All through this book I kept hearing Michael J. Fox's voice in "Back to the Future" yelling "Libyans!" This, of course, was in 1985, when Muammar Gadaffi was the villain du jour, and when we thought of terrorists, we thought of Libyans. Which makes it somewhat of a mystery why they are the villains in this book. It took several chapters to realize the book was set in 2005 (why? 15 years after The Firm doesn't seem to be a compelling enough reason). There are a lot of "why's" in this book.

The Exchange begins when Mitch McDeere, now a successful New York lawyer confident that few people remember him as the person who brought down Bendini, Lambert and Locke, is called by a friend to take on a pro bono case in Memphis. He arrives in Memphis to learn that the client in question has died by suicide, so he immediately goes home, after having dinner and drinks in a few of his favorite places. This incident, which covers the first four chapters, is never referred to again.

Shortly thereafter, McDeere heads to Rome to meet with his mentor and gets embroiled in an international situation which I really can't describe without spoilers. But suffice it to say, there are plenty more "why's" throughout this incident. Why is McDeere suddenly capable of negotiating with terrorists? Who exactly are they? Why does Mitch get food poisoning and nobody else does, and once again the incident is never referred to again? Why is it more important to describe the food and drink at every meal than to give us background on the many characters?

On the plus side, The Exchange, like all of John Grisham's books, goes down easily and reads quickly. I finished it in a day, staying up to read because I expected there to be an exciting ending, which sadly never happened.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Worthy follow up to the Firm. I really enjoy this author and his story telling. I get totally immersed in his stories. I highly recommend this book.

Interesting read. Mitch and Abby McDeere are living a busy, interesting life in New York with their twin 8 year old sons. He is a busy attorney at one of the world’s largest firms and Abby is a cookbook editor and dealing with lots of chefs who cook all sorts of food for their family. Mitch is asked to take part in a pending case in Libya where things take a terrible turn when he becomes ill and the other attorney decides to go to the job site without him and is kidnapped. Her captors demand $100,000,000.00 and involve Abby in the negotiations. Things finally work out and are resolved but not without a great deal of trouble which convinces Mitch that he must leave his current job.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Really good sequel to the firm. So many little nuances in the story, and it made me wonder which might be relevant or a clue to what would happen later on and which were just part of the timeline. I couldn't put the book down. 4.5 stars.

The Exchange brings back two of John Grisham's favorite characters, Mitch and Abby McDeere, who have settled down after years of being on the run from Mitch's previous employer, featured in "The Firm." In The Exchange, Mitch is contracted to represent collection of $400 million in fees owed a contractor who, after building a bridge in the Middle East, never received payment. A routine trip to that country goes incredibly badly, resulting in the kidnapping of Mitch's partner, the daughter of a very wealthy, long-time associate of Mitch's current law firm. With Mitch's associate being held as a hostage with an exorbitant ransom demand, Abby becomes the contact for the ruthless negotiators, forced to navigate a maze with an uncertain outcome. This thriller pits international governments in a race against time and against cold-blooded killers. This book definitely holds the reader's attention as the story races to its conclusion. Unputdownable and highly recommended!

I never thought I'd say this about a John Grisham novel., but this was boring and unfulfilling. Set fifteen years after The Firm, Mitch McDeere is no longer hiding from the Chicago mob and is a partner in one of the world's largest international law firms. After an unrelated trip to a death row inmate's lawyer, because the author doesn't want us to forget that cause (it's a good cause, just out of place in this book), Mitch finds himself trying to rescue a fellow partner, an Italian daughter of a senior partner who is working out of the London office and finds herself in Libya. The negotiations are slow, and often "off-screen," there's no real courtroom drama, and not much intrigue or drama.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE EXCHANGE (THE FIRM #2)
BY: JOHN GRISHAM

I was so excited to receive my ARC of John Grishams sequel to "The Firm," which is called, "The Exchange." I remembered the movie of the original "The Firm," that I enjoyed watching in the 1990's. It was memorable so I was expecting this sequel to be a continuation of that. At least that's what the synopsis stated therefore my reason for requesting this. It was disappointing but very suspenseful, just not what I had imagined it was going to be. This can be read as a standalone as it references the background details regarding how the main characters Mitch and Abby McDeere
barely escaped with their lives fifteen years ago from Memphis.

The year is 2005, and Mitch having graduated fourth in his class at Harvard Law school is now practicing law in New York City. His education was integral in getting hired in the largest (fictional) law firm in the world. It has 31 offices located internationally and its name is Scully & Pershing that is known to practice what the author refers to as "Big Law." My interpretation was that it was a prestigious firm specializing mostly in Corporate law all over the world. Mitch is 41 years old and he has risen in the ranks from associate to partner in his eleven year tenure at Scully.

Abby Mitch's wife is a senior editor at a publisher that specializes in cookbooks. Mitch and Abby have a large kitchen that she hosts owners of restaurants to create recipes. They have two eight year old boys that are twins who eat the gourmet food prepared in their kitchen. If the twins like the food then it qualifies to be a recipe that will be included in the cookbook Abby is creating.

Mitch has been approached by Jack Ruch, the managing partner at Scully, and has been informed that Luca, has requested Mitch to visit him in Rome. When he arrives Luca who built a law firm that Scully merged with tells him that he is dying of pancreatic cancer. He wants Mitch to step in on his behalf to handle litigation involving hundreds of millions of dollars owed to a Turkish corporation. The Turkish construction company built a bridge in Libya and the Libyans are refusing to pay. Luca has a request that Mitch include Luca's daughter Giovanna as one of the associate lawyers to work on the case.

There was enough suspense to keep me invested in this tautly written internationally woven plot that was intriguing. The reader has to pay close attention to remember the multitude of characters that are involved. I thought that this was complex and interesting, but I liked, "The Firm," much better. In my humble opinion I would say that this novel is superficial and lacks any real depth in character development. I had high expectations and am grateful for the chance to have read an early ARC. This sequel seemed to rely solely on the plot driven narrative. It was pure escapism reading, but not something memorable that I would want to read again. My rating is 3.5 stars rounded up because I did enjoy it and it held my attention from start to finish.

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, John Grisham and Doubleday Books for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheExchange #JohnGrisham #DoubledayBooks #NetGalley

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