Category: Writers

Adventure, spy and crime writers

One Minute Out by best seller author, Mark Greaney

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Mark Greaney is a best selling fiction author and New York Times bestseller. He co-authored Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Novels and is a great writer. One Minute Out is a superb novel with a gripping yarn and beautiful writing style.

The Gray Man, a supremely dangerous assassin is at the heart of this tightly written thriller.

Court Gentry discovers a human trafficking ring while in Croatia. The story doesn’t end there but leads all the way back to Hollywood.

Gentry has a mission to obliterate the ring, but others, in the CIA, have other plans. They have difficult decisions to make. The ringleader of the organisation can give them information about a potential attack on the USA by terrorists.

The information is too important to lose …it will not be lost!

One Minute Out is a superb novel by a superb writer, Mark Greaney, who I can thoroughly recommend.

Many of us are reading much more in these days of virus – Stranger than Fiction!

This is certainly one to read!

Bestseller Camino Winds by John Grisham

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John Grisham is a bestseller author of clever crime books and thrillers. Exotic locations, believable characters and plots that twist and turn.

The Governor of Florida orders an evacuation as  a storm, Hurricane Leo, approaches. Unlike many residents Bruce Cable remains. He is expecting the return of author, Mercer Mann.

The storm devastates the island creating destruction everywhere and killing some unwary residents.

The body of Nelson Kerr is discovered. He is a friend of Bruce Cable. But all is not as it seems. His death followed several blows to the head, which did not appear to be caused by the Hurricane’s effects. Suspicion begins to mount as questions are asked – why was he killed?

The police have their hands full trying to cope with the aftermath of the storm.

Bruce tries to piece together the reason for the man’s death. He starts to believe that there is more truth to the novels of Nelson Kerr and the individuals detailed within.

Nelson’s computer holds manuscripts which may hold the key.

Camino Winds is another top fiction book by bestseller author John Grisham. The book is a great read and another clever thriller from one of the great writers of our time.

John Grisham est un auteur à succès de livres et de thrillers criminels intelligents. Des lieux exotiques, des personnages crédibles et des intrigues qui tournent et tournent.

Le gouverneur de Floride ordonne une évacuation à l’approche d’une tempête, l’ouragan Leo. Contrairement à de nombreux résidents, Bruce Cable demeure. Il attend le retour de l’auteur, Mercer Mann.

La tempête dévaste l’île, provoquant des destructions partout et tuant des résidents imprudents.

Le corps de Nelson Kerr est découvert. C’est un ami de Bruce Cable. Mais tout n’est pas ce qu’il paraît. Sa mort fait suite à plusieurs coups à la tête, qui ne semblent pas être causés par les effets de l’ouragan. La suspicion commence à monter alors que des questions sont posées – pourquoi a-t-il été tué?

La police a les mains pleines pour essayer de faire face aux conséquences de la tempête.

Bruce essaie de reconstituer la raison de la mort de l’homme. Il commence à croire qu’il y a plus de vérité dans les romans de Nelson Kerr et les individus détaillés à l’intérieur.

L’ordinateur de Nelson contient des manuscrits qui peuvent contenir la clé.

Camino Winds est un autre grand livre de fiction de l’auteur à succès John Grisham. Le livre est une excellente lecture et un autre thriller intelligent de l’un des grands écrivains de notre temps.

 

Un écrivain de fiction à suspense.

 

Southern Seas, Los Mares del Sur by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán

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Los Mares del Sur, Southern Sea, by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán is a beautifully crafted novel  which is dripping in atmosphere and Spanish feeling.

Spanish detective Pepe Carvalho and former communist investigates the murder of an influential businessman, Stuart Pedrell, who disappeared a year earlier only to turn up dead on a Barcelona construction site. He had been brutally stabbed to death.

Pedrell’s wife hired the shrewd and tenacious detective to find out who did it. On his path the reader is given a taste of Spanish cuisine and literature.

While trying to unmask the killer, Carvalho must deal with some dangerous former anti-Franco left wingers.

A lovely read by an interesting author on a rainy day in the damper parts of the world. It makes you want to live in Spain and to study Spanish.  After reading it I don’t understand why Spanish people would leave Spain.

After a few months in London a Spanish friend of mine has been living  in Cambridge, in the UK for several years now and loves it. She did a course to learn British Council English and is very happy here now. For me – I prefer the Spanish sun, wine and food….and of course the people!

Los Mares del Sur, Mar del Sur, de Manuel Vázquez Montalbán es una novela bellamente elaborada que gotea en la atmósfera y el sentimiento español.

El detective español Pepe Carvalho y el ex comunista investigan el asesinato de un influyente hombre de negocios, Stuart Pedrell, que desapareció un año antes solo para aparecer muerto en un sitio de construcción en Barcelona. Había sido brutalmente apuñalado hasta la muerte.

La esposa de Pedrell contrató al detective astuto y tenaz para averiguar quién lo hizo. En su camino, el lector recibe una muestra de la cocina y la literatura española.

