I was so excited to receive this book as I absolutely loved reading The Firm. Unfortunately, even though I enjoyed catching up with Mitch and Abbie and finding out what happened to others from “The Firm”, I did not enjoy the actual story itself. The whole book was about a kidnapping and Mitch helping to get her back from whoever the kidnappers are. I was bored to tears. I honestly thought it would be just as compelling and suspenseful as The Firm and it was not at all. I thank Netgalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

John Grisham books are always interesting and I was eager to read The Exchange. The Exchange is the follow-up to The Firm, one of the author's best in my eyes. The two stories are not really connected. The Exchange mentions a few details from The Firm but you would not need to read The Firm to follow The Exchange. For me, this book did not compare well to Grisham's other books. This book just plodded along for me without any real suspense. Even the parts that should have been exciting ( ie. when his wife was brought into negotiations) were not in the least bit thrilling. I would still say the book was good, but unfortunately I've read better ones of the authors. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital ARC. In return I have given my honest opinion.

I was really excited to receive this book from Netgalley as I'm a huge fan of The Firm (book and movie). I finished The Exchange and I was not a fan. I kept having to remind myself that I was reading Grisham's Mitch McDeere and not Stuart Woods' Stone Barrington (without the sex) - that's not a compliment. Grisham managed to say very little with WAY...TOO...MANY...WORDS. The only endearing character was Luca. I could not have cared less about his daughter whose kidnapping the entire book centered on. Mitch and Abby's twins weren't even likeable. And..and what happened to Abby? She's no longer a teacher, which wasn't explained, but a cookbook editor. Surprisingly, her new profession took up a lot of reading space. Who cares? There were discrepancies throughout the book that will hopefully be fixed before publishing. One that stuck out was when Mitch was, once again, lamenting his childhood, his father dying in the coal mines was mentioned. Then, the book stated that his mom couldn't bear to lose another son. She didn't lose a son; she lost a husband. Whatever...This review pains me. I am a huge Grisham fan otherwise.

Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for my gifted copies. Pub date 10/17/23.

The Exchange takes place 15 years after the ending of The Firm. We find out what happened to Mitch and Abby and what happened to all the workers at Bendini, Lambert, and Locke. Mitch now works at a law firm in NY and is enjoying his life until his friend and mentor asks Mitch to take over a case for him out of the country. When Mitch and his group travel to North Africa one of his colleagues is kidnapped.

The Exchange was my most anticipated read of the year. There were things I loved about this book and things I wish could have been a little different.

Things I loved:
-Abby had a much bigger role in this book.
-Page turner and very suspenseful.
-Good closure of The Firm.

Things I wish could have been different:
-I wish the survivors of The Firm had a bigger role in this book.
-Many characters and traveling between countries, it got a little confusing at times.
-This really was not a courtroom drama, just one small scene.

Overall, this was a good follow up of The Firm and I would definitely recommend reading. If you haven't read The Firm I would recommend reading it before this book, however this is a whole different story and group of characters, and Grisham does a good job of recapping what happened, so it wouldn't be too hard to follow.

In "The Exchange," John Grisham once again proves his mastery of the legal thriller genre, delivering a gripping and relentless narrative that seamlessly intertwines law, conspiracy, and suspense. A sequel to the bestselling "The Firm," this novel thrusts readers back into the captivating world of Mitch and Abby McDeere, while introducing them to a new web of intrigue that spans continents and threatens to upend their lives once more.

Grisham's storytelling prowess shines as he revisits the McDeeres' lives fifteen years after their daring escape from the clutches of a corrupt law firm. Now residing in Manhattan, Mitch McDeere is a partner at a prestigious law firm, seemingly far removed from the dangers that once plagued him. However, Grisham masterfully weaves a tale of international consequence as a seemingly innocuous favor propels Mitch into a complex web of deceit and malevolence.

The author's signature attention to legal intricacies lends authenticity to the plot, immersing readers in the inner workings of the legal world while ensnaring them in a suspenseful narrative. Grisham navigates the boundaries of law, morality, and loyalty with finesse, leaving readers questioning the motivations of every character and the extent to which the global conspiracy reaches.

As the pace accelerates and the tension escalates, readers are once again reminded of Grisham's ability to craft multidimensional characters who grapple with ethical dilemmas in the face of danger. Mitch's evolution from a fledgling attorney to a seasoned master of survival takes center stage, showcasing Grisham's keen exploration of resilience and adaptability.

"The Exchange" is a roller-coaster ride of legal intrigue and pulse-pounding suspense, with every twist and revelation expertly placed to keep readers on the edge of their seats. John Grisham's storytelling finesse and razor-sharp prose make this novel a must-read for fans of legal thrillers, conspiracy plots, and heart-pounding suspense, solidifying his reputation as a master of the genre.

