The two main characters from Grisham's bestseller, The Firm return in The Exchange. Mitch and Abby McDeere are living in New York City in 2005. Mitch is a partner in an international law firm with offices around the globe. Abby is a cookbook editor, and they have twin boys.

In the opening chapters, Mitch is asked to take another pro bono death row case, but it doesn't go anywhere. I am not sure of the purpose of this case other than to introduce some of Mitch's back story from The Firm. Mitch takes over a case from his old mentor, Luca Sandroni, who is a Scully and Pershing partner in the Rome office. Luca represents a large Turkish construction firm suing the Libyan government. Qaddafi owes $400 million for work the firm completed on his bridge to nowhere in the desert.

Luca asks Mitch to take his daughter Giovani, also a Scully associate, with him to Tripoli to visit the construction site. In Tripoli, Mitch winds up in hospital with food poisoning and Giovanna goes missing. Desperate to find Giovanna, Mitch and the Scully managing partner investigate who abducted her. Abby receives a ransom demand and Abby and the family become targets of the kidnappers. The rest of the book has Mitch meeting with foreign officials, law partners and anyone he can influence to raise the ransom in time.

I devoured this book and was intrigued by the brief look at the international court. I didn't read The Firm and watched the movie quite a while ago, but I didn't feel the lack. You can easily read The Exchange without having read The Firm.

Thanks to Doubleday Books for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

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Abby and Mitch are back, and the stakes are higher than ever. The Exchange picks up 15 years after the ending of The Firm. Mitch and Abby, out of hiding, are enjoying life in NYC: Mitch works for a high-end international law firm, and Abby edits cookbooks.

Once again, the McDeere family finds themselves in the thick of a nefarious plot, but this time, the bad guys zero in on Abby. As Mitch frequently reminds her, “They picked you.” The book takes readers back to Memphis for a spell, bouncing us around the world from London to Italy, Morocco, and beyond, with a cameo of a familiar but not so friendly face from Mitch’s previous life.

While some might argue that the pace of The Firm was on the slower side, the opposite could be said for The Exchange. I found The Exchange to be extremely fast-paced. If I had one criticism, it would be that the ending kind of snuck up on me and felt rushed. Overall, this was a solid legal thriller, and the international aspect added a good spin. It’s a quick read that you won’t want to put down.

Grisham is one of my all-time favorite, auto-buy authors. This book most certainly lived up to its predecessors.

Fifteen years after the implosion of the firm where he worked, lawyer Mitch McDeere is faced with another confounding situation. As he races across the world to beat a deadline, he finds himself reminiscing about his previous practice. Author John Grisham brings back the character that established him as a pioneer in legal thrillers in a sequel that doesn’t measure up to the original work in the lackluster novel The Exchange: After the Firm.

It's 2006, and Mitch McDeere is settled with his wife, Abby, and twin sons in New York City. The nightmare with his previous employer, Bendini, Locke, and Lambert, in Mississippi is long behind him. Mitch and Abby have finally gotten used to living life without looking over their shoulders. Abby’s job as a cookbook editor is going well, and Mitch is now a partner in mega law firm Scully and Pershing. The life Mitch and Abby thought they’d have in Mississippi is finally theirs.

When Mitch gets a call from a mentor for a favor, it seems simple enough. Mitch has been good friends with Luca Sandroni for many years, and Luca’s daughter, Giovanna, is now an associate with Scully and Pershing. Due to his declining health, Luca wants give one of his latest cases to Mitch and is requesting that Giovanna be added to the team.

Mitch is more than happy to oblige. After Bendini, Locke, and Lambert fell apart, Luca provided Mitch and Abby safe haven in Italy. He helped Mitch personally and professionally. Mitch jumps at the opportunity to take Giovanna under his wing the way Luca did for him.

The case Luca is handing over involves Turkish construction firm Lannak. Lannak, following the express orders of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, built a bridge in the Libyan desert. Now that the bridge is almost finished, Gaddafi’s government is stalling on payment, and Luca has been representing Lannak in the negotiations.

Mitch and Giovanna travel to Libya to meet with their clients, but Giovanna and some Libyan locals are kidnapped by terrorists from an unknown organization. Mitch races back to New York, as much to get out of harm’s way as to figure out what to do next. Scully and Pershing is the largest law farm in the world. Surely, Mitch thinks, if anyone can get Giovanna back, his firm can.