Al tratar de desenmascarar al asesino, Carvalho debe lidiar con los ex izquierdistas anti franquistas.

Una hermosa lectura de un autor interesante en un día lluvioso en las partes más húmedas del mundo. Te hace querer vivir en España y estudiar español. Después de leerlo, no entiendo por qué los españoles abandonarían España.

Después de unos meses en Londres, un amigo mío español ha estado viviendo en Cambridge, en el Reino Unido, durante varios años y le encanta. Hizo un curso para aprender inglés del British Council y está muy feliz aquí ahora. Para mí, prefiero el sol español, el vino y la comida … ¡y por supuesto la gente!

Un excelente escritor de suspenso de ficción.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming

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Who could talk of a spy novel or thriller without mentioning one of the best writers in the genres, Ian Fleming.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming is one of the most famous of his works.

James Bond, United Kingdom secret agent with a licence to kill, had been involved in hunting down the SPECTRE organisation and Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the boss. They had hijacked nuclear devices in order to blackmail the governments of the West. Bond had a disagreement with the British Secret Service in the running of the matter and he writes a letter of resignation to M, the head of the service.

Bond saves a beautiful Contessa by paying the gambling debt she cannot fulfil but they are captured by criminals. Her father is Marc-Ange Draco, the boss of the Unione Corse crime organisation.

Draco tells Bond that Blofeld is in Switzerland after which Bond returns to England to filter fact from fiction. The College of Arms in London discovers that Blofeld has taken on the persona of Comte Balthazar de Bleuville to mask his identity.

Bond pretends to be a member of the College of Arms, Sir Hilary Bray. He visits Blofeld face him and to ascertain his right to the title, finding that Blofeld has undergone surgery to cover up his identity.

Blofeld has been brainwashing women into carrying biological warfare agents to destroy the agricultural economy of the British Isles. Bond escapes by ski from Piz Gloria, as he believes he has been uncovered.  He is chased and kills some of his pursuers. Exhausted he reaches the local town where he is helped by the Contessa.

Draco’s Union Corse help Bond to attack Blofeld’s clinic. The clinic is destroyed and Blofeld escapes. Flying to Germany Bond marries the Contessa. They drive away on holiday only to be machine gunned by Blofelds team. Bonds new wife dies.

James Bond, otherwise known as 007, is probably the most famous spy to have worked on behalf of the Queen and the Union Jack flag.

A classic spy novel from one of the worlds finest espionage writers. I am looking forward to the next film with Daniel Craig, No Time to Die. The Queen’s best agent and a real Made in England hero!.

The Mask by Dean Koontz

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The Mask by Dean Koontz is completely out of the norm for me. I’ve never been one for scary books or movies. Watching Boris Karloff in the film The Mummy as a child, really did finish me off! Actually, if you ever want to see a true classic, way ahead of its time, then I can thoroughly recommend it for a fright night! But given the  current Covid-19 virus obsession with ppe such as gloves and face masks, I thought that I would give it  a go.

Also, I really enjoyed The Eyes of Darkness, again by Dean Koontz, which is eerily close to and some would say foretells the current Wuhan virus pandemic.

An enigmatic teenager with no family or discernible past suddenly appears amid busy traffic right in front of Carol’s car. She seems to have no memories.

Paul and Carol, feel an intense connection to the girl who they call Jane. They had no daughter and she filled an empty void in their lives.

But all is not as it seems!

Horrifying sounds in the night-time, gripping fear and a blood covered face in a mirror add to a terrible sense of dread and a sense of being haunted by something or someone!

Who was this girl, was she a victim in need of their protection or was there something darker in the terrible chain of events!

As I said, this scary genre is not for me, but for those wanting something to make the hairs stand up on the back of their necks then Dean Koontz is a writer par excellence and The Mask is well worth the read! Especially in this surreal time of people who buy and are wearing protective face coverings, face masks, gloves and even in one case a plastic bin on their head- but frankly – who could blame them! In this time of empty cities and scared people, it seems so very like a Hollywood virus film, but one we would rather not all be starring in!

For me however, I’ll stick to Koontz’s other works within the genres I prefer or I will try a Tom Clancy, Ido Graf or a Lee Child novel for a change of scenery. Happy reading!

The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz

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Dean Koontz is a highly prolific and readable American author who has used many other names to write under. In fact he wrote this thriller novel in 1981 under the name Leigh Nichols. He has sold over 450 million copies of his works and was ranked in the top ten for highest paid world authors.

A camping trip in the mountains turns into a nightmare for one mothers son who is called Danny. Despite having gone on similar trips many times before, on the final occasion and with no explanation everyone dies. Finally the mother accepts the inevitable, that her son is gone.

However, she soon begins to receive threatening and cryptic messages about her son. They say that Danny is in fact, not dead. With the help of, Elliot Stryker, the mothers friend – she starts to try to unravel the mystery around her sons apparent death.

Many have said that there are striking resemblances in the fiction book The Eyes of Darkness with the current world pandemic of Corona virus which began in Wuhan, China. This has led to renewed interest in, what is, a very well written and insightful thriller novel from the early 1980’s by Dean Koontz.

