This book is a follow up to The Firm by John Grisham, which is one of my favourite books of all time.

I was so stoked to read more about Mitch & Abby McDeere and find out what happens after The Firm! I really enjoyed this book, as with all John Grisham legal books it keeps you engaged and guessing what’s going to happen until the end. There was a perfect mixture of finding out what happened in the last 15 years and living the McDeere’s newest nightmare. Lots of fast moving scenes and twists right to the end.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and Doubleday books- thanks for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!

The Exchange is a follow-up to The Firm. I loved finding out what happened to Mitch and Abby. However, other parts of the book didn't live up to my expectations. John Grisham is a wonderful story teller. However, the subject matter regarding the kidnapping and the graphic events that occurred were not enjoyable for me. I did not hate it, but I did not love it either. Thanks #Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Oh boy, here we go.
In our bookstore John Grisham has to be in the top 5 of our bestselling authors, the clientele that loves him is pretty exclusively middle aged white men. After finally picking up a Grisham for myself, I can absolutely see why.

The book opens with the introduction of Mitch and Abby McDeere, if you have already read The Firm, you should already be well acquainted. The whole beginning of the book attempts to slyly inform the reader of what happened in The Firm with Mitch flying back to the city he narrowly escaped for a death penalty case that conveniently falls through the second he gets there. Just enough time to catch up with an old "friend". The Dialogue in this book makes me crazy. If I wanted to read a play by play conversation I would probably pick up a kids books.

"Meanwhile I was in Prison." "Are you going to keep blaming me for that?" "No, Mitch. As of today I'm letting go." "Thanks. Me too." *snore*

And then, we get to the actual plot. A friend in Rome asks Mitch for a favour that will take him to Libya for a lawsuit against the government who is refusing to pay for a bridge. Long story short, someone gets kidnapped, the McDeere family is in danger, the kidnappers want $100 million, they get $75 million and everyone lives happy ever after. But wait, what about the lawsuit that brought him to Libya in the first place? Guess we'll never know. They let $75 million go just like that? Seems so. And yes, of course, The Firm will play into this whole ransom ploy in an unexpected way.

My other issue with this book is the slightly racist feel that seems to be happening here. For example: "In a place like Libya, there was always the flash of horror that an American could suddenly be on the floor, handcuffed, and then hauled away and detained for life. Mitch loved the thrill of the unknown." HUH

Anyway, it takes a lot for me to give a book a single star but between the juvenile writing style and vaguely racist undercurrents in this book, I am not sure I will be picking up another book by John Grisham.

What a ride. Enforces my desire not to go to Libya. It was great catching up with Mitch and Abby and seeing what happened to them. I am a horrible person as I would not have tried to pay the Ransom.

Fifteen years ago, Mitch McDeere and his wife Abby, fled Memphis and his country after Mitch exposed the corruptness of his employer, the law firm of Bendini, Lambert, and Locke. After wandering around Europe, Mitch returned to the practice of law with the largest law firm in the US and the world, Scully & Pershing. Mitch is assigned to a lawsuit in Libya, and while there on his first exploratory trip, things go horribly wrong. At the request Luca Sandroni, a partner in Rome, junior attorney, Giovanna Sandroni, Luca’s daughter, is assigned to the case. When she is kidnapped by Middle East terrorists, Mitch becomes the lead in the rescue efforts - because the kidnappers will only communicate through his wife. Moving back and forth over the Atlantic and within Europe and the Middle East, Mitch must avoid personal danger while working to save Giovanna before the very short deadline is reached.

Another well written legal thriller from Grisham, this book is billed as a sequel to The Firm, one of Grisham’s earliest books (published in 1991). The main characters are the same, but the story is quite different although Mitch is still the straight-laced guy who took down his first employer. The story moves along at a brisk pace, and the ending caught me by surprise. If you like Grisham, don’t miss this one. My thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of this book.

I love John Grisham. I love legal thrillers. Sadly, this novel is only legal-adjacent, and very light on thrills. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my review.

The Exchange is the much-anticipated follow-on to the blockbuster novel, The Firm, featuring attorney Mitch and his wife Abby. We now see the couple 15-years later, based in NYC, with Mitch working for a massive global Big Law firm. He visits a friend and mentor in Italy, and is asked to take the mentor's daughter, a rising star attorney in London, under his wing. He is also asked to take over a very prestigious case involving a $500M settlement for a contractor doing business in Libya.