What he discovers, though, is the firm has its own interests. After weeks of silence, the terrorists ask for a ransom of $100 million within 10 days. Mitch begins his own campaign to bring Giovanna home, but with little information to go on about who is doing the asking and why his efforts are stunted. Then the terrorists contact Abby, and Mitch’s entire world starts to spin sideways.

Author John Grisham uses this novel to answer the question, “What happened to Mitch after The Firm?” The book’s premise remains mostly unformed and unexplored. Grisham’s running commentary narration makes the novel feel like it’s skimming the surface of an old spy film.

The terrorist organization is never given a name or any sort of affiliation, which, after a point, leaves them feeling more like a fuzzy concept rather than a group with a distinct purpose and mission. More than that, the group never offers any concrete reasons for Giovanna’s kidnapping. What little readers do know of the terrorists sounds stereotypical to the point of feeling generic. Rather than worry for Giovanna’s welfare and, by association, Mitch and Abby’s safety, readers may come away with absolutely no emotional reaction at all.

It's also unclear later in the book why Mitch is so deeply invested in Giovanna’s rescue. Worst of all, despite graphic descriptions of violence, Mitch himself never seems in danger of anything. With the lack of tension and any active conflict, readers may lose interest in his noble mission.

Grisham gives Mitch several opportunities to reflect on life after Bendini, Locke, and Lambert, but many of these recollections feel forced. They don’t flow with the rest of the narrative at hand. Diehard fans of John Grisham may want to pick this one up, but other readers are probably better off reading the original novel instead.

The much anticipated return of Mitch McDeere did not disappoint! The Exchange is not just a continuation of Mitch's story; it's a soaring leap into the evolved ecosystem of global law, espionage, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Mitch, the once green, ambitious attorney, now finds his footing as a seasoned partner at the world's largest law firm based in Manhattan when a favor turns into an international conspiracy. While The Exchange ventures into grander, more explosive territories, at its heart, it remains a story about a brilliant lawyer's unyielding quest for justice and survival. For fans old and new, Mitch McDeere's return is a welcome, heart-racing adventure.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel to review.

I am a long time fan of John Grisham, both his legal works and the other novels he has written. I did greatly enjoy The Firm and looked forward to this novel.

This novel is meant to take place 15 years after The Firm which is set in 1985. This means it should be set in the year 2000 or so. I found it very distracting that the technology was miles ahead of the early 2000s. There were so many plot points that depended on technology that should not have been in common use that I found it a great distraction.

The novel is an enjoyable read overall, once I could get past my hang up over the anachronisms and I do look forward to reading more from John Grisham.

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The Exchange
By: John Grisham
Publisher: Double Day
Pub Date: 10/18/23

We start off by catching up with Mitch and Abby McDeere 15 years after tThe Firm ended. They’ve moved on with their lives and now have 2 boys.
Mitch has taken a job for an international law firm that involves lots of travel. Abbie works for a publishing house that publishes cookbooks and always has guest chefs, stopping by their apartment to cook. When Mitch's newest case takes him to Libya, he becomes violently ill and a younger associate has to step in and is kidnapped. As the firm security team works to retrieve the kidnapped associate things get a little close to home when Abby gets involved. The question becomes are they safe? Are the boys safe? Should they be running again? And can they get the associate back alive?
I love getting to go back in time and learn more about previous book character's. .

I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Exchange' by John Grisham, a gripping sequel to his earlier hit 'The Firm.' Returning to the compelling world of Mitch and Abby McDeere, the story follows their tumultuous journey fifteen years after exposing the corrupt law firm in Memphis. Now based in Manhattan, Mitch finds himself in a dangerous plot that spans continents, showcasing his expertise in evading adversaries and protecting his loved ones.
Grisham's narrative expertly blends legal intricacies with high-stakes action on a thrilling roller-coaster ride.
The introduction of Giovanna Sandroni adds a layer of complexity, propelling the story forward with a sense of urgency.
The pace is relentless, and kept me on the edge of my seats. Grisham's writing style remains sharp, making it a page-turner from start to finish. The unexpected twists in the plot were a delightful surprise, adding depth and excitement to the narrative. If you're a Grisham fan or simply enjoy legal thrillers with heart-pounding action, 'The Exchange' is a must-read that will leave you craving more.

