Rating: 
Summary: I love Grisham...
Review: Having read all of Grisham's books I'm a huge fan. His earlier books had more spectacular stories, but his style has become much more sophisticated in the last few books (and nothing can beat the Rainmaker, which is a book I would want to have written myself). The Partner didn't let me down, it lived up to my expectations. A carefully calculated plot that covered all possible angles of the case (but WHY did the bimbo have to be Swedish?). The only reason why I didn't give it a 10 is the ending though... I had the last chapter figured out long before it happened and although I wished the end wouldn't happen I was 99% sure it would. It would have been fun with a slightly different surprise, although (hoping not to give anything away) I liked the fact that it didn't end like a few of the previous books... nuff said!!! Anyway, if anybody's thinking of buying it my advice is to stop thinking and start reading. Grisham is the master of suspense, I read it in little over one day... I couldn't keep my eyes off it!!
Rating:
Summary: Oh Gosh, I could just cry!
Review: On page 338, our main character uses the words "it's all in the planning..." Mostly, I agree! The planning it took to make this book makes me wonder just what Grisham has scheming secretly in real life! His story, as usual, was flawless and tied every single loose end.Well ... almost. Because, if anything, the actual conclusion was itself a loose end! One of the critics uses the phrase "bitter sweet" to describe the ending, and he's right! The book was excellent, with twists like none I've ever seen and vengeance with a vengeance that was more than poetic justice! But I wanted to scream at the ending! Finally though, I resorted to something resembling a sob-sigh hybrid, and broke down to regretful acceptance. Another review on this page says there should be a sequel. I could not agree more! Let's start a petition! Still though, the story is flawless and delivers like an atomic explosion in slow motion. The characters are frighteningly serious, and the powerplay is intriguing and (sometimes) amusing. All things cosidered, THE PARTNER made for a satisfying read. I WOULDN'T NOT recommend it. (Got that?)
Rating: 
Summary: Keeps you interested...but horrible way to end it
Review: This is a good Grisham book and keeps you interested all the way through as you uncover the secret past of the main character, but the ending is horrible. When reading, you get to rooting for the fellow and hoping all goes great, but then at the end it just falls apart. Not a good ending, but Grisham is sort of known for this, isn't he???
Rating: 
Summary: Very Weak, Look Elsewhere.
Review: What an utter disappointment! I have read a few of Grisham's books, usually quite good. Unfortunately this is incredibly poor. Weak, unlikable characters. Shallow uninteresting story. Hands down the worst ending of any book I have read. Look at other Grisham books or move onto Crichton or Dan Brown for a better thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book, Bad Ending - But You Decideeeee
Review: Patrick Lanigan was a lawyer who wanted to get away from his life. He planned his death about a year in advance. He decided that he would run his car into a tree. Patrick went back to his cabin where he hid for the night. He was usually in hotels or condos. The day of his funeral, he watched as his wife cry over his death, but was excited that she was getting money. Patrick stoled ninety million dollars before he moved to Brazil. While Patrick was in different places, he made his own false passports, and made up his names. Eva was a Brazilian lawyer who hid the money from everyone. It took Jack Stephano four years to find Patrick. After finding Patrick, his conspirators tortured him almost to death. The FBI found out about the capture of Patrick and contacted Stephano. They told him that if Patrick was harmed he would be dead in an instant. Patrick was taken to a hospital in Rio where he was treated well. He was ordered to be hospitalized as long as possible. Patrick finally got a lawyer, Sandy, who told him exactly what happened in the past. Sandy was the only one who made contact with Eva. Patrick made many agreements with the people that were against him. The truth about who died in the vehicle finally came out. He was convicted of manslaughter, but it was soon moved down to defilement of a corpse. I personally like the book, but I would have to say that the ending wasn't that great.
Rating:
Summary: Oh phooey, fun summer read...