A situation occurs early in the book, and the rest of the book is how Mitch will fix it. Mitch spends most of the book meeting with lots of people around the world who might help him. He is not ever in a court room fighting a legal battle. He eats a lot of meals. He drinks some wine. He calls his wife, and occasionally sees his young twins, being kept in a secret mansion to keep them safe.

This book was super linear, with a singular plot line, and is 90% written from Mitch's POV. His wife's POV gets maybe 10% of the book. There are no real subplots, and only the barest of connections back to his life 15 years ago. The ending was not satisfying. I expected something involving clever legal strategies, bold moves by a few characters, a more concrete tie back to his life back in Memphis, something unexpected. The writing is fundamentally good, it is just not that thrilling.

At 352 pages, it is a great length and very readable, just predictable, and a little blah. 3-stars because it is Grisham, the master of legal thrillers.

(3.5 Stars) The Exchange is a chance to catch up with Mitch and Abby McDeere who are the main characters in The Firm (Feb 1991). It isn’t necessary to go back and read the original as there is some recapping in the first 15 percent of this book. It is now 15 years later (2005) and Mitch is a partner at one of the largest law firms in the world with offices around the globe. He is given a case to take to an international court regarding a construction project over a bridge built in Libya. While in Libya terrorists kidnap a junior law associate that is there to assist Mitch. She happens to be a daughter of a senior partner as well.

Much of the action is trying to finagle different entities to pay the ransom demanded. It involves pressuring partners, governments, intelligence agencies, and even trying to settle the original lawsuit. Abby is given a more prominent role in this book and she rises to the occasion. The negotiations are interesting but I felt the ending sputtered and didn’t live up to the build up. Because it is set in the past there can be future books that can feature Mitch and Abby. Even though this one didn’t thrill me as much as The Firm, I am still interested in their characters and would gladly read more.

Amazing novel following what happened after the Tennessee fiasco. Terrorists and corporate terrorism fill the pages with suspense. Another John Grisham masterpiece.

The Exchange catches up with Mitch and Abby McDeere fifteen years after the events in The Firm. They now live in Manhattan, 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.

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?

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.

My thanks to Double Day, author John Grisham, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Fifteen years after escaping Memphis, Mitch and Abby have a great life in New York with their two boys. Mitch’s work for a large international law firm takes him around the world. Suddenly, a lawyer on Mitch’s team is kidnapped in Libya. Can Mitch raise the $100 million ransom before the lawyer is executed?

As a huge fan of The Firm, I picked up The Exchange for the nostalgia. I couldn't resist one more adventure with Mitch and Abby. Well, I was rewarded from that perspective. I enjoyed the update on their lives and seeing them in action.

However, I was disappointed with the thriller portion of the story. Instead of being fast-paced and filled with urgency to save the kidnapped lawyer, the story is bogged down with so much fluff — unnecessary characters, too much detail on Mitch’s travels, and too many meetings of lawyers. The story plods along without much excitement or any big twists. The ending left many open questions like who the kidnappers were. Maybe it was a setup for another book?

Overall, The Exchange has all the elements to be an entertaining thriller, but it's not.

I received an early copy of this book.

I was thrilled to finally be approved for a Grisham book. I’ve been reading his books since the 1990s. This one was different. I thought Mitch was somewhat of an ass for the frost sort of the book. The pace picked up with the happenings in the desert. Then it just sort of fell into mundaneness: lots of suits, lots of flying around, waiting, haranguing for money.
The ending made no sense to me. None of the dots connected and none of my questions were answered like who was behind it all and would they ever be found?
Still. It’s a Grisham book so I was happy to read it. But I do wish someone would have caught that smart phones didn’t. Come out until after 2005.

When I saw that a sequel had been written to The Firm, I was ecstatic. The Firm is one of my all-time favorite books, and I have re-read it so many times, I wore out my first copy and had to buy a replacement. I couldn't wait to find out what happened with Mitch, Abby & Ray McDeere, after they all evaded the mob, and escaped on a boat with Abanks & George. I was not at all expecting Mitch & Abby to have returned to the U.S.., be living in New York City, and Mitch to be practicing law again. I also was not expecting Mitch to be running headfirst into dangerous situations, trying to rescue the daughter of one of his colleagues and close friends who got kidnapped by terrorists in Libya. I have always heard the phrase "the mob never forgets". Yes, Mitch helped put away all of the members of the Bendini, Lambert & Locke law firm in the previous book, as well as many members of the Morolto family, but I still felt it hard to believe it would have been safe for him to ever come out of hiding. I found it especially difficult to believe he would be able to go back to Memphis & casually re-visit all of his favorite old haunts from his time there as a lawyer. I guess in order to truly enjoy this book, you will need to suspend disbelief. I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as I did The Firm, mainly because the majority of the book was about terrorism, and things related to that, which is just not something I enjoy reading about. Be forewarned - there is a detailed gruesome scene that is a bit stomach turning, involving the terrorists. Overall, I give this a 3.5 rounded up to a 4.

I had high expectations going into this read and where I am glad to see what happened to Mitch and Abby I am slightly disappointed in the story that we got.

In the start of this book we catch up with the pair - they have 2 kids, live in New York and Mitch is a partner in his firm while Abby is a cookbook editor. After the catch up portion the story starts where Mitch goes with an associate to Libya only to have the other associate (a female associate. While in Libya, Mitch's travel companion is kidnapped and the real story begins. Once the associate is kidnapped, Mitch then is on a race around the world to save his fellow associate.

Where this is an action packed read which is the norm for his books, there was not any mention of the law. The characters were at times hard to connect to making me feel that maybe resurrecting the past was possibly not a good idea. Overall this is just an okay read for me.

The MCDeere family is back in the thick of things!
Fifteen years have passed since They left the precarious situation at the Bendini law firm run by the mob and the family is located in New York living the good life. She is a cookbook publisher and he is a star in a new law firm.
He is asked by a friend to complete the lawsuit against the Gaddafi regime for a useless bridge and then things take a terrible turn when an associate is kidnapped.
There is much negotiating and flying and a bunch of moving parts but in the end they come through to a very satisfying conclusion.
Wonderful reading. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.

Thirty years ago when I read “The Firm,” I initially thought it was a memoir: a young associate’s version of Scott Turow’s classic “One L.” The recruiting process, the bar exam, and the long hours all rang true. But fortunately not the organized crime piece.

Grisham is returning to the story of Abby and Mitch McDeere in “The Exchange.” It is 15 years later and Mitch, now age 41, is a partner in the largest, multi-national law firm, Scully & Pershing. Mitch represents Lannak -- a Turkish construction company under contract to build a bridge in the desert of Libya -- in an effort to collect unpaid bills of $500 million. Giovanna, a young associate at Scully’s London office, is on Mitch’s litigation team. She is kidnapped by terrorists while making a visit to the construction site. Her security team and Libyan guide are all executed on video. But the terrorists will turn over Giovanna if they receive $100 million in 10 days. Hence the titular exchange.

Mitch scrambles to raise the ransom while trying to keep his wife and twin boys safe. Eventually Abby gets pulled into the scheme when the kidnappers will release Giovanna only to her and only in Morocco. Meanwhile, Mitch is in Grand Cayman negotiating various wired funds before the clock runs out.

There is no need to have read “The Firm”—recently, or ever. Mitch does a little reminiscing while visiting Memphis and Grand Cayman, but otherwise this is pretty much a stand-alone novel. Personally, I prefer Grisham’s courtroom thrillers, especially those featuring Jake Brigance. So while this is not my favorite Grisham book, it is still captivating. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

(Note: I read this before October 7, 2023. In light of the terrorist attack in Israel, some scenes may be triggering to sensitive readers.)

