John Grisham does it again! Another lawyer novel that will keep you wondering who really has the power and what lengths the firms will go to in order to save one of their own high level associates. When the Libyan government reneges on bills to pay for a bridge to nowhere, where do the architects and businesses go to get help in clearing up a country's debt? Jet setting lawyers get into the act to get compensations paid, but in the process also lose one of their own high level lawyers to blackmailers/kidnappers. In a country like Libya that is not uncommon. But when faced with brutal realities how far will the firm go to save one of their own. You have to read this book to find out. It is a page turner for sure, but a little disappointing in the end! I wanted to know more and many of my questions did not get answered. All that said, I still enjoyed the book!

3.25⭐️

John Grisham books are almost comfort reads for me. I grew up on them. I can’t even tell you how many I have read. And I always enjoy them.

This was no exception. It’s been awhile but as soon as I started it I fell right back into Mitch McDeeres world. This is a sequel to the firm, 15 years later. The Firm came out in 1997 and I don’t know when I read it but it was a long time ago. There is a bit of a recap at the beginning and it was enough to jog my memory thankfully.

It was fast paced, intriguing and had me wondering how Mitch would find a way out of his predicament this time. I do wish that there had been more resolution and more loose ends tied up, the end felt rushed after a muddy middle.P

Once again, amazing work by one of my favorite authors. His plot was well written and exciting. This is a continuation of "The Firm" but it stands alone. For those of us who have missed him, Mitch McDeere is back in action. With danger around every corner you will have trouble putting this one down.

Having loved The Firm, I was excited to dive into The Exchange. Mitch and Abby are back with an international kidnapping plot to keep you reading. I felt the novel was a bit boring at times, but I appreciate the chance to read another Grisham title.
Thank you Net Galley and Doubleday for the ARC.

The Exchange
By John Grisham

By and large, Mr. Grisham's books are entertaining, but every once in a while, he misses the mark. Unfortunately, this book is one of those.

Mitch and Abby McDeere are characters that Mr. Grisham obviously loves, as they first appeared in his wildly successful "The Firm". Mitch is now a partner in the world's largest international law firm. Abby is a cookbook editor. They have young twin boys.

The plot here revolves around Mitch's business trip to Libya with Giovanna Sandroni, a young lawyer in the firm and the daughter of a senior partner. Through a series of mishaps, when Mitch becomes ill and is hospitalized, Giovanna and her bodyguards are kidnapped by terrorists. The bodyguards are brutally dispatched, but nothing further is known about Giovanna's fate. Up to this point the book is interesting.

The rest of the book revolves around attempts to find Giovanna and secure her release. This becomes a mishmash of trying to raise ransom money, various attempts by the Libyans to rescue the hostage, and totally useless superstar security people who manage to do nothing productive. Just who these terrorists are is never explained. Why Abby should be chosen as a conduit stretches the bounds of credibility. The terrorists' capabilities to track everyone and always be one step ahead seem implausible.

This book seems to be a bridge between other books. It seems to move characters into place to go in different directions in forthcoming books. Rather than being a true sequel, it serves no other purpose than that.

It was cool to revisit an old character and see how he was doing in life after the crazy events in The Firm. Trouble seems to like Mitch and his family. John Grisham delivers again. Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday books for my advanced copy.

Intense and thrilling, The Exchange is a thoroughly engrossing novel. The wits and tenacity of Mitch McDeere are challenged by an unknown terrorist group in Libya. The group has kidnapped a fellow lawyer and demanding and exorbitant ransom. Each chapter is a journey of negotiations, doubts, and petrifying fear.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fast paced, suspense filled, thriller that keeps you turning pages! John is a fantastic writer and never disappoints with his stories.

AN INTRIGUING LEGAL THRILLER WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

SUMMARY
Author John Grisham returns with a sequel to his first bestseller legal thriller, The Firm, featuring hero Mitch McDeere. It is fifteen years later, and Mitch and his wife Abby live in Manhattan, and Mitch works at a large international law firm. His mentor, Luca Sandroni, who is in failing health and lives in Rome, asks Mitch for help. Mitch soon finds himself in the middle of a $400 million international financial dispute over a Turkish company’s construction of a bridge to nowhere in Lybia for Muammar Gaddafi and the kidnapping of Giovanni, Luca’s daughter, who had been on her way to tour the bridge when she was taken, and her bodyguards were violently killed. The kidnappers are requesting a $100 million ransom demand.

Mitch knows he must do whatever it takes to resolve the financial dispute and pay the ransom for the kidnapping. Resolving either issue would be hard enough, but tackling both will be nearly impossible as he must put both himself and his family at risk again.


REVIEW
Grisham is a masterful storyteller, particularly when it comes to legal thrillers. THE EXCHANGE is full of international intrigue. Grisham’s writing is insightful and descriptive. His descriptions are highly visible, from a beautiful view outside Mittch’s office window to the crowded but colorful Morroco's street markets.

