I was super excited to find out that a sequel novel to The Firm was being released.

Mitch left Memphis in his rearview mirror fifteen years ago and is now with an even bigger law firm than Bendini, Lambert & Locke ever was. He’s quickly learning that when you play with the big boys on an international stage, you may end up exposed with a big fat target on your back. Mitch McDeere has no fear of being out-strategized in any court, but a shocking new threat comes from a sinister group who cares nothing about obeying the law or facing any kind of consequence.

This was a solid story with a fairly believable plot and the stakes were exceptionally high. I think my expectations for this novel may have been set too high. At times, in the middle when I knew the narrative was supposed to be ramping up in intensity, it felt a little flat to me. I enjoyed the overall story nonetheless.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Exchange for my unbiased evaluation.  3.5 stars

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>The Exchange</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

There are elements of this international legal thriller that make for an exciting read. Unfortunately they are few and far between. Lawyer Mitch McDeere is back years after Grisham's bestseller <i>The Firm</i>. Now a partner in a worldwide mega law firm, Mitchell and his wife have a great life with their twin boys. The violent kidnapping of a firm associate sets Mitch and others on an international quest to secure ransom and bring her home. The kidnapping takes place in Libya, ruled by the iron-fisted Qaddafi.

One bizarre plot element that is never well explained is Mitch's severe bout of food poisoning which forces him to stay behind when the young associate, Giovanna, journeys into the Libyan desert where she is kidnapped. Obviously his food was tainted but Grisham drops that plot.

There's lots of arm twisting of various governments and businesses in order to raise the exorbitant ransom. Grisham spends an inordinate amount of time describing food and luxury airplanes when a more exciting plot would have been the details of Giovanna's horrific experience. I get that Mitch is supposed to be the protagonist but he is rather boring.

Not Grisham's best.

Another winner by John Grisham. It's a race against time to save another lawyer of one of the largest and most successful firms both in America and foreign countries. Mitch took on a case as a favor of a firm founder who health is decining quickly. The request also included bringing his lawyer daughter on the case. The case is in a country under hostile rule is not a safe place but they are supposed to be protected while they do diligence or so they thought. A ransom demand so exorbitant and the time so short it doesn't seem possible to achieve. The tension runs throughout the book and down to the wire as more lives are at stake.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and publishers Doubleday Books for this ARC this is my honest opinion.

This is a sequel, although, you definitely don't need to read the previous book. You can definitely read it by itself. Good storyline that keeps you guessing what will happen next and why. It does a good job of involving all of the characters it introduces. I just wish there was a bit more of an ending. LOTS of unanswered questions still.

Any reader who enjoyed early John Grisham will love this. This time, we catch up with Mitch McDeere from The Firm. It's fifteen years after that story. Mitch is older and wiser now, with a family, and in the middle of a deadly, international situation. It was fun catching up with this character again and seeing how's he's grown over the years. Let's hope Grisham doesn't make us wait another 30 years to revisit Mitch again.

This book was classic Grisham. It had just the right amoount of mystery, I would highly recommend it

John Grisham writer of southern fiction extrodinaire is back with the hero and heroine Mitch and Abby McDeere from his first bestseller, "The Firm". "The Exchange" starts off slow but it continues to build as the novel takes us on the journey of Mitch and Abby to help free their friend's daughter and an associate of Scullys, Mitch's current law firm. The woman was kidnapped when she and Mitch journeyed to Libya, seeking information on a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Set in 2005 during Gadafi's reign it is an intriguing adventure through international crime and big law firms. By the end, Mitch and Abby are in the middle of danger and dealing with kidnappers who extort millions. Characters Mitch and Abby are still as enduring as they were in "The Firm" and Grisham's storyline is as exciting. Given that it was set in 2005 and the ending is left a bit open there is room and time for more from the McDeere's. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheExchange for the opportunity to read and review this entertaining read.

This was a good book that brought back the great Mitch McDeere. We catch up on what his life has been between books and get started. Not as much of a legal thriller as I expected. Mitch is sent to Libya to oversee litigation to force Libya to pay some outstanding bills totaling in the millions. Something terrible happens and Mitch has to use skills he doesn't really have to try to save the day. His wife is a central character here which is nice. It was a well written book but not a typical book when you see the Grisham name attached.

