Rating: 
Summary: Nonstop action
Review: Mitch McDeer is courted by Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a Memphis lawfirm. They offer him a new BMW, a low mortgage and a high salary plus bonuses. What they fail to mention is that the firm now owns Mitch. When two lawyers are killed in a diving accident, Mitch starts playing detective. Unfortunately, the firm knows every movement Mitch makes and they begin to wonder just how much he knows. Soon, the FBI and the mob are racing to find Mitch. For Mitch, this means life or death.
This is one of John Grisham's best books. It's very rare that you find a book that is a page turner from beginning to end.
The only downside, is that I've seen the movie many times and the characters in the book act a lot different. Both are excellent, but the book is better.
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Summary: The Firm: A Never-Ending Chase
Review: "'Abby.' She jerked around and tried to scream. [He] lunched at her and shoved her into the railing. From the darkness, Mitch dived head-first into the Nordic's legs, and all three went down hard..." (p. 491) Fast-paced and very detailed, John Grisham keeps his readers' blood flowing in his thriller, The Firm. Extreme intelligence on his part shows when reading his intricately detailed novel. Every element of this novel brings it to life for all of its readers. With every word he writes, each partaker in his literature falls into the palm of his hand. Protagonist, Mitch McDeere, recently finished with high honors from Harvard Law School. McDeere holds many prestigious offers from many big-time law firms. Consideration of the small town firm began as a blow-off interview. Fringe benefits of lawyers of the other firms do not compare with those of the Memphis firm, Bendini, Lambert, & Locke. Seemingly interested in him, the firm wire taps his car and house, and sets him up for black male. At the beginning of his first week, Mitch is pushing over ninety hours a week. The wife does not approve. Mitch is mysteriously approached by an FBI agent at a restaurant. He informs him that the firm includes mass money launderers and members of the mafia. Extremely skeptical, he obtains a choice: to either internally bust the firm and mafia up, or to eventually go to jail for illegal acts. The many twists keeps people reading for hours on end. From the minute Mitch was told to not trust anyone, he was worried. Grisham achieves perfection when it comes to his characterization. The protagonist and the right amount of flat characters makes this book what it is. The characters could nto be thought out better. Readers feel a relationship with each character, it seems they know them. Grisham's descriptive words and his placement of each character in the plot are ingenious. Weaving the plot into what it is takes a lot of talent. Readers get so wrapped up in the details and the plot, and it holds onto them until the very last page. Grisham makes the innocent guilty, and the bad even more bad. He uses that unforgettable talent to make a reader confused as to which character to be biased to. The way this author runs through his plot leaves readers on the edge of their seats for hours at a time. Once again, the man is ingenioius. Grisham uses his imagination to create the perfect scenario and the perfect setting. Memphis-who thinks to plant a huge branch of the mafia there? A small, quiet law firm in a fairly small, fairly quiet city makes way for a huge scandal. Soon-to-be jailbird, Mitch, is cornered everywhere he turns by surveillance cameras or microphones recording his every move. There is no way out for him. Descriptions in the novel give goosebumps, while getting your heart pumping. Readers have mental pictures embedded into their heads from the immense imagery. Amazing. Planning out a setting this perfect, with the perfect scenario to go along with it, is perfect. Not only do books need to be carefully planned and carefully put together, but they should also have a decent pace to them. Books that have no speed to them, and no action, bore people and do not sound inviting. Action thrillers such as this one never slow down. If there is a slow point, it is brief and then starts up the action again. The climax practically takes up the entire book, instead of one section. The pasce of this novel definately made it worthwhile. Reading seems like a chore for some kids, and even adults. Sometimes, people see reading a book as something fun and exciting, which is how it should be. The Firm, by John Girsham gives readers the mindset to read the book, it makes putting it down very hard. The chapters flow just as easily as the words do, and has the pace that a movie does, so it never seems boring. People should definately read this thrilling book. Its excitement just never dies, even on the last page. The book should be read by everyone at some point in their life, it has everything you could desire a book to offer.
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Summary: An Offer He Couldn't Refuse!!!
