there are many other John Grisham novels I like better
355007
I have all of John Grisham novels (every one of them) and there are many of them which I like better than this one.. Why? it is a matter of what I like. Why do I like some women, food, sports, more than others/
4639099
I always enjoy Grisham's books, but this one does not measure up to most.  Storyline was disappointing.
2366905
I just didn't think this matched what I thought a Grisham novel would be.  The story line was really not that involving and the characters weren't either.  Take a pass on this one.
1825100
If Grisham's novel "Bleachers" is the low water mark for bad fiction, then this novel gets one notch above.  This was an uninspired effort, and more like an eight-dollar review of Italian sights and food. The story wasn't very compelling to read until near the very end.

Grisham wants to prove he can write something other than legal thrillers, of which he is a master with no equal.  This book is the exception to his excellence that proves he needs to stick to the legal thrillers.
4356426
This is the first Grisham book I have read and I am in the middle of it.  I find the plot enjoyable, but the writing is stale, the charachters are poorly developed and the description, what little there is, leaves quite a  bit to be desired.  The story line is enjoyable and if this was writen by  someone else with more skill for writiing, I would think it should be a  wonderfull book. I like the aspect of espionage, but find the parts about  the governmet layers boring. When the setting changes and Callahan enters  the plot again, I don't mind reading.  These chapters at least have a few  semi-well developed characters and it is not a whole bunch of boring lawyer  drible.  In fact I rather like Callahan's character, but he plays a bit of  a minor role in the plot so far.  Well I won't bore you any more, you'll  have to make your own call on this one, if you like a strong plot and don't  mind bad writing, you would probably like this book
2115872
I expected a better novel from Kphn Grisham.  There are a lot of subplots that he didn't develop so the ending was disappointing.
47151
I wasn't sure I'd finish this one; definitely not one of Grisham's best works.
2084874
John Grisham's newest book is a well-written drama but it's simply not Grisham's style. "The Broker" goes against almost all of Grisham's hallmarks. In the past, books by Mr. Grisham have involved Mississippi law and small towns, not espionage and James Bondesque events. "The Broker" is skillfully written but constantly lacks something. Although Grisham salvaged the book each time, this was a plot better suited for Tom Clancy, not John Grisham. All of that to say this: stick with books on murder in Clanton, Mississippi.
1273913
not his best....courtroom narrative was uneventful
1308956
While this one was a little better than the few stinkers that turned me away from Mr. Grisham's recent courtroom stories, it was still mediocre for me.  It's a follow up to A Time to Kill in that the attorney and some characters are the same but the previous trial from ATTK is only mentioned as his past claim to fame.  The new story line is totally different and the litigation should be a little too complex for this country bumpkin of an attorney to handle in the real world.  But, Mr. Grisham turns him into an unlikely hero among lawyers and for me it was just an okay story with a pretty much predictable outcome. I much prefer when Mr. Grisham writes books like The Painted House and Calico Joe and will hopefully see more of them in the future.  Until then I do solemnly swear to not be tempted by a four and a half star review again.
4272842
story starts nice, a little bit shallow on the relationship parts, but there is no real end to the book, it seems like the last two books of john grisham are quite disappointing, where are the books he used to write
3311622
Sycamore Row is one of John Grisham's more recent best sellers. I enjoyed it like I do all of his books but this one dragged out a bit. Less excitement and suspense than The Firm or The Street Lawyer etc... Living in the south helps me understand some of his perspective more than I did 20 years ago.
2642025
The  Testament was just ok. 2 stars. No I would not recommend it. John Grisham has written better novels. This book just sort of rambled.
1402595
Must say John Grisham is moving from gripping to the predictable. The yarn about an ex-lawyer turned convict and his plot to extract revenge from the system that incarcerated him in the first place is nice and moves along at a good speed. The problem is, less than 30% of the way into the book, you tend to guess the outline of the plot and from then it is just a mental exercise in ticking off what you had figured as against what the author has plotted. Disappointing from that point of view.
1627341
I have all John Grisham novels, and although I enjoyed reading this last one, I do not consider it as one of his best. In my opinion, he has written better books, but also worst than this. Comparing all his novels with a 1-10 scale, I would give this one something between 5 and 7.
Since I liked all of the previous novels, I actually can't think of one that would deserve less than 3-4 in that scale. To conclude, I think its hard to say if a book is good or not, as each of us has his own preferences.
1561697
Probably Grisham is not my cup of tea. This was my first Grisham "reading". I felt like the later parts were overly stretched. There hardly was any gripping element.
It's a story with a very predictable course and if you are looking for suspense, you will be disappointed.
1861287
I have read most of the John Grisham novels.  The Innocent man is based on a real story.  I think John has made his best to write this one, but regretfully since he does not contol the plot, it's poorly written, seems like I'm reading an autobiography of the main character.  There is no real suspense, no real story, just facts after facts after facts..  John Grisham should stick to what he knows best.