I have to admit I was absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC of The Exchange: After The Firm by John Grisham from Doubleday Books through NetGalley, although that in no way impacted my review. I am a fan of John Grisham's writing; I especially enjoyed The Firm, and was eagerly looking forward to discovering what Mitch McDeere had been doing since his disastrous relationship fifteen years earlier with the Bendini Law Firm. The first few years Mitch and Abby were on the run, moving from place to place and living off some funds Mitch had "borrowed" from the firm, always looking over their shoulders. The story opens with Mitch and Abby living a fairly affluent life in NYC with their eight year old twin sons, Carter and Clark. Mitch is happy in his position with Scully and Pershing, a large international law firm, and Abby , ikewise in hers as senior editor at Epicurean, a cookbook publisher.
Luca Sandroni, a partner in the firm's Rome branch, has requested that Mitch work a case involving Lannak, a Turkish contracting firm versus Gaddafi and Lybya. The Libyan government owes Lannak $400 million for a controversial bridge project. Mitch, always ready for a travel adventure and big case, was eager to assist Luca Sandroni, he also greatly respected the man.
Luca requested that his daughter daughter Giovanna, an up and coming lawyer at the firm's London's office, assist on the case, Mitch accepted her as a member of his team. The storyline revolves around this assignment, and takes the reader on quite a ride. I can't say I disliked the book; I also can't say I enjoyed as much as other Grisham novels. I found it to be a satisfying read, worth the time invested. 3.5 Stars

The Exchange is a very slow read, as there is not as much action as I would have preferred from a Grisham book. It was very hard to connect with any of the characters, and this was not my favorite of this author. It may be time to pack up the Grisham books for me and find new authors.

The Exchange: After The Firm by John Grisham is about what became of Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke and fled the country.
It is now 15 years later, and Mitch and Abby are living in Manhattan, where Mitch is a partner at the largest law firm in the world. When a mentor in Rome asks him for a favor that will take him far from home, Mitch finds himself at the center of a sinister plot that has worldwide implications. Mitch has become a master at staying one step ahead of his adversaries, but this time there’s nowhere to hide.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

#TheExchange #NetGalley @doubledaybooks

It's always a good day when you have a new John Grisham book to read. THE EXCHANGE is as great as any of his previous books plus we get to see Mitch and Abby McDeere fifteen years after THE FIRM. After fleeing for their lives, they have settled in Manhattan with their twin sons. Mitch is a partner in the world's largest law firm while Abby is an editor of coffee table cookbooks. Life is good and sometimes boring, until one of the firm's lawyers is kidnapped and held for $100 million. The drama involved in the kidnapping, trying to raise the money and ultimately figuring out how the kidnapping will resolve.
While it may not have the action that THE FIRM had, this is definitely a John Grisham fan's good day read.

Have you ever thought about how much misery and evil bad people can do with millions and millions of dollar?
In The Exchange that question will be examined in detail by the best law partner, Mitch McDeere, of the of the international law firm Scully & Pershing.
This book starts off introducing you to McDeere, his family and his life. Bringing you into the intriguing evils he has to face and the challenges and dangers he braves to save to someone. (No spoilers!)
This isn’t the most heart pounding John Grisham book I’ve ever read, but it is still a good one and I still will read every John Grisham book I can get my hands on!

#TheExchange
#JohnGrisham
#Doubleday
#Netgalley

When I saw this book was coming out I got so excited. The Firm is still one of my favorite books because Mitch and Abby were so down to earth and easy to like but they got caught up in something that was so much bigger than they expected. It happens again in this book, but the terrorists were in another country this time, not in our back yard. Now the McDeer's are trying to live a normal life with their children and they feel like their own sons are part of the threat. This book is a race against time where Mitch is trying to raise 100 million dollars to save the life of someone he knows. The ending was fast paced and hard to put down. Thanks a bunch to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Danger, Suspense, Intrigue are all intertwined throughout The Exchange. John Grisham portrayed the events leading to the exchange and the exploits of Mitch and Abby McDeere to make the exchange possible. Their lives since running from Memphis and the mob make this an exciting book.