Review: "A base salary of eighty thousand the first year, plus bonuses. Eighty-five the second year, plus bonuses. A low-interest mortgage so you can buy a home. Two country-club memberships. And a new BMW." That is THE DEAL as presented to Harvard Law graduate Mitchell Y McDeere to get him to join the firm of Bendini, Lambert, and Locke and spend the rest of his working life in Memphis, as opposed to New York or Chicago. With a deal like that, how could McDeere refuse? He couldn't, and doesn't, which is entirely what the partners of The Firm are counting on, because this is not just any firm. It's an elaborate money laundering facility for the Morolto crime family of Chicago, and Mitch has just pledged to join a firm he can never leave, unless he retires or dies. Mitch doesn't know this at first, of course, but there are tantalizing clues: a gruesome gallary of former colleagues portraits in the basement, a visit by a mysterious man who works for the FBI, and repeated encounters with Nathan Locke, the serpentine senior partner with the haunting eyes who is rarely seen by the other associates. The plot builds climax upon climax, suspense upon suspense, and is just as riveting as the Tom Cruise movie made from it in 1993 that cemented Grisham's reputation as a master novelist. Each subsequent novel by the author is built on similar lines; what makes The Firm stand out? Answer: THE DEAL. Grisham obviously knows how good such a deal would sound to a reader, and he wants the reader to gain empathy with the partners and associates who have not broken the vow of silence. This deal must sound so good to these men (they are all white men) and so tantalizing, that the reader implicitly understands their thought process: If I can only look the other way for twenty years or so, I can retire in my forties with money to burn. You will want to return to this book time and again to savor the thrills, the suspense, and yes, THE DEAL!
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Summary: What a page turner!
Review: What a book! The Firm by John Grisham is a must-read for all of those people who believe books based on law firms are uninteresting, and are without suspense. I simply could not put this book down. I don't even want to watch the movie now because I'm afraid that it might ruin the story with some horrible actor/actress. The book begins with Mitchell Y. Mcdeere obtaining offers from multiple law firms on Wall Street. He is very excited, and he is proud of his accomplishments, but in a modest way. He goes to Memphis for a job interview in a relatively small law firm, but he is very impressed with what he sees. The beginning of the book actually rather makes you want to become a lawyer and work for this law firm in Memphis. However, as the book continues, the reader is introduced to a series of characters, some of which are FBI, who inform Mitch that the law firm is not what it seems. The firm works for very powerful people, and when they suspect that Mitch knows about their secrets, they are after him, to kill him. This is not the first time that the firm has 'taken care' of a suspicious associate, and when Mitch learns of the 'accidental' deaths of these other people, he becomes a bit suspicious. The FBI is after him with information, and documents, and the firm is after him with everything they have. I do not want to spoil anything so I will not say anymore. I recommend this book for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: I had to read this book for my book club, and it is one of my all time favorites. Its a book that takes place (Im pretty sure, they never really say, but becuase of technology, and other hints im assuming) in the early 90's. The main character just graduated number 3 from harvard and is rectruited by a small firm in memphis. They offer him more then any of the big wall street firms and he accpets. Less then a year into his job, and FBI agent contacts him. He is told that this is no legitimate company and that they work with the mob in boston. He is also told his house is wired. The FBI agent wants him to help the fbi campture the firm. The main character looks into the firm, and realizes that some of the accidental death's that occured within the firm weren't exactly accidnents. He suddenly realizes how trapped he is. He can't help the fbi, or teh mob may find out, and thenn he'd be dead. But if he doens't help the fbi, eventaully he will be jailed for life. There is no way out, or is there. His solution will leave you astounded. This is deffinatly a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Grisham book
Review: This is Grisham's first book, and it is very good. He was obviously an inexperienced writer at the time, so it is not his best work, but it is much better than some of his more recent novels. It is not perfect, but it a suspense filled read that any reader should enjoy!
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Summary: The Firm
Review: The Firm is the best book I have ever read. If you like suspense books this is the book for you. From the, this is too good to be true beginning, to the, we got to get out of here ending, the book is great. The book reads incredibly fat with many twists and turns. Not only is this a great book for suspense fans, but for anyone. The characters are very likeable, even the enemies of the protagonists.
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Summary: Fun thriller that you can put down
Review: This is the book that made John Grisham a household name and coined the term "Legal Thriller." Mitch McDeere is a self made man from Kentucky who has worked his way through lawschool. A certain lawfirm wants him in a bad way and gives him a to-good-to-be-true deal. Mitch takes the position only to realize later that he should have heeded his brothers words. "Nothing in this life is free."