Review: It's been a while since I read a John Grisham story. Glad I picked this one up. It read very fast. I am always amazed at Grisham's story-telling abilities. I also think it is a good thing he went into writing and not into criminal activity! I don't think there is a man on earth who has not once dreamed of dropping it all, and getting out of the rat race. Patrick Lanigan did not just dream about it...he put it into action. Given that he was in a situation where he knew he was going to be fired, his wife was fooling around, he was liable to miss out on a money-making scheme his partners were involved in (criminally)...he saw an opportunity to do something about it. Many people would have just gotten depressed. The amount of planning that went into this scheme is phenomenal. Lanigan planned for almost every contingency. He knew he would ultimately get caught, so he prepared for that situation ahead of time. He thought of almost everything, and to say anymore is to give away the plot. So this book is not great writing. It's not the worst I've read, and if the book makes you think, then it's worth the time. (...) Karen Sadler
Rating:
Summary: Interesting the whole way through.
Review: I think this is my favorite Grisham novel to date. I like any book that has an ending I didnt think was going to happen. Great Ending to an even greater book.
Rating:
Summary: Another masterpiece by John Grisham
Review: John Grisham is a synonim ofr most of us of intriguing lawyer stories. This time he won't let you down.
The story of a low profile lawyer who secretly unravels the plot of a fantastic con against the government and decides to steal millions of dollars and pretend to cover his disappearance faking his own death.
Several years later some ruffians discover him in a small town in south Brazil (JG seems to be in love with this country) and from then on the real story begins...
"Will the most trusted person remain loyal despite all those millions at hand???"
Rating: 
Summary: I want a refund!
Review: I see that used hardcover versions of this book are being sold for one penny. Save your money! Who wants to read a book without one likable character? Once the story is established, it is a predictable march to the finish line. Oh, I forgot the stupid ironic ending thrown in for good measure. Skip this one and get one of Grisham's better books.
Rating:
Summary: The Partner by John Grisham
Review: The Partner. John Grisham. NYC, New York: Bantam Dell, February 1997, 468 pages. Have you ever watched a movie or read a book where the bad guy is who the audience is rooting for? Usually the audience is supportive towards the good guy, however in John Grisham's recent novel, The Partner, the audience is persuaded into cheering for the opposition. This book takes a story and tells it more from a criminal's perspective. In a twisted sort-of way I felt a sort of sympathy for this thief and was actually on his side throughout the plot. For a book to be able to do that to its reader, it is obviously well written, and thoroughly thought out. On top of this, I found the book to be surprisingly suspenseful, with quite a few twists and a surprise ending. All that in one novel is a perfect combination in for a great read.
The author made several points throughout the storyline. One being, the simple question of can you really trust a person? Another point Grisham made in his writing was showing that it is possible for love to be broken by greed, especially if it is planned the entire course of the relationship. These points basically sum up to the fact that you cannot always trust people with large sums of untraceable money.
The book achieved its goal and went far beyond any expectations. It had all of the essential elements and threw in some extras for good measure. One possibility suggested by the book was that you can get away with a lot of bad things if you plan carefully, however if your plans include the use of other people you probably want to reconsider. There was very little left out in the book, however I felt it would have been nice to have an afterward which talks about what happened to the main characters. Mainly because, in this books case you do wonder after reading it what happened to everyone. This book is hard to compare with others with a similar subject mainly because there are not many books with the same viewpoint. However, there is one book I recall reading for a past assignment called Crime and Punishment, which was also from a criminal's viewpoint. In comparison I feel that Grisham's book was better at getting the reader on the criminal's side, however in opposition the other book gave a deeper sense of a criminal. This is because the story took its reader inside the criminal's mind and thoughts, which had more of an effect. To me the book was entirely convincing and actually more realistic than most other books today.
Overall, the book was refreshing to read because, it came from an interesting perspective and is far away from your typical good vs. bad story. The suspense and twists keep you guessing until the very end. In my opinion this was a great read and I would recommend it to people who like a suspensefully written surprise thriller of a book.
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