Rating: 
Summary: Grisham has sold out!
Review: There's really nothing new to say that others have not already said. This is a really, really bad book! The characters are totally unlikable - there's not a redeeming individual in this farce. It takes at least 150 pages to see where this storyline is going and it's truly not going anywhere interesting or important. Can Mr. Grisham be so desperate for cash that he would actually pen his name to this piece of garbage. You're resting on your laurels, John. Soon you will lose the "bread and butter" of your supporting fans. Worse yet, you'll be nicknamed the male Danielle Steele. Woe is thee!
Rating: 
Summary: The Brethren Rule
Review: I finished Grisham's The Brethren last night, and for a good hour or so I went over the some 800+ customer reviews there are of the book here. And I couldn't believe how many negative reviews there were. I've read all of Grisham's books except his latest, A Painted House, and to me, the Brethren was his best! I looked at some of the reviews, and I honestly wondered had I and the negative reviewer read the same book. The Brethren was awesome. No, it wasn't a brain jogger, and perhaps it was predictable. But it was so much fun to read and so entertaining throughout. A lot of people complained there were no protagonists. There really weren't, but I found myself rooting, cheering for the brethren, three former judges in prison who developed a masterful machination and hooked in a rather big fish to say the least. And I also liked the ending as well. It kind of made me smile. What I don't understand is, why all these people giving Grisham's books 1 or 2 stars just keep on reading and buying his work. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Those of us who do like it, will easily put him at the top of the bestseller list again without you. To me Grisham is only getting better. I've loved his last 4 books, and I can't wait for the next. Keep it churning, Grisham.
Rating: 
Summary: ...strongly disappointed.
Review: I loved The Testament and The Partner, but The Brethren is just not a good book. It's slow, unoriginal, and unfortunately, unable to keep my attention.I don't know what went wrong, but this one just can't deliver; his old works are keeping him famous, but this one is just down the drain.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham riding on past successes
Review: An extremely disappointing book. The author seems to have run out of decent ideas and is now trading on the reputation he established with his earlier novels. It appears that he had no idea where the story would end when he started writing, and that's exactly what happens. Right up to the last page, I kept hoping that something creative would emerge. No such luck. I guess one might say that the book has a plot, but it has one of the flatest endings of any novel that I can recall. Each of his last several books has been a bigger disappointment than the one before. The good news is that this is the last review I will probably write relating to his works, since I don't intend to waste my time reading any more.
Rating:
Summary: huh? did it end there?
Review: i never really found myself enjoying any one whole page of the book, nor did i like the book as a whole at all. the characters were too unbelievable to be interesting. and the whole plot just didn't seem real at all (maybe even less real than the worst of jeffrey archer's books). plus, the book stubbornly refused to offer any climax. it turned out that i was a very patient person. (surprisingly) i finished the whole book. but i did that only based on the expectation that grisham would be kind enough to save the readers from total frustration by giving them a good/surprise ending. but as if he wanted to tease those who endured all the 400+ pages, grisham ended the book just in a way one would end a chapter. after "runaway jury", this one and the like, i was no longer sure if i would pick up another grisham's book.
Rating:
Summary: Bad Grisham
Review: This book is about three retired judges running a scam, against closeted gay men, from prison. It is also about the director of the CIA grooming a political puppet to run for President. It takes about two minutes of thought to figure out how these two plots intersect. If you are a Grisham fan, you will read this book. Otherwise, just skip it.
Rating:
Summary: I Can't Recommend This One
Review: I've read and enjoyed most of John Grisham's novels, but this one bored me to tears. The premise was a good one, but the plotting and the writing dulled all hope of an interesting story. The fact that there was not one single likable character just added to the depressing trend of the tale. Like a few other reviewers here, I struggled through 400 plus pages hoping for a satisfying conclusion. It didn't happen. I just can't find anything good in this book to recommend it to other readers.
Rating:
Summary: Cool John Grisham Book
Review: John Grisham, the author of "The Brethren" did a spectacular job of writing this book. I rate this book a 5, it's a little hard to get the characters down at first because there are a lot of important ones but once you get past a certain point you just cant put it down, it starts out as two different group's lives, one trying to become the president and the other creating scams to raise money for when they get out of jail, then blends in toward the end and makes it fun to read. I also rated this book a 5 because how well written it was and how you want to keep reading and no matter what you are doing. It is very well put together to make you curious at first about what's going on then the ah ha hits you. If you like to read any kind of law book of any sort I definitely think you should read this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Grisham's best, but still a good read
Review: Although this was not my favourite Grisham novel, it certainly held my interest. I respectfully disagree with some of the other reviewers who appear to believe it is essential to have at least one 'good guy' in every story. Most of the characters were indeed unscrupulous, cold-blooded or pathetic, but at the same time they were fascinating. It was at least possible to work up a certain amount of sympathy for the gay men whe fell prey to the scam, including Aaron Lake. On the negative side, I was disappointed with the ending. The deal struck with the judges sounded too good to be true, so I assumed Grisham was preparing readers for a turn of events in the final pages, but it didn't happen. I suppose it could be argued that that WAS the surprise, but it failed to satisfy me. Also, I was puzzled as to why a minor character named Ned, a gay man who had caught on to the scam and decided to carry out his own investigation which led him to Trevor's office (see Chapter 12), was never mentioned again. Did I miss something, or did Grisham forget to follow-up and resolve this small off-shoot to the story? Such lapses by writers are dis-satisfying, and I would appreciate if someone could explain. Overall, however, "The Brethren" was an entertaining novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Beach Read
Review: This story of how three corrupt judges accidently snare a ambitious political figure is definitely fun and fast to read. Grisham seems to be writing with a sense of humor and it's reflected most heavily with the judge's characters. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that there are no redeeming characters. The judges are greedy,homophobic extortionists, the lawyers live up to the stereotype.It would've been nice to have one person you were rooting for like in "The Firm". Still, if it's a mindless, not taxing read you're looking for, this is it.
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