After reading this the second time in ten years it still just as good. The only thing that is evidentally missing is the use of the internet. But you deal with the missing technology like you would when reading an older Stephen King novel. The dialogue is quick and snappy and some of the exchanges between the characters make you scorch through pages in minutes without realizing it. This is better than your average airport reader or beachside novel but it's the perfect book for doing so. For those who have seen the movie I also recommend this one because, while the movie is good, the last part of the novel is very different and you do not know where it will go until the last page. The only small critism of "The Firm" is that Grisham tends to put all his eggs in one basket when dealing with characterization, meaning Mitch McDeere. You feel for him and can see the logic behind his actions. Especially the reason why, despite the warning signs, he takes the job the firm to begin with. But he is the only one. There are right turns in other character's actions that really don't make sense except to link the story together. Something that Grisham has obviously improved upon in future novels. But that aside, it's great reading and great fun. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: The thrilling novel that made Grisham a household name
Review: The Firm was published in 1991, and almost overnight John Grisham became a household name and a force to be reckoned with in the realm of fiction. There must be something in the water down in Oxford, Mississippi; while Grisham is certainly no Faulkner, he is a man who knows how to make a novel come alive and ensnare any reader who comes along. I really do not care for lawyer-type novels as a general rule, and the fact that Grisham makes such stories so gripping and fascinating has me quite in awe of his talents. Mitch McDeere (whom many may still envision as Tom Cruise, since he played in the role in the movie based on this novel) is a highly intelligent yet monetarily challenged law student finishing up his degree with high honors at Harvard. Holding serious offers from prestigious Chicago and Wall Street law firms for his services, he decides to go ahead and hear the pitch from a smaller law firm in Memphis. What he hears is an offer he cannot believe and cannot refuse. A starting salary significantly higher than he would make elsewhere, promises of large bonuses for passing the bar exam and succeeding on the job, an ascension to partner in as short a time as a decade, a new house with a miniscule mortgage rate, a brand new BMW, and other perks soon have Mitch and his wife Abby settling down in Memphis to enjoy a life of luxury (albeit with hard work on his part). The firm really seems to care about Mitch and his family, wanting happy marriages with several children, to a degree that has Abby a little suspicious. Mitch passes the bar exam, and life is great, despite the fact he is working eighty hours or more a week. Then an FBI agent comes to see him, dropping hints of nefarious dealings at the law firm, asking him for help. Thus begins a journey in which Mitch must first decide whether to risk the lives of himself and his wife to violate his legal oaths and sell out the Mafia-controlled law firm, or take his chances, make his millions, and hope the feds don't find enough evidence to eventually land him and all of his coworkers in prison. It is really an exciting story, as the McDeeres have to deal with and evade both the feds and the Mafia in their efforts to somehow bring down the firm without sacrificing their own lives. I found the schemes Mitch employed on his behalf were quite inventive and plausible, but as the novel progressed in the later stages I found myself wondering how the Mafia could really be incompetent enough in their surveillance to keep losing track of Mitch at crucial times. I can understand the feds having a little trouble staying a step behind him, but you would think that the Mafia could have put an end to all of these games (and to Mitch) long before he got into a position to bring them down. Also, Abby's transition from a housewife who wishes her husband wasn't spending all of his time at work to a wily assistant to her scared and scheming husband is a little abrupt. I also had a hard time completely liking the protagonist after a certain indiscretion on his part early on. I'm not complaining, though, because the tension of the novel ratchets up nicely in the final stages and kept me turning the pages with bated breath. I haven't read Grisham's more recent novels, so I can't say whether or not the quality of his writing has gone down over the years. What I can say, having read both A Time to Kill and The Firm, Grisham's first two novels, is that the man really and truly had 'it' at the start of his career. The action never ebbs, the story never bogs down, and the reader finds himself hanging on for dear life and loving every minute of it as he/she follows the course of whatever events Grisham chooses to relate.
Rating: 
Summary: Emily's Review
Review: This was a pretty good book. The main plot is about a man named Mitch McDeere who is fresh out of law school, takes a job at a firm. The firm gets Mitch a BMW, a house, and a very high salary. But there seems to be more to this firm than its showing. And when Mitch discovers something he's not supposed to know, he's in a race for his life. I recommend this book for people who like chases, the police, and the danger of secrecy.
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