Readers expecting The Firm II (or anything like early Grisham) will be disappointed by this resumption fifteen years AFTER THE FIRM (as subtitled).

Mitch McDeere is now in Big Law in the Big Apple. (The firm's office is at 18 Broad St, which readers might recognize as the Exchange, but the book title really represents THE EXCHANGE of a hostage for ransom.)

Right off the bat (no pun intended as Mitch and wife, Abby, now have twin eight-year-old boys who play little league baseball), Mitch's latest pro bono case goes down the drain when the client dies on death row in what is ruled a suicide, but was it?

Readers will never know, since, fifteen percent in, the plot diverts to a construction law case that Mitch takes on as a favor and gets more than he bargained for.

The rest of the story, mired in international affairs, has him traveling the globe to secure funds for the release of a colleague on the case who is kidnapped.

High stakes, but low suspense.

“The Exchange: After The Firm,” by John Grisham, Doubleday, 352 pages, Oct. 17, 2023.

What became of Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of the Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke and fled the country?

It is now 15 years later, and Mitch and Abby are back in the U.S., living in Manhattan where Mitch is a partner at Scully & Pershing, the largest law firm in the world. Abby is an editor for a small publisher that specializes in cookbooks. They have twin sons, Clark and Carter, 8.

Luca Sandroni, who has an international law firm in Rome, asks Mitch for help. He was one of Mitch’s mentors. The case involves Lannak, a large Turkish construction company, and a man-made river in Libya. Mitch agrees to take over. Luca wants his daughter, Giovanna, to be an associate on the case. After Mitch is incapacitated and hospitalized, Giovanna and her security team are kidnapped.

The beginning of the book doesn’t have much to do with the rest of it as Mitch goes to Memphis for a death row case that ends abruptly. There are no courtroom scenes, but a lot of inner office discussions as members of the firm try to raise an exorbitant amount of money. Mitch ends up traveling around the world to try to raise the ransom. Abby plays an important role.

The novel is fast-moving and intense. A shortcoming is that the kidnappers know various things from Mitch’s past with no explanation of how they found out. Of course, that could lead to a sequel.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Whatever happened to Mitch MCDeere? The end of The Firm he just disappeared with his wife Abby. Now they are back 15 years later living in New York with twin boys; Mitch is a partner in the worlds largest law firm and Abby is a cookbook editor. Mitch is called to the firm's office in Rome where he is told that he needs to travel to Libya with his associate Giovanna who is also a top partners daughter. While in Libya, Giovanna is kidnapped and held at ransom, will Mitch be able to negotiate and keep her alive prior to the exchange?

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC!

This was actually a bit of a surprise for me as it’s a Grisham book, and I usually enjoy them across the board. But this one I had some reservations about.

This story takes up with Mitch McDeere (from The Firm) 15 years after his perilous escape from a corrupt law firm in Memphis.

Now in Manhattan with his wife and children, Mitch is a partner at the world’s largest law firm and is asked to fly to Libya to document the construction of Gaddafi’s desert “bridge to nowhere” that his client is suing for payment of. Then things go seriously haywire (to say the least) and terror ensues. Mitch and his wife Abby are thrust into the middle of a sinister plot that sees them struggling to help secure an exchange involving multiple countries, millions of dollars and the safety of their own family.

Unfortunately, this didn’t give me the excitement factor that I was expecting. There’s some violence and a few harrowing moments, but mostly it felt a lot like it was trying to make a few political statements. It was rather slow in parts, and there was so much flying around in private jets that I had both whiplash and jet lag, with most of the hurried travel accomplishing nothing and seemingly unnecessary. And the denouement just fell flat for me.

I love Grisham, but for me this was not one of his best efforts.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing the free early arc of The Exchange for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and get me wondering where the plot would take me next. The characters were well developed. The Firm was the first book i ever read by John Grisham and he is one of my favorite authors. The Exchange did not disappoint and I hope to read more of Mitch and Maggie McDeere adevntures.

The Exchange is a sequel to the 1991 novel that launched the career of John Grisham, The Firm. As someone who showed up at Ole Miss in Oxford, MS in 1996 at the height of his popularity, I have read and loved most of the Grisham novels. I have been to signings at Square Books and driven by his house, so maybe I expected too much. This one was certainly not worth the read. Just stick to The Firm and let that be the end for you.

There are a lot of spoilers coming so don't continue if you don't want to know.

We find Mitch McDeere happily practicing law again in Manhattan and living a happy life with his wife and two kids. Suddenly, he finds himself in the middle of terrorist plot, with a kidnapped colleague and his wife named as the official negotiator. There is a lot of bloody, filmed killing in this one and that is really not my thing, so that made it hard to get through. But, there was a deadline given by the terrorists who want hundreds of millions of dollars, so I stayed in it to see what would happen. Shouldn't have. We never find out who the terrorists are or what they wanted and it is totally unbelievable that they would have let the hostage go in the way they did.

