I'm a big fan of John Grisham, but his latest book left me feeling underwhelmed. While I liked catching up with Mitch and Abby (from "The Firm") this caper left me uninterested and uninspired. I'm sure this book will do well commercially, it just wasn't my favorite.

It keep me reading and that was really good but I still wasn't thrilled with the continued talk, talk, about what to do next. I guess we have to have had money in our lives to know the feeling. His best book to me was the 1st couple of books (The Firm). I wanted to see how it ended but was tempted to just chapters. But good grief I was tickled to be able to read it and thank you!

If you've ever wondered what happened to Mitch and Abby McDeere after they escaped Memphis, the Mob, and the murderous partners at Bendini, Lambert, & Locke, then this is the book for you. Picking up 15 years after the events of "The Firm", "The Exchange" picks up with the McDeeres, now comfortably settled in New York City, with Mitch as a partner in an international law firm, and Abby editing cookbooks for a boutique publishing house. When Mitch is handed an international case out of the firm's Rome office, things begin to go sideways for the McDeeres in a hurry.

A gripping, suspenseful novel sure to be an enormous hit, "The Exchange" delivers a thoughtful, well researched subject with a thrilling, breakneck pace sure to delight Grisham fans new and old.

Ahhhh, Mitch and Abby McDreere are back! This book is full of action and fast paced. Although the beginning was somewhat confusing and lots of characters introduced, it does all come together nicely. I enjoyed reading about Mitch and Abby again and what their life became after Memphis. Definitely recommend, especially if you loved The Firm!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

I wanted to love this one so bad! But it just didn’t hit the mark for me. It wasn’t that it was bad it just seemed like it didn’t flow from the other book. I kept asking what about this that happened in The Firm that wasn’t resolved and I got no answer. Mitch didn’t feel the same. All in all an ok read but I think could’ve been way better In characterization. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

Reading a sequel to John Grisham’s the Firm, was something I was very much excited about. It picks up Mitch McDeere’s life after exposing and escaping the bad guys in the Bendini firm in Memphis.
In The Exchange, the sequel to the Firm, Mitch his wife Abby, and two young sons are living an affluent life under the radar. Mitch is once again a prominent lawyer who is called upon early in the story to tackle a pro bono death penalty case. Expecting one of Grisham’s usual high drama twisting a turning legal thrillers, from the early action, the about face of the plot was surprising and disappointing. The story is neither about the death penalty nor high courtroom drama.

McDeere is thrust into a scenario of international intrigue in Libya. Never in the entire book was it 100% clear to me who the evil enemies were. There was a lot of traveling from country to country after the kidnapping of a high profile figure, and the attempt to broker a deal by an unlikely and not very believable third party. This was more of an international thriller than a legal thriller and left me wondering if Mitch McDeere would return in the future as a James Bond- like hero.

The Exchange was definitely a decent read although it lacked Grisham’s usual twists. Fans of Grisham’s will likely want to read this. The writing is clear, simple and a smooth fast read. Three stars for a good book from an author who has written greater books. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my review.

I REALLY REALLY wanted to fall in love with this follow-up to "The Firm," (I can still picture Tom Cruise in my mind as the protagonist) but it fell flat for me. The ending was just, done. I felt antipathy throughout the book. It was a very long book with a very crappy ending. I love John Grisham, but it required more rewrites, better research and a WAY more satisfying ending.

I wanted to love this follow-up to "The Firm," but it just wasn't for me. The ending was non existent. Felt like no reward after reading a very long book. I love Grisham, but this one wasn't a hit.

In The Exchange, John Grisham skillfully revives the captivating world of his earlier hit The Firm, thrusting readers into a high-stakes legal thriller that follows the brilliant attorney Mitch McDeere fifteen years later. Set in 2005, Mitch's life has transformed as he navigates Manhattan as a partner at a global law firm. A favor for a dying mentor in Rome triggers a web of international intrigue, leading Mitch on a race against time to save a kidnapped associate and confront a sinister plot with far-reaching implications. Grisham's storytelling finesse masterfully blends nostalgia and relentless suspense, while his character-driven narrative adds depth, particularly in highlighting Abby's expanded role. While not a conventional legal thriller, The Exchange showcases Grisham's ability to craft an engaging tale that thrills, leaving readers eager for more.

Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for this ARC of The Exchange. I was super excited to read this book! The Firm is one of my favorite books and it was great to catch up with Mitch and Abby and see what happened to them! Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and action packed. Loved that Abby played a big role in this book. The ending did feel a bit rushed and left many unanswered questions. Perhaps this will not be the last we see if the McDeeres??

John Grisham's: "The Exchange" is a fitting sequel to the "The Firm". Fifteen years removed from Memphis, Mitch and Abby are living in New York with their two sons. Mitch is a partner in the largest legal firm in the world with offices everywhere and Abby is a cookbook editor. Grisham begins the book by giving the reader a taste of their current life with cooks coming to fix meals for the family that might be included in their cookbooks and the boys playing Little League baseball while attending an affluent private school.
Mitch travels to various locations in the world on behalf of clients, so it doesn't appear odd when he is asked to stand in for a cherished friend who is dying that leads the Rome office. He will be representing a Turkish Construction Company who have a $400 million bill that Libya has not paid for a bridge to nowhere. Libya is where the intrigue begins and from there, the reader spends the majority of the rest of the novel traveling from place to place with him and eventually Abby.
As a reader who adored 'The Firm", it was nice to catch up with Mitch and Abby and to see where their lives are down the road. The thriller part was international in scope, making for exotic settings. Grisham does an excellent work explaining the legal system involved in case it is not one with which the reader is familiar.
So what is my hesitation in not being more profuse in my praise. Simple. I felt like the ending was rushed and tied up in too neat a bow with a nod to 'The Firm'. I have and will continue to recommend it to readers of Grisham, especially those like me that had stepped away from his novels for a while because catching up with Mitch and Amy was worth the read..

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So what happened to Mitch and Abby after fleeing Memphis? This is that story. I really enjoyed seeing the life that they have currently with their family but I would have liked to know more about what happened in the 20 year gap. Instead, we pick up with Mitch who is a well accomplished NYC lawyer living on the upper east side and handling international cases. He takes on a case representing a Turkish construction company stiffed by the Libyan government for the bridge they built. However, things go seriously wrong.

If you love John Grisham novels, this one does not disappoint and represents all that I have come to expect when you pick them up.

Not what I was expecting but an entertaining read!

This novel revisits Mitch McDeere, Grisham's character from his first bestselling (and possibly best) novel, The Firm 15 year after the novel ends. It catches up to present time pretty quickly and gets Mitch involved in a lawsuit between a Turkish country and the Libyan government. A lawyer in his firm is kidnapped and lots of moving back and forth between Italy, Maine, NYC and London.

A little too much Libya for me and the typical lack of character development, but overall, in Grisham's vibe for sure.

Couldn't put this down. What a story! A woman who is the daughter of one of the firm's partners is kidnapped while visiting a bridge being built. Mitch was supposed to go with her but got sick. Now he is working to help get her released.

I like how you get some back story from The Firm. It was a good book but not as exciting to me as The Firm was. I am glad to know where Mitch and Abby ended up and loved having a story featuring them again. Solid book worth a solid four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.

Apparently, Mitch McDeere, the protagonist of The Firm (1991), was not finished with author John Grisham as The Exchange: After the Firm is Grisham’s latest legal thriller coming out October 17. This novel answers the question about what became of Mitch and his wife Abby after they revealed that Mitch’s law firm, Bendini, Lambert & Locke, in Memphis was corrupt.

The story picks up 15 years later with Mitch and his family – now including twin boys: Clark and Carter – living in Manhattan where Mitch has become a partner in the world’s largest law firm, Scully & Pershing, and Abby is a cookbook editor.

An Italian colleague in Rome, Luca Sandroni, has requested Mitch’s assistance in dealing with a situation in Libya involving Lannak, a Turkish construction company that has not received full payment for a bridge it constructed for none other than Colonel Gaddafi. Sandroni’s health is failing, and he would like Mitch to partner with his lawyer daughter Giovanna in the London office in hopes this experience would help boost her career.