The characters, particularly Mitch and Abby, are courageously center stage while many of Mitch’s partners run for cover and refuse to help with the ransom. Leaving Mitch globetrotting around the world, begging for ransom money, and negotiating a settlement on the bridge construction contracts with Gaddafi, who may or may not have been involved in the kidnapping. My favorite part is when the kidnappers demand that Abby fly to Morocco to deliver the ransom personally. While fearful, Abby handles the situation with courage and aplomb.

Grisham does a fabulous job of gently reminding us about what happened to Mitch and Abby in The Firm. He also fills in the blanks of what Mitch and Abby have been doing in the intervening years since Mitch brought down his first law firm for corruption.

Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Publisher Doubleday
Published October 17, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

As a longtime fan of the author I was excited, then perplexed and disappointed, to read his latest offering. The book suggests itself as a sequel to his breakout novel, but has little connection aside from the names of the characters. The plot veers off wildly in international directions that have little to do with the legal thriller genre Grisham is known for. I’ll confess this was a DNF for me - I could not stay interested in the outcome of the book, a first for me from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

I am so frustrated with this book. I re-read The Firm in preparation for the sequel and was so excited for it. What a huge let down. I made it to 80%in and I’m not going any further. I don’t care enough to know what happens. This is not at all a sequel- not even really related to The Firm other than 2 characters with the names Mitch and Abby. This isn’t even really about a law firm- it’s about terrorism and Libya. The fact that Mitch practices in a huge law firm in New York without any backstory explaining how all of a sudden the mob is no longer looking for him is utterly lazy. Beyond disappointed and feeling duped.

<b>A Firm Letdown</b>
<i>Review of the NetGalley Kindle ARC eBook obtained in advance of the official Doubleday release (October 17, 2023)</i>

It comes as somewhat of a shock to realize that John Grisham had avoided doing a follow-up to his 1991 breakthrough novel <i>The Firm</i> for 32 years. Grisham hasn't shied away from building other series characters such as Jake Brigance, the protagonist in his first book <i>A Time to Kill</i> (1989), which has had 3 sequels. A follow-up for a character such as Mitch McDeere, who was on the run from the mob, might be a bit tricky of course. It would also seem very unlikely that McDeere could possibly end up in yet another law firm with a shady background.

Grisham compromises in <i>The Exchange</i> by setting the book in 2004, so that we still have a reasonably young Mitch and Abby McDeere as our leads. Mitch is now with an international law firm in NYC. Abby is a prominent cookbook editor (hard to continue to be a school teacher when you are on the run). The law firm of Scully & Co. is not concerned with Mitch's past and is mostly oblivious to it.

The book starts off with Mitch accepting a <i>pro bono</i> death penalty defense case. This subplot ends abruptly and you would suspect that it would somehow tie into later events, but such is not the case. Instead the main story involves the law firm pursuing a legal action against the then Libyan government of Muammar al-Qaddafi (well before his downfall in 2011) for reneging on a construction contract with a Turkish firm in the amount of $400 Million. Mitch is sent in and partners with an Italian part of the law firm. His British/Italian co-counsel is kidnapped in Libya though and held for ransom, at first by unknown parties. The rest of the book involves Mitch trying to negotiate the release of the hostage for money (i.e. the "exchange" of the title). Abby becomes an unlikely intermediary in that process. That's it! There are no courtroom fireworks, no thrilling pursuits, no great betrayals, no shocking twists. Just a bunch of negotiations. The kidnappers are revealed to be ruthless of course, but their victims along the way are basically unknowns to the reader. Unfortunately this follow-up earns both <b>Not-So-Thriller Fiction™</b> and <b>Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™</b> tags.

I read this Advance Reading Copy of <i>The Exchange: After The Firm</i> in eBook format thanks to the publisher Doubleday Canada and the NetGalley website in exchange for which I provide this honest review.

As expected - an amazing, intense, exhilerating, captivating and thrilling read, 5+ stars! The subject was fascinating and plot extremely well executed with just the right amount of detail to keep the reader informed but also keep the plot moving at a fast pace. Loved all the characters, very well developed and great continuity from The Firm. Definitely a favourite book for sure!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be fully honest, I haven’t read a John Grisham novel in a long time. Not that I have any issues with them, but there always seem to be other books I wanted to read. But when I got the opportunity to read an advanced copy of “The Exchange”, which is a sequel to “The Firm”, I jumped right in. I loved “The Firm” when I read it and I was excited to get back to the lives of Mitch and Abby McDeere the events around Bendini, Lambert, and Locke.
The Exchange is set fifteen years after the book “The Firm” and continues the story of Mitch and Abby, who now have young twin sons. Mitch has successfully transitioned to a partner role at a large law firm in New York and they generally have a very nice life. This story leans toward corrupt governments and terrorists and tension around ransom for an associate kidnapped in Libya. There is plenty of tension and I think it will be enjoyable for anyone who liked “The Firm”, though I think it could read well as a standalone book.
Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for my gifted copy. Pubish date is set for 10/17/23.

