The Racketeer, John Grisham
The Racketeer, John Grisham
79 Rating(s)
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
Club: $11.25

The Racketeer

Bestseller

Author: John Grisham

Narrator: JD Jackson

Unabridged: 12 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/23/2012


Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • “The Racketeer is guilty of only one thing: keeping us engaged until the very last page.”—USA Today • In the history of the United States, only four active federal judges have been murdered. Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.

His body is found in his remote lakeside cabin. There is no sign of forced entry or struggle. Just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.

Who is the Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.

On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday.

Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.

About John Grisham

John Ray Grisham, Jr. was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on February 8, 1955. Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University and later from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He was a practicing criminal attorney for over ten years and then served in the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1990. He published his first novel in 1989 after working on it for five years. ‘A Time to Kill’, his first novel, launched his new career and was later made into a major motion picture. His first bestseller, ‘The Firm’, released in 1991, sold over seven million copies and was made into a box office hit starring Tom Cruise two years later. Almost twenty years later in 2012, a TV series was launched and picks up the life of Mitch McDeere and his family ten years after the events of the novel.

John Grisham has had his novels translated into more than forty languages and has sold nearly 300 million copies worldwide. He is a winner of the prestigious Galaxy British Book Award and is one of only three authors (the other two being Tom Clancy and J.K. Rowling) to ever sell two million copies of a first published novel. Nine of his novels (including ‘The Firm and ‘A Time to Kill’ have been made into major motion pictures.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ruds on November 18, 2020

The John Grishman of yore has resurfaced with this book. Just when I am beginning to doubt that he is still capable of creating works of the same calibre as his earlier outputs, he came up with this book that is so engrossing I am sure his wayward fans would be resurrected. To say that this has come......more

Goodreads review by Baba on July 15, 2024

This is the fifteenth book I’ve read by Grisham this year and he’s still entertaining me, although to be completely transparent I should say that there is little too much commonality with The Partner, as this is also about a lone man taking on the federal government, although in this case the main p......more

Goodreads review by Jonathan on February 14, 2016

I felt as though the only reason this was written was so Denzel Washington could star in the film adaptation. The movie could possibly be alright so I would encourage you to wait, but don't be too disappointed if it is a waist of time as well.......more

Goodreads review by Karen on April 15, 2024

Who killed the Judge? The one who knows will tell the FBI, but he wants out of jail first. Sound simple? Hold on for the ride folks! WARNING! Never start a new book at night as you are starting to fall asleep, especially one that is steeped with thrilling twists and turns and interesting legal angle......more

Goodreads review by James on January 10, 2014

When a federal judge named Raymond Fawcett is found murdered in his isolated mountain cabin, mysteries abound. The most important question is why did a judge of very modest means need the large state-of-the-art safe that was found hidden behind a bookcase? Not surprisingly, the safe is now empty. The......more


Quotes

Critical Acclaim for the Undisputed Master of the Legal Thriller

“With every new book I appreciate John Grisham a little more, for his feisty critiques of the legal system, his compassion for the underdog, and his willingness to strike out in new directions.”—Entertainment Weekly

“John Grisham is exceptionally good at what he does—indeed, right now in this country,  nobody does it better . . . Grisham’s books are also smart, imaginative, and funny, populated by complex interesting people, written by a man who is driven not merely by the desire to entertain but also by genuine (if understated) outrage at human cupidity and venality.”—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

“The secrets of Grisham’s success are no secret at all. There are two of them: his pacing, which ranges from fast to breakneck, and his theme—little guy takes on big conspiracy with the little guy getting the win in the end. —Time

“The law, by its nature, creates drama, and a new Grisham promises us an inside look at the dirty machineries of process and power, with plenty of an entertainment.” – Los Angeles Times

“John Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we’ve got in the United States these days.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Grisham is a marvelous storyteller who works readers the way a good trial lawyer works a jury.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“John Grisham owns the legal thriller.”—The Denver Post

“John Grisham is not just popular, he is one of the most popular novelists of our time. He is a craftsman and he writes good stories, engaging characters, and clever plots.”—The Seattle Times

“A mighty narrative talent and an unerring eye for hot-button issues.”—Chicago Sun-Times
 
“A legal literary legend.”—USA Today