I received an early copy of this book and agreed to review it so here it is. . .
I was excited to learn that we were getting a sequel to The Firm. The Firm was my first Grisham read and my favorite so far. Unfortunately I will not be adding The Exchange to my favorites list.
While I enjoyed catching up with Mith and his family 15 years afterThe Firm, there was not the same type of intense legal thriller feeling in this second book for me. The Exchange is perhaps a fairly accurate picture of what corporate law is like bu I prefer the "action " from The Firm. The kidnapping did add some intensity to the story but I wish the book would have offered more negotiation or something to add to the story line. I would have preferred for less of the story be spent on the money issue with the bridge in Libya and more on the kidnapping. That is purely my preference and was not apparently Mr. Grisham's nor may it be another readers preference.
The book itself is readable enough and while it is not going on my favorites list I'm sure some Grisham fans will thoroughly enjoy this latest offering. I did finish the book and willread more of his offerings in the future.

Thanks to Doubleday Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on October 17, 2023. Grisham is one of my favorite authors for legal thrillers. This novel brings back the McDeere's of The Firm. They are no longer running for their lives, living and thriving in New York City, or so they think. Good story, Beach read, not too deep.

Book review of this early copy I received from @netgalley and @doubledaybooks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I jumped for joy when I got this early copy. I'm a huge fan of The Firm and was so excited to pick up again with Mitch and Abby McDeere.

Mitch is now in Manhattan, still married to Abby and has two sons. Mitch is asked to help with a special project in Rome, and this drags him into an international kidnapping plot.
I liked it, and loved the pace of the book.
If you love John Grisham, you will want to read it.
Out on October 17, 2023, grab this one.
#netgalley
#crazybooknerd
#theexchange
#bookstagram

John Grisham is truly a master at legal thrillers, and The Exchange is one of his best. It catches the reader up with Mitch and Abby McDeere and takes you on one helluva an adventure. The tension in The Exchange builds page by page. I could barely put it down to sleep. I have already preordered 2 copies for Christmas gifts!

I've read somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 or 17 Grisham books and have had a good experience with each book. Unfortunately, that streak ended with The Exchange, a roughly-based sequel to The Firm. In many cases sequels are mistakes and can't improve on the original (think Jaws 2). That's the issue with this book.
We find Mitch and Abby McDeere living in New York some 15 years after the Bendini, Lambert, and Locke nightmare that Mitch and Abby were lucky to escape from with their lives. Mitch is now an associate at one of the largest law firms in the country, Scully & Pershing, along with being happy, successful, wealthy, and the father of twin boys.
When Mitch is assigned to help one of Scully's oldest and most successful foreign associates, Luca Sandroni, resolve a legal issue between one of the firm's best clients and the government of Libya over the failure to pay for the building of a bridge. Luca asks Mitch to travel to Libya to work his magic to help end the dispute over the bridge. Accompanying Mitch is another Scully associate (and Luca's daughter), Giovanna. Once in Libya, Mitch and Giovanna meet their contact, Samir Jamblad, and preparations are made to travel to the bridge for an inspection and assessment of the situation. Unfortunately, Mitch contracts food poisoning the night before the trip is to take place and is unable to accompany Giovanna. Samir also stays back to help Mitch find medical care for his issue. Giovanna and her escorts never make it to the bridge. Soon, Mitch, Luca, and personnel at Scully & Pershing are contacted via video displaying the gruesome murders of Giovanna's guard along with a message about the ransom needed for the release of Giovanna.
That, in a nutshell is the scope of this book. Unfortunately, there's little action, but detail upon detail of way too many meetings to talk about resolving the situation, plus a lot of overseas flights. To compare this book to The Firm is a disservice to that fine novel. The Exchange does not have any plot twists, nor does it carry the amount of interest that The Firm did. Mitch McDeere is just one of many characters in this novel and does not stand out in any way. I'm sorry that this book didn't work for me because I really enjoyed The Firm.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for sending me an ARC of The Exchange in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled when I received an ARC of John Grisham’s new book, The Exchange. This is described as a follow-up to his book, The Firm and we do meet up again with Mitch and Abby. However, Grisham’s signature tight twists and turns are missing and it felt like a slow read which didn’t really capture my attention. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.