Tighten your seatbelt for a fast and bumpy ride. Travel around the world looking over your shoulder as you race to beat the clock in a deadly game of life and death with millions of dollars on the line. John Grisham, the King of legal suspense, proves his prowess with words once again. Definitely worth the read.

This is the follow up to John Grisham's 'The Firm" with Mitch McDeere and his wife Abby, 15 years later. Although this had the usual suspense and twists and turns of a John Grisham novel, but it did read like a bit of a travel book. Mitch is sent to Libya to try to broker a deal for the release of one of the firm's attorneys. The terrorists are requesting a $100 million ransom to be paid in just a few days with Mitch's wife Abby as the go between. This was one of the many details that seemed inconceivable and stretched the bounds of reality. Why would the terrorists ask the lawyers wife to act as go between?

I felt this was a little slow, and padded with 'filler', there were too many characters doing mundane things. In my opinion it didn't possess the typical Grisham flair that has previously kept me enthralled, wanting to hurriedly savor every chapter; at times this felt like a bit of a slog. The abrupt ending of this story left many unanswered questions.

Absolutely riveting! Mr. Grisham is a masterful storyteller, who delivers a pulse pounding thriller. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to put it down. Mitch McDeere is back and travels the world trying to right a wrong and keep everyone alive. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

After The Firm and book after book about the shenanigans of lawyers, judges and various law enforcement officials as well as misdeeds of the lawless, this was a real disappointment. I’ve come to expect a tightly woven suspense with delightful surprises along the way. This was a story about a kidnapping with lots and LOTS of filler. The plot was weak so we were treated to an abundance of pages filled with travel and senseless commentary and meetings.

I appreciate the early reader’s copy from NetGalley and the publisher, Doubleday, in exchange for an honest review. Obviously these are my own thoughts.

J0hn Grisham is a storyteller at the top of his game. He brings a great story every time. In this installment, readers revisit Mitch and Abby as old ghosts and new problems bring extreme danger to their family. Wonderful book!

The most amazing follow up to the Firm! For many years I wondered what became of Mitch and his wife after they were able to break free, and this book finally tells that story. Absolutely worth the wait!

Slow burn without a payout at the end. Same characters 15 years later without ties to The Firm. It was a very slow read that I was happy was over. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

My thanks to Net Galley and Double Day for allowing me to review this arc of the follow up to the Firm.

I was happy to read what happened to Mitch and family 15 years after ,now parents of twin boys . Now Mitch and company are involved in a case regarding a bridge in Libya that leads to the kidnapping of one of his law associates and the process of her return.

Though the book was good, it seemed like a big travel log and I found it a bit unrealistic of how one character is selected for the hostage negotiation s

I have read many John Grisham books; he is one of my favorite authors and was so excited to be granted an ARC for The Exchange. As always, he starts out with a bang and I was hooked, but unfortunately the story did not develop into what I was expecting. It just didn’t feel like an in-depth character driven story Grisham is known for.
This is the first one of his that is coming in with only 4 stars. Of course, it would be difficult to follow "The Firm", it set a really high bar to follow.
The storyline was small town lawyer gets to the big top firm and his life is grand until the bad guys kidnap a colleague. That was when I felt the story lost direction. I also wanted a bit more satisfaction in the ending, maybe a bit of revenge. It was a good read, just not great which I expected. John is capable of so much more, he has shown this.
I was provided an uncorrected ARC from NetGalley and Double Day Books for a voluntary review if I so wish, I thank them.

First, my thanks to NetGalley, author John Grisham, and Doubleday Books for the ARC of this new book to review. I certify the following review is my own unbiased opinion.

Sequels continue to dominate all forms of media, and John Grisham reunites the reader with characters from The Firm in The Exchange-After the Firm. The Exchange picks up the lives of Mitch and Abbey McDeere fifteen years later from their escape from Memphis and the Bendini law firm controlled by the Mob. The McDeeres have certainly landed on their feet; they live in a Manhattan high-rise. Mitch is a partner in the largest law firm of the world and Abbey authors cookbooks and together they have two twin boys.

The Exchange at its core is about a kidnapping for ransom involving one of the law firm's European office stars--a woman named Giovanni whose father is the founder of the Rome office. Giovanni holds both Italian and UK citizenship, adding to the storyline as governments are involved in trying to save her life. The terrorists committing the kidnapping are demanding $100 million for her safe return or else she will join a bloody trail of other victims detailed in the novel.

Mitch is forced in to the role of trying to gather/negotiate the ransom money amid a challenging legal case involving Turkey and Libya, which may have been a contributing factor to the kidnapping. But the plot gets much thicker and much more complicated, typical of many of Grisham's works, involving the governments of several nations.

As in the firm, Abbey finds herself playing a major role in being the only contact between the terrorists holding Giovanni and those trying to secure her release. The ransom must be paid in days, and the clock is ticking. If you take a 25,000 foot view of The Exchange there are a lot of parallels to The Firm that Grisham honors in this book.

That's enough plot background without offering spoilers. I found the book captured my attention and held it. There is a lot of tension in the story, and the principal characters always seem to be asking "now what?" The book moves quickly towards its climax.

To me the climax of the book was a bit abrupt, and there are many questions unanswered by the end of the book as to what happens to some of the characters. Maybe we will read about the McDeeres in yet another sequel. Overall I enjoyed the book and give it 4.25 stars rounded down to 4.0.

#netgalley
#doubledaybooks
#TheExchange
#JohnGrisham

The Exchange by John Grisham is just another example of perfection in storytelling, complete with characters we know from his novel The Firm, but in a new setting in New York City and 15 years later. It is not necessary to have read The Firm but I suggest reading it because it is so unputdownable that you will ignore your other obligations. But, I digress. The Exchange is as unputdownable as The Firm, as well as other Grisham novels. You will not regret reading it, and you may find it hard to complete your duties until you know how it ends. I tried to take it kind of slow so I could savor it, but toward the end, I had to give in to curiosity and complete the novel.

In The Exchange, Mitch McDeere has a client who built a “bridge to nowhere” for Gaddafi in Libya even though there is no water under the bridge. Without water, Gaddafi lost interest and lost interest in paying, so Mitch goes to Turkey to help his client get what he is owed. Mitch takes an associate with him and they go to view the bridge. She is kidnapped and held by undisclosed parties. Mitch and his firm are at a loss as to where she is, who has her and what they want.

All of this sets up an exciting and suspenseful chain of events which Grisham is famous for. The Exchange does not disappoint. Unpredictability and connection to characters is part of why we love Grisham novels so much. Great storytelling completes a perfect novel. The Exchange has all of the above.

Sadly, this book was meh for me. I saved it to read on vacation and reality did not match expectations. The quickly recapped backstory of Abby & Mitch's time in Europe post Cayman Islands would have made for a more compelling read.

Not sure what I was expecting with this. Maybe my expectation lead to my disappointment. I still watch The Firm with Tom Cruise playing Mitch McDeere. Wondering where Mitch and Abby drove off to and what did they end up doing.

Mitch ended up in a successful Law firm in New York and Abby a food author. They have kids and are involved with their children and their activities. Their lives are normal. The narration starts with where they are and what they are doing and leads to Mitch meeting up with a past co-worker that was sent to jail. Nothing came of that. So where does that leave us. A favor from a current co-worker in Italy. So not to go to deep in all the going on but it became a lesson in International law when upcoming partner is kidnapped in Libya. The questions become why, for what purpose, and how does a firm go thru the land mine of an Exchange.

I love reading John Grisham but this was not a edge of your seat read. I liked the ideal of Mitch McDeere saga but we need to do better.

A special thank you to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

John Grisham's novel, The Exchange After, left me underwhelmed as its characters failed to come to life, even the central figures, Mitch and Abby. Initially, the book held immense potential, exploring the intricate challenge of rallying nations and law firm partners to contribute substantial funds for a daring rescue mission. Regrettably, the execution of this captivating premise fell flat, leaving me yearning for more. Certain plot elements defied logic, leaving me perplexed, while the conclusion lacked the anticipated crescendo, ultimately leaving me unsatisfied.

We first met Mitch McDeere and his wife Abby in John Grisham's The Firm, the novel that launched him into superstar of thriller writer fame. Now, after 15 years initially on the run and then working his way into partnership in a leading law firm with a beautiful view from the 48th floor and an enviable life in Manhattan, Mitch finds himself embroiled in an international imbroglio, which seems to only be handled by jumping into private jets and staying in hotels like the Ritz or the Hassler. I get the opinion that Grisham has further plans for Mitch. No proof of that or teasers at the finale of this fast-paced, back to doing what he does best novel, just a gut reaction. Also, who knew Grisham was such an epicure? As much page space was devoted to fine meals (both consumed and laying ignored) as to the thriller at hand, and the fact that Abby has found life as a cookbook editor with a kitchen equipped for her authors to practice their scrumptious experiments on Mitch and his family. At times, the novel made me more hungrier than spine chilled.

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for the advanced reading copy. I was excited to receive the e-book, as I have not read a John Grisham book in quite some time. Starting off nicely, I expected the usual legal intrigue; however, the story soon turned into a middle east hostage/terrorist situation for which Mitch McDeere had become involved and was ultimately put in charge. The details were interesting enough to keep my interest, although I would have expected more tense interactions and possibly even a twist. It was a good read that moved along nicely, but not a great one. Recommended.

2.5 stars. Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. Of course, thank you as well to John Grisham!

So now for the honest review. I was very excited for the sequel to The Firm, which was one of my favorite books of all time. I still remember buying it and staying up late to finish it and then a few years later rushing to the movie theater to see the film. I was intrigued at the beginning: death row and the potential of crooked cops, maybe drawing Mitch back to Tennessee? The visit to the former colleague who was in jail and now was out, is he involved somehow? When Mitch gets back to New York, he heads to Rome and then Libya and it’s like he first part of the book never happened. Ummm? It literally never comes up again.

Move onto the new story which was very not legal at all but now a kidnapping terrorist situation. I never really understood why Mitch seemed to be the point person for raising the ransom, He was not the CEO of the law firm nor any sort of hostage specialist nor any government bigwig. Just couldn’t figure out why he was the one seemingly in charge of this entire thing, At this point, I am still waiting for the first part of the book to be addressed somehow in this new situation. So, as a thriller, it was marginal, there are much better craftsman at this sort of thing. I didn’t see this as the sequel to Mitch and Abby’s story. I kept waiting for the magic of “The Firm” but it didn’t deliver that. I’m sure the book will be very
successful but for me it was not it.

4 stars --- This book is a true thriller and a sequel to The Firm, 15 or so years later. Mitch McDeere is involved [with his new NY Law Firm] in a kidnapping by terrorists seeking ransom money as Mitch flies all over the world trying to raise the huge sum of money needed to save the person kidnapped, an associate at his law firm.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to the book prior to official publication.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This book features the same main character featured in the blockbuster book and movie, The Firm. The story takes place 15 years after Mitch McDeere escaped from his Memphis law firm in that book (which was actually published in 1991, 32 years ago). Mitch is now with a giant law firm and lives in New York City. He takes on an assignment to recover over $400 million for a construction company who built a bridge in Libya. Libya is refusing to pay. When Mitch leads a crew to visit the construction project, disaster strikes and lives are lost and a female lawyer is kidnapped. The abductors seek $100 million in ransom. Will anyone choose to pay the ransom and be able to raise that much money of they do?

While this book is highly readable, there is quite a bit of repetition and several chapters that are filler, having nothing to do with the main plot.

The conclusion is especially disappointing. It is the opposite of a twist - it ends exactly as one would expect. And the reader never finds out many things: like who were the abductors, like did Libya pay the $400 million owed to the contractor..

This is not the typical John Grisham legal thriller so it was very disappointing.

This short book is a sequel to “The Firm” about Mitch who has now moved to a different law firm and is a partner. He takes an international case representing a construction company versus a Liberian group. He is negotiating the ransom for release of a lawyer. There are no surprises in the story and it refers to the situation Mitch and his wife Abby dealt with in the previous book.

Not worth reading