Absolutely loved every second of this book. My expectations were blown out of the water and I felt myself not putting it down for long before I needed to pick it back up and read more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I was really excited to be approved, as John Grisham has been one of my favorite authors. That being said, his last couple of books just don't have the same page turning drama that so many of his other books have. The story was confusing at times with so many meaningless names being thrown around and then the end of the book was utterly anticlimactic. There was no suspense or anything to keep me engrossed and then it just ended. Just ok for me.

Fifteen years later, we finally get the opportunity to find out what happened to Mitch and Abby McDeere who brought down the Mob-owned law firm in Memphis. Life seems to be moving along for them and their family with no problems until one of the lawyers is kidnapped when on a trip to Libya with Mitch. The story is well-written, and the pacing is pure Grisham. International intrigue abounds, and it keeps you on your toes. I will admit that I was not exactly pleased with the ending. It could have been fleshed out a bit more considering what it took to get to that point. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this new offering by Grisham. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Mitch and Abby are back in John Grisham's continued saga of the Firm. When we last found Mitch and Abby they were running for their life. Now it has been a few years they now live and work in New York City or at least around the area. Mitch now works for one of the largest firms in the world. The pace picks up when Mitch gets notice that he is need in Rome by one of the firms top European lawyers who needs help on a construction client's lawsuit against the Libyan government. When things take a turn for the worst Mitch finds himself in a pinch again. This is a typical well put together Grisham read, and it is fast paced but I had an issue with the subject matter and for me took one star away from the book. But give it a read and see what you think, and I would still buy for a friend.

The Exchange (2023) takes up the lives of Mitch and Abby fifteen years after the end of John Grisham's groundbreaking, The Firm. They have recovered from the drama of those events, landed on their feet with excellent jobs, a loving family, and a good marriage. Mitch is tasked by his new firm to take over an international case involving Libya when the primary attorney becomes too ill to handle it. That isn't a problem for Mitch until part of his team is kidnapped while in the terrorist state during negotiations, her body guards brutally slaughtered, and her ransom a jaw-dropping $100 million. The driving force of the plot is less the legal twists involved in the complicated case than the machinations required to collect the massive ransom in the short time frame required by the kidnappers. It is a complicated plot with a lot of countries, international figures, and curious requirements that Mitch tries to unravel in an effort to save the young woman's life.

Here were my problems with this book. First, it is somewhat confusing. I can let that go because of all the international stuff, plethora of foreign names, and legaleze that is far over my head. I got a tad tired of being inundated with Mitch's financial and personal success, with his supposed humility in the face of his accomplishments, his perfect children--I stipulate he is a Renaissance Man. Let's move on. The more these posh details surfaced unexpectedly in the book, the more the word 'stereotype' filled my mind. Not a good look for a fictional thriller. I don't remember the Mitch and Abby of the prequel being so focused on possessions and accomplishments (but maybe I forgot.). Still, I was sure the brilliance of a John Grisham plot would save the story. In fact, it was filled with intricate interweaving of events and clues, international travel and high intrigue, rich people doing their curious stuff. What cost it in my final metric was the ending: It wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped. Nor did it spotlight Mitch's true creative legal characteristics I had been looking forward to being wowed by. I think until that point, I was torn between 3 and 3.5, rounded up to 4. The ending pushed it down to 3/5.

I'd love to hear what you thought of the book if you read it.

Set 15 years after The Firm, we finally get to see what happened to Mitch and Abby McDeere after they brought down the Mob-owned law firm in Memphis. The year is 2005 and the McDeeres now live in New York, where Mitch a partner in the "largest law firm in the world" and Abby is a cookbook editor. One of Mitch's partners from his firm's Rome branch asks him to take over a lawsuit one of their clients is about to engage in with the country of Libya involving a bridge the company built but isn't being paid for. When he goes to Libya to inspect the bridge and begin the lawsuit, Mitch's associate is kidnapped by a group that may be terrorists, rebels or even the Libyan government. This begins a severely tense time as Mitch has to juggle international politics as well as the law in an effort to bring the associate home.
The star of this book is Grisham's prose and pacing of the story. Fans of his writing will have no qualms there. However, for a story billed as the sequel to The Firm, the plot fell kinda flat. The narrative played out as more of a political drama, only semi-thriller, and at no time felt like the McDeeres had to be part of the story. I'm guessing Grisham conceived of the plot, realized it wasn't one of his strongest, especially the rather tepid ending, and instead of creating some generic new main characters plopped Mitch and Abby in in order to juice it up a bit. If you're just looking for Grisham's writing, it's still enjoyable, but plot-wise it wasn't much of a legal thriller and didn't live up to the promise in the description. 3.5/5*

{4.5 stars}

Mitch McDeere is back and he finds himself ensnared in another unusual situation. After his time on the run after bringing down his previous law firm, he's settled into regular lawyer life at a nice firm in NYC. When his former mentor in Rome falls ill, he asks Mitch to take on a case in Libya, which includes a trip there much to Mitch's chagrin. He and his mentor's daughter travel to Tripoli and immediately find themselves in peril. He manages to escape but his friend's daughter is taken hostage for ransom. Now Mitch and Abby must find a way to save her.