While The Exchange had the Grisham signature of a fast pace and high stakes, this one seemed far fetched, gruesome and just not worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Years after Mitch and Abby McDeere fled the firm, we find them living in New York with twin boys. Mitch is working for the largest law firm in the world while Abby works for a publisher, publishing cookbooks. Life is good until Mitch is asked to go to Libya to take over a case. When the trip goes sideways, Mitch must race against the clock to help a friend.

I really enjoyed The Exchange. It's fast paced and keeps you reading.

4.5 stars

This book read like a behind-the-scenes view of a kidnapping/hostage thriller. I waited 350 pages for the twist, the turn, the exciting part. It never came. None of the intrigue, all of the mundanity.

If you ever need an example of how to make a kidnapping/hostage situation boring, give them this book.

I would not have used an existing character like Mitch McDeere to sell this book. Unless, everyone knew it was going to be bad and a decision was made to use a familiar face to sell the work when it wouldn't have sold otherwise?

Hope his next one (if there is one) is much, much better than this.

A little scary!

This is a sequel to The Firm and reintroduces many of the characters but can be read as a stand-alone novel. Lots of action but no court room drama. On the whole, I really enjoyed reading it, if that can be said about something that is so scary and evil. Very topical to current world events. Be careful you don't have nightmares!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

Fans of John Grisham's bestselling novel The Firm get the chance to revist Mitch and Abby McDeere..

The Exchange picks up 15 years after Much and Abby flee to the Cayman Islands. Mitch and Abby are now living in New York. Mitch is once again working as an attorney and once again gets pulled into a sinister plot.

Nostalgia keeps this book alive. Characters are well done and definitely a character driven novel. I found it to be a bit slow as most of the book revolved around Mitch flying country to country for one meeting after another. I think readers who like the behind the scenes negotiations of international terrorism/hostage negotiations may enjoy this better than I did. I was expecting more of a legal thriller. There are lots of loose ends, so maybe another McDeere book in the future??


Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

My review of The Exchange John Grisham

I was so excited to hear that my favourite book “The Firm” was going to be continued and John Grisham sure delivered with awesome book “Exchange”. Many of this author’s book are on my favourites list but “The Firm” stayed with me although I do wish I’d reread “The Firm” before starting “The Exchange” just to refresh my memory.

“The Exchange” is a complete story that reintroduces Mitch and Abby around ten years after “The Firm”. It was great to catch up on this couple and their two children (twin boys).

While most of the story revolves around Mitch and the legal company and his travels to the various company offices around the world and introducing some great characters some I think might have been in the last book.

Mr. Grisham really knows how to create some memorable and exquisite characters. That’s what I’ve always loved about his books.

At one point in this book (at least to me) a totally unexpected character takes the spotlight and I honestly loved this twist.
I’m not going to tell you who or when because that will spoil the plot fo you. But that plot twist takes you on roller coaster ride and you will not be able to put this book down you will need to read what happens next.

This is an amazing book with creative twists and turns; a great follow up to “The Firm”!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Exchange takes place 15 years after the events of The Firm, and could be read as a standalone, for those new to Grisham’s work.

The story once again follows Mitch and Abby McDeere, who after escaping to Europe to evade the mob, the FBI, and the shady law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke, have now settled in New York with new jobs and twin sons. Mitch is now a partner at Scully & Pershing, an international mega-firm, when he is called to Rome by an old friend and colleague for an assist on a big case. This case involves a lawsuit brought by a high paying client against the Libyan government. Mitch sets off to investigate the claim and whilst in the desert his female colleague Giovanna is kidnapped by unknown terrorists amidst some brutal killings. At first there is no known motive, but soon Mitch and Abby are drawn into an international game of ransom and intrigue. From New York, to Libya, to Rome, to London, Mitch chases down answers and an astonishing random demand against the clock.

I’ve always loved the writing style of John Grisham, and was a voracious reader of his work in my early 20’s. This book was no different. It was like catching up with an old friend. Grisham always makes the legalese engaging and fast paced and easy to understand. This novel compulsively pulled me in and I couldn’t wait to read a bit more each day!!

Exciting But Does Not Live Up To The Hype

Reviewer: Joyce Hamel (NetGalley)


I was ecstatic when I read the first half of the book. It was the “old” John Grisham, teaching me about how a large law firm works and the all-important corporate ladder and games they play. In The Exchange, Mitch McDeere now works for the largest law firm in the world, Scully.

The plot revolves around the kidnapped daughter of one the partners, Luca, working from Italy and dying of pancreatic cancer. His daughter is kidnapped in Libya during the time of Gaddhafi and his regime. She is also an attorney based out of the Italy office. Basically the plot revolved around freeing her from her captors. The scenes are bloody, scary and well-written; the reader can visualize the beheadings.

Mitch is called upon to rescue this young attorney who is in captivity for too long. For some unknown reason, Mitch’s wife, Abby, is approached by the bad guys, actually a woman who gave her a special phone to receive messages from the enemy. I never was sure why Grisham chose Abby to head up this rescue except she was smart and trying to protect her family. She became adept at playing in a high-stakes foreign intrigue. The kidnappers want $100 million in five days. Did Mitch McDeere trust only Mrs. Abby McDeere? He put her in harm’s way; however, her dialogue was spot-on. The other central female figure was also smart and cunning.