Mitch McDeere is back in this sequel to John Grisham’s megahit The Firm. He and his wife Abby are living the perfect life in Manhattan. She is embedded in the culinary world and publishes cookbooks. He is a partner at an international law firm. Their twin boys are well adjusted. Then Mitch is asked to handle a case for a well-respected partner in the Rome office, Luca Sandroni.

Luca represents a construction firm in Turkey that built a bridge for Gaddafi’s Great Man-Made River Project. When Gaddafi’s team fails to turn sand into water, he decides to forgo paying his construction company. Luca just found out he has a serious health issue and needs Mitch to carry on with the lawsuit to recover payment. Luca’s second ask is for Mitch to hire his daughter Giovanna as an associate on the project.

Putting aside the quick trip to Memphis in the opening pages to refresh readers’ memories of The Firm, the novel kicks off with good pacing, interesting narrative, and excellent writing as always. This carries on for about half the book. After that, the tension is impacted as Mitch travels from one city, one meal, and one meeting to the other trying to handle a crisis that arises on his and Giovanna’s bridge inspection trip to Libya. Not a waste of time, though. Grisham’s discipline in not overwhelming readers with description (except when it comes to the fabulous food!), makes this a worthy read.

Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Being a resident of Mississippi, I feel an obligation to read every Grisham book. This one had me excited because who wouldn’t want to read a sequel to “The Firm?” Thirty years later, Mitch and his wife Abby return. Things have changed for Mitch and the opening chapters have nothing to do with the rest of the book other than to refresh readers on the plot of “The Firm” I kept thinking something from these chapters were going to pop up later but…nope. Mitch and Abby now live in New York and have two sons. Mitch is a partner in the world’s largest law firm, while Abby is a cookbook editor. The plot revolves around the firm representing a Turkish client who was hired to build a bridge in Libya. One of their lawyers is kidnapped and Mitch is dashing around the world to try and secure the ransom to pay the terrorist kidnappers. I was invested and I bet it will be a great movie but I felt like the ending wrapped up a little too quickly. I needed more! Maybe Mitch and Abby are returning for Book 3?

I was interested in finding out what happened to the McDeeres. I read this in two days - fast paced, easy read, and the story kept me engrossed. I enjoyed all the different locations - NYC, Rome, North Africa, London, Maine, and the Grand Caymans. Like The Firm, I felt it was another story testing what Mitch's job was asking of him versus his conscience and love for his family. He's asked to revisit some places he swore he wouldn't return to. The main storyline revolves around an international crime with lots of twists and turns.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. Although I expected it to be a legal thriller, it still grabbed my attention and kept me reading to find out what was going to happen next. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

While in University, John Grisham’s novels were my guilty pleasure,and a break from college reading. Reading and reviewing John Grisham’s latest release is nothing short of a privilege. The novel was an exciting sequel to the riveting prequel to The Firm.

Mitch McDeere, a partner in a New York office. What's going to happen to Mitch and Abby and their only chance and safety was to leave the country.

Giovanna and his daughter, who was a Sully associate The return of Giovanna cost one hundred million dollars to rescue him.The three men who were kidnaped, Four decapitated Haskel, Gau, Abdo, Aziz.

Exciting characters were exciting. I was riveted by the story, Ready for a movie. Thank you John Grisham, Double Day, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the novel and writing an honest review.

When I heard there was going to be a sequel to The Firm I was beyond excited. I absolutely loved The Firm by John Grisham and couldn't wait for more of Mitch and Abby McDeere. The Exchange takes place 15 years after The Firm and finds Mitch working in international law for a huge firm that has offices in many countries. There's a lot of travel involved in the job and Mitch enjoys it. He and Abby have seen lots of beautiful places around the world thanks to his job. Mitch and Abby live in New York City where the largest office of the law firm is located. Abby publishes cookbooks and always has different chefs in their kitchen testing recipes. Abby and Mitch have twin boys that are in a private school close to home.

Mitch is given a case that will take him to Libya with people from his firm. The others are not all from the New York office, but they're all working for the same firm. Their client is trying to collect money they're owed for a bridge they've built but haven't been paid for. During the trip to Libya his associate and security team is kidnapped, The lawyer kidnapped is a woman and the daughter of a trusted friend. The kidnappers demand a huge ransom or threaten to kill her execution style with a video released to local tv and papers. Mitch knows they mean it as they've already released some horrific videos of them killing innocent people.