An early holiday gift to fiction readers each year is a John Grisham novel. This year, the bestselling author gives us “The Exchange: After the Firm,” a sequel to his hit “The Firm,” which starred Tom Cruise as Mitch McDeere in its movie version.
It’s now 15 years since Mitch exposed the fraud and criminal activities at his first job as a fledging lawyer at Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a mob-front law firm in Memphis. He and his wife Abby are now living and working in Manhattan, raising young twin sons with the past deliberately in the rear-view mirror.
Ah, but as readers know, fictional life in a Grisham legal thriller is rarely calm for long. Mitch, now a partner with the world’s largest law firm (over 2,100 lawyers in 31 locations), soon finds himself smack dab in the middle of an international terrorist plot and high-stakes hostage negotiation.
Before we get into the merits of this new novel, let’s review the McDeere legacy. Published in 1991, “The Firm” followed the young lawyer caught up in the fraud, criminal activity and mob connections. The movie premiered 30 years and still stands as Grisham’s highest-grossing adaptation. There’s already speculation that “The Exchange” will become the author’s 20th feature film.
While this novel is labeled as a sequel, it’s stand-alone novel with little relation to “The Firm.” The protagonist has moved on with no plans to ever return to Memphis permanently. Yes, he makes a stop there, remembers what went on years earlier, and then moves on.
This time around, Mitch is asked by Luca, a longtime, terminally ill friend in Rome, to take over a developer’s $400 million lawsuit about the Libyan government. In 2005 and Muammar al-Qaddafi has a reputation of making unreasonable demands and then refusing to pay for them.
At his friend’s request, Mitch adds the man’s daughter, Giovanna, to his legal team. She’s already has made a name for herself at the Longdon office, but she’s eager to be a bigger player. They fly to Tripoli and plan a visit, with guards, to a construction site -- a bridge -- in the middle of the desert. Mitch, however, ends up in the hospital with food poison, so Giovanna makes the trip alone with armed bodyguards.
The journey soon becomes deadly, and Giovanna is taken hostage by terrorist group waging battle against Qaddafi. If the law firm doesn’t pay a $100 million ransom, Giovanna will be executed and her murder splashed across social media. This time, Abby McDeere, a cookbook editor, gets drawn in the fray with her son’s life a mere piece on a global chessboard. The legal wranglings, moral dilemmas and tense situations are detailed in true Grisham style. How does one go to protect others? When is doing “wrong” the “right” thing to do?
It’s well known that Grisham is committed to fighting injustice, often using his written words to explore an issue. This is where Grisham shines. His own experiences as a lawyer in the South give a depth of truth, justice, and personal struggle to his writing.
This is especially true in “The Exchange,” where the author’s true desire for justice shows in the way Mitch approaches law. The character’s strong beliefs in ethical representation for all, keeps him fighting for what’s and moving him forward. Yes, he stumbles and sometimes falls, but he gets up again to confront his mistakes and his personal beliefs.
Negotiations replace courtroom battles in this novel. Admittedly, the plot is far-fetched and at times very thin, but it’s still good reading. However, there are enough legal scenarios and moving parts to keep Grisham fans entertained.

The Exchange: After the Firm is a follow up of sorts of Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke and fled the country.

It has been now fifteen years since Mitch and Abby have left Memphis and are now living in Manhattan, where Mitch is a partner at the large law firm with many offices all over the world. Mitch gets a call from a mentor and asks him for a favor. Mitch finds himself embroiled in trying to rescue his mentor's daughter who has been kidnapped.

I enjoyed this book but kept waiting for the twist at the end. It's a pretty straight forward story that builds in its intensity. I can see this being remade into an intense movie thriller.

John Grisham is an excellent storyteller and this is worth reading.

This was such a roller coaster ride of a book! Never knowing where the next clue was going to come from or what was going to happen to the hostages made for a wild ride! While this book is considered a sequel, I don't believe you absolutely have to read the first to enjoy this one!

After exposing the crimes of the law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke and fleeing the country, Mitch & Abby are back in New York City with their twins. Mitch is a Partner for powerhouse law firm, Scully & Pershing and when asked to go to Rome to assist with a case, Mitch (and Abby) are thrown into the middle of a terrible kidnapping and its repercussions on their family and professional lives!

This story had me hooked from the beginning! Finding out how Mitch & Abby survived their flee from the country after the debacle in Memphis was great to read but the story of this book is wild! From a suspicious food poisoning to the kidnapping of a high-profile associate at Scully & Pershing, you are constantly being turned upside down and around. I never knew where the next clue was coming from or what to expect next. If you're into political and legal thrillers...this is definitely the book for you!

Thank you @netgalley and @doubledaybooks @doubledayca for the advance copy!

The Exchange: After The Firm by John Grisham is a highly recommended legal thriller which takes place fifteen years after The Firm. Don't worry if you haven't read The Firm before reading The Exchange. This second novel can be read as a stand-alone where characters Mitch and Abby McDeere return.