When Mitch and Giovanna go to Libya to see the bridge to determine for themselves the situation at hand, things go terribly wrong, putting Mitch right back into a situation that endangers not only himself but his family, friends, and colleagues. A kidnapping occurs requiring a hefty exchange of money that no single entity could cover. The enemy proves to be ruthless killers with a penchant for WARNING: violence and gore.

The end of the tale leaves one to wonder, will there be a Firm volume 3?

John Grisham made a name for himself with his very first novel, A Time to Kill (1989), followed by other court procedural novels that made him king of the modern legal thriller. Having worked 60+ hour weeks in a Mississippi law practice, Grisham knows what he’s talking about.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting August 21, 2023.

I would like to thank Doubleday Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Many thanks to both Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Exchange, by John Grisham. Expected publication October 17, 2023.

When his mentor in Rome, (Luca, a Scully partner who’s dying of pancreatic cancer) 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—and once again endangers his colleagues, friends, and family.

The Exchange is a wee bit of a follow-up to The Firm, a book Mr. Grisham wrote in 1991. This book very lightly touches on the events from The Firm, but not nearly enough to make clear what took place back then. I loved The Firm (the book and the movie) so I anticipated loving The Exchange equally well. There were some characters I fell in love with, such as Mitch and Abby's twin sons, and Mitch's boss at Scully, who was a cool dude with a ponytail and a big heart. I also really liked that Abby played a more significant part in this book and that she was a cookbook editor.

I'm not sure why Mitch had to go back to Memphis for a death penalty case that fell through when it had nothing to do with the rest of the book. (Maybe there is going to be a third book, featuring Mitch's former co-worker he visited while in Memphis?)

Anyway, Mitch is desperate to rescue Luca's daughter, and the kidnappers want 100 million dollars for her return. From there, it's mansions, luxury cars, and private planes as Mitch jets from country to country ... yet no one at Scully wants to pitch in towards the ransom. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't understand who the kidnappers were or exactly why Luca's daughter was kidnapped.

Ultimately, The Exchange is an entertaining book with a lot of action and I have a feeling it's going to be hugely popular. I definitely liked it, although I didn't love it.

When I heard that John Grisham was writing a sequel to The Firm from 1992, I went and checked The Firm back out from the library so I could re-acquaint myself with all the characters in his first book. After all, it has been 31 YEARS since that book came out and I know I read it way back then and loved it but I could not remember what happened 31 years ago. Now we are 15 years since the new book and we have Mitch and Abby along with their twin sons back in business. Mitch is now a partner in a big NY law firm and must travel to Libya to represent a bridge builder but someone gets kidnapped and there seemed to be a lot more lawyer talk in this one and I found myself lost somewhat. I did enjoy the first one a lot more but this one was ok for me. John does talk about the first book a bit ahead of time so you don’t have to read the first one for this to make sense but The Firm was really an excellent book so I would highly recommend that one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release and I couldn't’ have been more excited to receive it.

I loved seeing Mitch and Abby as characters again. I love where they have been and how their story has come along since The Firm. I am not giving any spoilers away but there is some revisiting of the past which I loved to see how they thought about the past 15 years later. A lot of the story takes place in Libya, which is such an interesting aspect. And since it’s Grisham, of course it is a huge legal case, which I love legal thrillers so I loved that aspect too. I am so pleased that the sequel to The Firm holds up!

Having read most of John Grisham’s books I jumped on the opportunity to read this one. I remember the characters from The Firm but the author provides a nice recap of what happened to them many years ago. To see the life Mitch and Abby have built was great and initially I enjoyed the story of Mitch traveling to Libya to represent bridge builders. When Mitch’s team was kidnapped, the story began to go sideways for me. Some of the details were quite gruesome. If you enjoy spy novels, this might work well for you. I would have liked to see more plot twists. The ending was not satisfying for me but it did leave open the possibility of a sequel. I thank NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. 3.75 stars for me.