Things take a personal turn when Abby is getting coffee at her regular shop and a delivery is made. How do the kidnappers know where Abby get coffee, where she and Mitch live, and why do they know so much about the boys? The threat to Mitch, Abby, and the boys is real and they are now terrified. Will Mitch be able to come up with the huge ransom to get Giovanna back? Who is following he and Abby? Are they safe? Are the boys safe? Will the other partners at the firm help raise the necessary funds before it's too late? Things get very tense the further you read and The Exchange is an excellent follow-up to The Firm. I rate The Exchange 4 stars with a high recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an advanced copy of The Exchange for a fair review. I hope that there will be another book featuring Mitch, Abby, and the boys! #The Exchange

Mitch and Abby McDeere live in New York City and this story begins 15 yrs after Mitch escaped The Firm. He is a partner in an international law firm. She is a cookbook editor and after spending 7 yrs in Cortona Italy, they are settled into a comfortable life with their twin sons who are 8.
Mitch is engaged by the operating manager of Scully to take over a case involving a Turkish contractor that built a bridge in the Libyan desert which Libya refuses to pay for.
During. Mitch’s trip there, an associate (the daughter of the Italian manager) and their guides are kidnapped. The guides are brutally tortured and beheaded, and the associate is held prisoner. Mitch then becomes responsible for raising $100 million ransom while Abby is forced to be the go between for the terrorists and the money.
This book was a departure from Grisham’s typical brilliant courtroom drama. There is still brilliant manipulation, drama and edge of your seat tension, but I thought the story was too descriptive rather than a built up plot development.
I received an Arc from NetGalley and Doubleday and the opinions expressed are my own

A solid four stars for the return of Mitch McDeere in John Grisham's follow-up to "The Firm." This time, prestigious corporate lawyer McDeere is pulled into a vast North African conspiracy at his world-renowned corporate law firm. He and his fellow attorneys are in a race against time to save one of their own, and it seems as they meet a roadblock at every turn. Set in New York City, Italy and Libya, "The Exchange" takes you deep into the heart of Middle Eastern politics and crime, and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

My one critique is that I felt the plot wrapped up a little too quickly. The final pages were a complete whirlwind & left me somewhat perplexed and wanting more detail. But perhaps Grisham is gunning for a trilogy? Hoping this one makes it to the big screen too!

Another great read. Don’t need to have read The Firm to enjoy this one. It took me awhile to remember what The Firm was about. Interesting storyline with well developed characters. Mitch and Abby have been enjoying life when Mitch gets caught up in an international lawsuit. The situation doesn’t run smoothly and requires a lot of finagling to work out. I wanted to keep reading to find out how Mitch was going to sort everything out.

3.5 : It has been decades since The Firm, so I jumped at the chance to review the sequel, thanks to NetGalley. I appreciate some reviewers gave it high ratings. After the length of time it took to continue on Abby and Mitch’s journey, I found it not up to the hype. The settings in the book are great, but the rest left it a bit lukewarm for me. Or maybe it’s because it is too much like real life. I was hoping for more.
I still recommend it as it’s an easy page-turner. My opinions are those of my own.

The Exchange is an exciting novel that is full of interesting characters and international settings. However, The Exchange is most notable for the return of Mitch McDeere. McDeere was Grisham's hero in his blockbuster novel, The Firm. Although I never wondered what happened to Mitch, it's great to be reunited with him. He's a very successful NYC lawyer and still married to Abby. They have eight year old twin boys. Mitch gets assigned a challenging case in Libya that sounds like an exciting adventure to him. The case becomes a life changing catastrophe for almost everyone involved. Clear your schedule when you start reading The Exchange. In true Grisham style it is difficult to put down.

John Grisham hits another one outta the park! This book show us what happened to Mitchell McDeere in the first novel The Firm.
I enjoyed this book. Not your typical lawyer drama. You don’t spend a lot of time in the courtroom but flying around the globe trying to save a colleague from some terrorist.

It's sometimes hard to revisit a story and characters from quite a few years ago, but I think Grisham does a good job with this sequel. It's fun to see where Mitch and Abby are in their lives and how things are going. There's some obvious plot points but it's overall entertaining. If you liked The Firm, I think you will like this sequel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely