitch McDeere returns, last seen running away from bad guys in The Firm. I was eager to learn about Mitch and his new life 15 years after his old law firm imploded, but this story turned into a bland chase after an unknown character I didn’t care about gets kidnapped by Libyan terrorists (huh?) and starts the endless ransom demands for $100 million. This story failed to deliver a compelling legal story. Half audiobook, half Kindle"

"I felt like this was John Grisham trying to be Jack Ryan. It was ok but not great."

"Pro: You’ll gain sympathy for hostages. You’ll question whether terrorist hostage takers should be paid. Con: Dangling storyline about a client on death row. You’ll be unable to suspend your disbelief that a giant law firm wouldn’t immediately call the congressional office it no doubt made a huge donation to and report the hostage situation. You’ll have no idea why these two characters are the center of the decision making or the hostage negotiation. Lots of drinks at expensive restaurants, how do they even have an appetite? You’ll wonder why the story abruptly ends in 2004 with no final wrap up in the present"

"I’ll always read John Grisham books. I have enjoyed most of them and in the end, I liked this one. It was nice to revisit Mitch and Abby McDeere and the premise of the book was interesting. <br/><br/>Mitch, Abby, and others work to secure the release of hostage Giovanna from a murdering group of terrorists in Libya. However, the writing was dry in a lot of this novel and I found myself skimming to just get through it. Multiple meetings with lawyers, bankers, politicians, etc. (most of which Mitch declares “a waste of time”) take away from the suspense they are supposed to be creating as the action crawls forward. <br/><br/>The ending was good and I have to admit, I can’t wait to see what Grisham has planned for these characters. <br/><br/>"

"The Exchange catches up with Mitch and Abby McDeere fifteen years after the events in The Firm. They now live in Manhattan and have two sons and successful careers. Mitch is continuing his law career, and Abby is an editor. Mitch takes a case thar his old friend Luka was working on and agrees to Let Luka's daughter, Giovanna, assist in the case. <br/><br/>Mitch and Giovanna head to Libya, where his clients are suing the Lebanese government over unpaid bills for a bridge that was built at the request of Gaddafi. When Giovanna is kidnapped by terrorists, it's up to Mitch to raise the ransom of $100 million, or else she will be killed. Will Mitch be able to raise the money to save her?<br/><br/>I really enjoyed this book. It could be read as a standalone, but I think it's better to read The Firm first if you haven't already. The characters aren't fully fleshed out, but they're good enough. The pacing is good, I was hooked from the beginning. I'd recommend this to fans of Grisham and those who like a good international thriller. <br/><br/>My thanks to Double Day, author John Grisham, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own."

"The story was fantastic. Well written, and full of action and suspense. The ending however left much to be desired. I found it anticlimactic and hurried. "