Mitch and Abby McDeere are back in the latest book by John Grisham The Exchange. We last saw them sailing away in The Firm. Our first question was what have they been up to? Grisham proficiently answers this inquiry, and we think we are off to a great start in the book. However, let’s remember McDeere pissed of the mob, the FBI and had problems the law yet he remained a lawyer in good standing to become partner in a large international law firm – hmm.
This storyline was very political and less courtroom scenes, as one would expect from Grisham novels nonetheless there were sufficient legal scenarios that the average Grisham reader will enjoy. Corrupt governments and terrorists are the catalysts for Mitch and Abby McDeere, there are plenty of plot twists to keep the reader going but also lots of meetings, unnecessary characters to keep the reader a little bored.


There are moments where the pulsating tension vibes were similar to that of The Firm but not enough for 4 stars. I can see a book three coming to see what the McDeere’s are doing now, and I will read it

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to give this book 3 stars, but given all the entertainment Grisham has given me over many years since I read "The Firm" right after it was published, I just couldn't. My finger kept moving over to the fourth star. Grisham is a great author and I have high expectations of his novels, but this was the first of his novels that didn't quite meet them.

Fifteen years after 'The Firm' finds Mitch and Abbie the parents of twin boys (who kept me smiling throughout), living in New York, Abbie publishing cookbooks by various high-power chefs of all genres practicing their cuisine talents in the McDeere kitchen on occasion, while Mitch has somehow become a remarkably successful lawyer within the 'largest legal firm in the world'.

The fun begins when Mitch is asked by the Turkish office of his legal firm, representing an Istanbul company, to travel to Lybia. It seems this company completed a huge construction job on Lybian soil (sand) worth multi million dollars and the Lybian totalitarian government has elected to ignore payment of the bill.

Upon arrival in Lybia a number of prominent people (legal, government, drivers and guards) connected to the Turkish construction operation make a sojourn across the Lybian desert, to view the structure (a bridge) of the lawsuit. Mitch misses the trip having been struck down with a mysterious illness. Good thing, because what follows is a breathtaking kidnapping and multiple murders executed by an unknown gang of 'desert tribesmen'. The kidnapped woman happens to be the lawyer-daughter of an esteemed and powerful partner in the Italian office of Mitch's legal firm. She works out of the London office.

We are now taken on a wild ride of an extremely high ransom demand. At the centre of what follows are Mitch and Abby. The kidnappers choose Abby to be a go-between, while Mitch spends time flying between New York, Rome, London, Cayman Islands, Marrakesh and Maine, (where the twins are safely harboured from harm), trying to raise the exorbitant funds to bring the kidnapped woman back home before the deadline.

The reader is bombarded with time zones, multiple aircraft, security personnel, gruesome descriptions of videos from the kidnappers and a litany of characters difficult to follow. This goes on for a lengthy period wherein I almost gave in to an urge to quit reading. But my trust in Grisham's record kept me on to the end which I felt was lacklustre.

The book has its high points, excitement and good writing, but it dragged at places, was over-detailed in others and could have been shorter. I'll still be a Grisham fan and if there is another Mitch McDeere novel I'll be very tempted to give it a try.

I loved The Firm, so I had high hopes for this one, but it missed the mark. In comparison, the plot was a bit lacking. There seemed to be a lot of wandering with overdetailing that pulled me out of the story. Also, there are numerous characters, and many felt unnecessary. Characters are one dimensional, and the courtroom drama is, sadly, missing. The abrupt ending leaves some unanswered questions. Perhaps this is to set the scene for another book. If you haven't read the prior book, this one could be read as a standalone novel.

Fast-paced as always, though I must say, all the flights and drinks in all the different countries and hotels with all the different people definitely took something away from the book rather than added to it. It was a mental game to try to fit everyone in! Also, I didn't really need the quick trip to Memphis as a nostalgic reminder of the first book - it had nothing to do with the plot. I thought it would come around again, but it didn't. Overall, a quick read, with lots going on - good for an airplane.

Are authors paid by the word now. Recall the days when your teacher assigned you a 500 word essay and you somehow managed to fill several pages with "words". Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Sadly this sequel offers none of the excitement or colour I've come to expect in Mr. Grisham's work. In fact, after plodding through nearly 50% of the book, I've had enough; next!

On the bright side, I didn't need my Sleep-Eze for a for a few nights.

3.5 stars! Mitch and Abby McDeere are back in the long-awaited sequel to The Firm. Don't worry if you don't remember much from the first book. The Exchange easily stands on its own. It's nice to catch up with the McDeeres and meet their kids, and Grisham does a great job of reminding us of some of the key happenings from The Firm without being overbearing or going into too much detail. The Exchange has the potential to be a fabulous book. There is a new law firm, new colleagues, international clients, lots of money, terrorism, greediness and more. The storyline was well thought out, but unfortunately, it lacked much of the excitement I felt from the first book. It's understandable that Grisham needed to establish a network of international players and their roles, but so much of the narrative, especially in the middle of the book, involved people flying places, having meetings, taking phone calls, and then flying other places. I think it was meant to be suspenseful, but I felt the need for more action and thrills. It does get exciting at the end, as well as some tense moments closer to the beginning, but I still wanted more. That being said, if you are a John Grisham fan and enjoyed The Firm, I recommend reading The Exchange. It seems like there is an opening for a third book in the series (or not - I have no clue), which I would happily welcome. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the eARC.