Mitch and Abby now live in NYC with their two sons. Mitch is a partner at Scully & Pershing, an international law firm with 31 locations across the globe and Abby is a cookbook editor. Mitch travels to Rome to take over a case for Luca Sandroni, a Scully & Pershing partner in Rome who’s dying of pancreatic cancer. Sandroni's case involves a Turkish construction company, Lannak, that is suing the government of Libya for a huge unpaid debt on a construction project. Sandroni asks Mitch to have his daughter, Giovanna, assist in the case. Giovanna is an associate at the London office of Scully & Pershing. This is the start of an international plot of worldwide intrigue and perhaps even danger to Mitch's family.

This is another action-packed, globe-trotting legal thriller for Grisham. It is best to approach The Exchange as a stand-alone novel that simply shares characters from a previous novel rather than feel disappointed that the connection to the The Firm isn't stronger. It is a compelling, suspenseful novel that will hold your attention throughout if you don't set your expectations to a repeat of any previous works. There are only a few courtroom scenes as most of the novel consists of negotiations and travel.

Both Mitch and Abby are fully realized, sympathetic characters. They share the narrative with a lot of other secondary characters, who were all as developed as they needed to be. Honestly, the pleasure of reading The Exchange is in the drama, the negotiations, and international intrigue. The ending leaves room open for another sequel.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Like many readers, I’ve wondered if John Grisham would revisit Mitch McDeere at some point. This is a great thriller but it lacks a bit on the legal thriller side and fans of The Firm may feel it didn't adequately deliver as a follow-up to Mitch's storyline.

Setting and Context

The events take place about fifteen years after the events of The Firm. Mitch McDeere is 41 years-old, still married to his wife Abby McDeere, and they have two sons. Abby and Mitch live in Manhattan, where Mitch is a partner at Scully & Pershing and Abby is a cookbook editor.

Plot

Mitch and Abby finally have the life they could have had if Mitch hadn’t accepted the offer in Memphis. Mitch is at one of the high-paying, high-profile law firms in New York City, he’s a partner, and he works on cases for their wealthy global clients in addition to a few pro-bono cases each year.

Mitch is tired of the pro-bono work, where he has taken on (and lost) a series of death row cases. He agrees to help out with a lawsuit for Luca Sandroni, a partner at his firm out of the Rome office who’s dying from pancreatic cancer.

The client is a Turkish construction company that is suing the government of Libya for an unpaid debt of $400 million. At Luca’s request, Mitch takes the case and agrees to let Luca’s daughter Giovanna—an associate at the London branch of their firm—come with to assist. When on their travels to see the bridge that is at the center of the lawsuit, Mitch comes down with severe food poisoning and Giovanna goes to the site without him.

While on her outing, the drivers and guards protecting her are murdered and Giovanna is kidnapped. In the wake of this horrible event, a mysterious woman contacts Abby with explicit instructions that the price to return Giovanna alive is $100 million. As videos of violent murders populate the news and the media becomes aware of the beautiful, young attorney who was taken, the pressure is on to figure out how to get her back.

Amidst the struggles navigating foreign governments, the firm’s insurance policy, and raising the money to secure her return, Mitch can’t help but wonder who is really behind the crime and whether their efforts will be enough to save her. Did Mitch’s past come back to haunt him?

Review

This is a gripping story and a reminder why John Grisham is a perpetual best-seller when his books come out each fall. The Exchange leans much more into a crime thriller than legal thriller (though some legal commentary is included throughout). You won’t find a courtroom or even an extensive legal narrative throughout the book.

This book could have featured any lead, though Grisham chose to make this Mitch McDeere’s story. I enjoyed the book a lot, though it felt more inspired by Tom Cruise the actor than Mitch McDeere the character. Fast-paced and engaging, this book delivers a great plot but may disappoint readers who were looking for a stronger tie to the Mitch McDeere we fell in love with. The Mob never forgets, right? But so far, they have left Mitch alone.

Read as a standalone Mitch McDeere book rather than a sequel, it’s a thrilling premise and I was engaged in the plot the whole way through. The beginning included some great scenes where we learn some about what happened to Mitch and others following the events of The Firm. There’s a fun little twist later in the book that also pulls together those events.

The audiobook is outstanding. The narrator Edoardo Ballerini lends an easy tone, the right inflections, and handled the variety of accents with ease.

I did see an interview with John Grisham where he acknowledged the Mob is still out there and perhaps that could still be explored. A third Mitch McDeere book, perhaps?? All is forgiven if you deliver that, Mr. Grisham!