This was a wonderful page-turner until some of it was too hard to believe. Luca, a very sick man, was able to have quick recoveries giving him another respite from his terminal disease. His recoveries were not realistic or the people around him. The rescue was exciting and involved many characters who needed to be smarter and more successful than the terrorists. The murders scenes are graphic and keeps the plot moving.
When it was finally over and Mitch and Abby could return to their ‘normal’ life with their twin boys, I did expect a rousing ending. Not so. The ending was a great disappointment, ruining the exciting writing and creative plotting. It fell flat, I’m not sure if Grisham wrote this book, some of the brilliant scenes resembled his talent, but others plodded on. When I refer to the ending, I am commenting on the few last pages. I expected a clever sequel to The Firm, but maybe I am jaded with newer mysteries. However, I will never pass up a Grisham book.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Doubleday for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Although this is a sequel to The Firm, it can be read alone. The beginning of the book reminds us what happens in The Firm. Abby and Mitch are now living in New York and Mitch works at one of the biggest law firms. He is an international lawyer and travels the globe. During a trip to Libya, his associate is kidnapped. Mitch is tasked with raising the ransom and Abby isn the go-between for the kidnappers and Mitch. The story is fast paced and thoroughly entertaining.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Readers who loved the Firm may find this book disappointing. Fast forward fifteen years, Mitch goes back to Memphis to talk with a death row client but the client has committed suicide. Back in New York, Mitch is sent to Italy where he accepts a job in Libya in a suit about a bridge to nowhere. When a team member, Giovanna is kidnapped, Mitch is in the center of the quest to find her and what's behind the kidnapping. No courtroom drama, lots of footwork and boring negotiations. Not what I expected.

There is a reason why John Grisham is a best-selling author - he is a master storyteller.! I started reading this in the afternoon and could not put it down. The detail, the characters, the location descriptions all make for an intriguing read. Given the recent world events taking place, the plot may be difficult for some but John Grisham handles the storyline with a mature respect.
It was great to catch up with Mitch and Abby. I personally love a sequel and while this doesn't pick up directly from The Firm, it does give a little detail as to the "in-between" years.
For anyone that likes other Grisham novels, likes a thriller, likes a book you can't put down until you know what happens - this book is for you!

#TheExchange #NetGalley

I was thrilled to slip back into the lives of Mitch and Abby, and was excited to continue their story. I didn't feel as thrilled as I did with "The Firm", but I was very happy to read the continuation of their story. I did feel like it was wrapped up too abruptly though. I wanted more.

A look at Mitch and Abby McDeere and what happened after they left the Memphis law firm—yes, that firm. After idly roaming around the world, the McDeere’s go to New York and find success, Mitch with the largest law firm in New York and Abby as a food editor along with their twin boys. With Mitch’s international speciality he is asked to go to Rome and speak to one of their associates, Luca, regarding a client involving Libya and a bridge that leads to nowhere. That was worth a laugh but perhaps it’s just bad timing in history for this book to be released. So we’re left to a screwup and Luca’s daughter is kidnapped. Mitch is flying internationally the rest of the time while Abby is at home working when she becomes involved with the possible release of Luca’s daughter. Mr. Grisham is a great storyteller but this book just didn’t reflect what I have come to respect in his work. There are two redeeming qualities in this work to close out the story which I leave it to you, the reader, to discover. Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an advanced copy of this book; this is my honest opinion.

The Exchange John Grisham

I must say I enjoyed this book. Mr. Grisham is an excellent storyteller.

In The Exchange, we return to the McDeere family, Abby, Mitch and their twin boys, Clark and Carter. After his escape from the brouhaha at Bendini, Abby and Mitch hid for a number of years and when it was safe, moved to New York. They were living a good life. Abby was a cookbook editor and Mitch was a partner at the law firm of Scully and Pershing, an elite law firm with offices world-wide. Things were going swimmingly until…

He was given what was ostensibly the worst case of his career. It involved the Lybian government reneging on a debt it owed to a client of Scully and Pershing. It seemed like a pretty clear cut operation but by the time this case was done, there would be four dead and one Scully lawyer kidnapped, a young female lawyer who happened to be the daughter of one of the Scully partners who tan the Italian office. The ransom request was huge. Could they get the money together in time to save Giovannia or would she also be beheaded in a savage death.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for allowing me to review this manuscript.

I generally steer clear of legal books because who wants to read about what they do all day, every day but I absolutely remember getting sucked into books like The Firm and The Pelican Brief. I loved them. So I was intrigued when I saw that the new book is a follow up to The Firm. Let’s just say, I should have known better. Partly just really bad timing to read a book about hostages but also, it was so over the top and just too much happening and too many horrible decisions. It was not the salacious, juicy and compelling fun of those early books. Did I read the whole book? Yes. Did I need to know what happened so I plowed through it? Yes again. Am I wondering why I did that? Also yes. That is my review.