This one had great heist vibes and it held true to the pulse pounding tension of the original The Firm. There are no courtroom scenes, as has been par for the recent Grisham novels but there was enough legal scenarios that I think the average Grisham reader will be entertained. What I appreciated the most was that it all felt very realistic and not far fetched even though there was the need to drum up an insane amount of money. I loved that both Mitch and Abby got into the action at different times. There were lots of moving parts and politics but I was never bored by the machinations. I actually found myself not wanting to put it down, and it's been a while since I felt that way about a Grisham novel. Now if we can only get a sequel to The Rainmaker...

Thanks to Doubleday for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Mitch McDeere is back for another intriguing but complicated story of international suspense. Prepare for a kidnapping in Libya, multimillion dollar ransom demands and lots of bad guys in this well written novel.

I remember reading The Firm and loving every page. Who was this new author? Now, years later we’re treated to the sequel with Mitch and Abby living a good life in Manhattan. We know who Grisham is and he’s still on the top of his game. Suspenseful, a real page turner.

I was so happy to be gifted this book to read in advance! This is a sequel to the Firm, and we get to find out what happened to Mitch and Abby 15 years after the exposed the law firm in Memphis of its mob ties and had to leave the country. The duo are now in Manhattan; Mitch is a partner at the world's largest law firm and a mentor requests a favor from Mitch that will take him into a scheme that will impact the world. Mitch winds up in Libya, under the reign of Gaddafi, and an issue arises, in which Abby and Mitch must work against terrorists/kidnappers to get back their associate while paying out a ransom. This was fun and fast-paced, with not as much of a legal thriller spin as its predecessor - but that doesn't detract at all, I enjoyed the edge-of-seat reading adventure and getting to visit other locales.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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"The Exchange" is a rip-roaring thriller that zips around the world as Mitch McDeere rushes to gather 100 million dollars to ransom a member of his law firm from some kind of middle eastern terrorists. You'll remember Mitch from John Grisham's first book, "The Firm", and his wife Abby, who were fleeing all sorts of mayhem at the end of the first book. It's now fifteen years later, they are mega rich living in Manhattan and now have twin boys.

There's lots of satisfying action, almost enough to distract from the fact that Mitch is still a pretty cardboard character and that we never understand who the kidnappers are or why they chose this particular victim. The unnamed group is completely terrifying and you never have any doubt that they will kill the young Italian attorney in a particularly sickening way if they don't get their money.. They seem to have eyes everywhere, and I mean everywhere, which leads to the question of what will they do with the ransom if they get it?

"The Exchange" functions on the level of hyper wealthy people who have no idea how regular people live and could care less.. Mitch flys frantically from one five star hotel to another gathering millions to rescue the wealthy daughter of a wealthy family friend. He does wonder what kind of horror this ransom money may unleash on the world, but his job is to put together ransome and that's what he's doing.

For the many questions I have about "The Exchange," would I read a sequel? If it leads to any answers about this mysterious and scary group and their plans for that money, you bet!

I was given this book on NetGalley for an honest review-
Grisham always writes a great mystery!
Fifteen years have passed and Mitch is partner in a law firm when he is asked for a favor. He finds himself and his family in danger, can they succeed and stay alive.

Welcome home Mitch McDeere! Such an excellent return for a true favorite in this ultra-exciting new thriller by John Grisham. Mitch and Abby are now in NYC, successfully living life as a true power couple. Mitch has rebuilt his career as a partner in a white shoe law firm and Abby is an editor.

All this is turned upside down when he is called upon to deal with a lawsuit against Libya, still ruled by the petulant and dangerous Gaddafi. Sadly, I had some dealings with that insane regime years ago. It is during the mission to Libya that one of his team, Giovanna, is kidnapped and held for ransom. The kidnappers force Abby to play the part of go-between to make a ransom deal.

This book is a thrilling game between the irrational forces in Libya and McDeere trying to gather the ransom to save her life.


I loved this book. It is Grisham at his best. I couldn’t put it down.

I highly recommend this fast paced novel. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this exciting novel.

I love John Grisham books and The Exchange didn't disappoint. I had to refresh my memory of The Firm but it came back quickly. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Great Book!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Exchange. If you are a Grisham fan you often wondered what happened to Mitch and Abby Mcdeere.
Well finally an answer.
Fifteen years later and Mitch and Abby are still together and they have two children.
Mitch is a lawyer and Abby is in the publishing business
All is well. But then Mitch is brought into a legal battle and the stakes are high. In a overseas lawsuit against Libya he must broker a deal with the leader of a terrorist group, broker a kidnapping and stay alive
Very good book. And maybe a sequel.
4 stars