The Guns of Navarone novel by Alistair MacLean

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I’ve just re-read the Guns of Navarone novel by Alistair MacLean.

Alistair MacLean wrote his classic adventure novel, novel The Guns of Navarone,in 1957.

The book was also made into a wonderful film, which I have watched many times. You’ve probably seen the film already, but the book is well worth the read.

A crack team of allied soldiers are tasked with destroying an impregnable German fortress on the Greek island of island of Navarone in the Aegean Sea.

The two powerful guns in the fortress have to be destroyed to protect Allied naval ships, from being sunk.

On the nearby island of Kheros 2,000 British soldiers are cut off. The motley crew who are assembled to destroy the guns are all experts in their wartime fields.

Tensions between the team and their pursuit by the Germans add to the intrigue. The tension is further heightened by the time pressure which is brought to bear on the team

The fiction book, The Guns of Navarone, by writer Alistair MacLean, is a superb novel by a master of his craft.

Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts

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Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts

Flight of the Intruder is a fantastic novel from the great Stephen Coonts. Written by Coonts in 1986 it spring-boarded his career into being a top selling writer.

The story details United States Navy flyers of the A-6 Intruder. Not the most glamorous of planes but a real workhorse that has the look of a bulldog. It’s a two-man, aircraft carrier-based strike aircraft used heavily during the Vietnam War. Jake ‘Cool Hand’ Grafton, is a naval aviator and the main character and also a real man’s man. He also appears in later books also.

This great novel was also made into a movie starring Danny Glover and Willem Dafoe.

Flight of the Intruder is a great read and a super film from one of America’s top thriller writers – Stephen Coonts.

Flight of the Intruder es una novela fantástica del gran Stephen Coonts. Escrito por Coonts en 1986, su carrera se convirtió en el escritor más vendido.

La historia detalla los folletos de la Armada de los Estados Unidos del A-6 Intruder. No es el avión más glamoroso, sino un verdadero caballo de batalla que tiene el aspecto de un bulldog. Es un avión de ataque de dos hombres, basado en portaaviones, que se utiliza mucho durante la Guerra de Vietnam. Jake ‘Cool Hand’ Grafton, es un aviador naval y el personaje principal y también un verdadero hombre de hombre. También aparece en libros posteriores también.

La novela también se convirtió en una película protagonizada por Danny Glover y Willem Dafoe.

Flight of the Intruder es una gran lectura y una súper película de uno de los mejores escritores de suspenso de Estados Unidos: Stephen Coonts.

Ein Thrillerautor der Fiktion.

Dressed to Kill by Charlotte Madison – bras and bombs can mix

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A beautiful, shapely, blond in the pilot seat of an American Apache. That is Captain Charlotte Madison who completed two tours in Afghanistan and went on to do a third.

An amazing woman who has been able to do it all. Rivalling the men in their own domain but doing it in style and with glamour. A true role model for the modern woman.

It’s immensely difficult to become an Apache pilot with few pilots ever making the grade – she’s done it in true style.

The book details the fast paced, danger filled world of those at war, as many books in the genre do. But this is more interesting, more thrilling and utterly unique.

A great read about a brave woman. Dressed to Kill is a great read.

Who said that a bra and bombs can’t mix!

Una hermosa, bien formada, rubia en el asiento del piloto de un apache estadounidense. Ese es el capitán Charlotte Madison que completó dos giras en Afganistán y pasó a hacer una tercera.
Una mujer increíble que ha podido hacerlo todo. Rivalizando a los hombres en su propio dominio pero haciéndolo con estilo y con glamour. Un verdadero modelo a seguir para la mujer moderna.
Es inmensamente difícil convertirse en un piloto de Apache con pocos pilotos que hayan logrado la calificación, ella lo ha hecho con estilo.
El libro detalla el mundo acelerado y lleno de peligro de aquellos en guerra, como lo hacen muchos libros en el género. Pero esto es más interesante, más emocionante y absolutamente único.

Una gran lectura sobre una mujer valiente.

¿Quién dijo que un sujetador de mujer y bombas no se pueden mezclar!

Past Tense by Lee Child

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The new novel from Lee Child, Past Tense is out now.

I’ve only just bought this, so I can’t give a review yet – but I am an avid Lee Child fan so I’m looking forward to it!

Lee Child is a prolific and superb thriller writer and one of my favourites. Read Past Tense – I’m sure you will find it enthrawling!

A top writer of fiction and thrillers. Many of his books are available as audiobooks, e-books and paperbacks.

Il nuovo romanzo di Lee Child, Past Tense è ora disponibile.

L’ho appena acquistato, quindi non posso ancora dare una recensione, ma sono un fan accanito di Lee Child, quindi non vedo l’ora!

Lee Child è uno scrittore prolifico e superbo e uno dei miei preferiti. Leggi il passato: sono sicuro che lo troverai entusiasmante!

Uno dei migliori scrittori di narrativa e thriller.

Cazar al Capricornio by Francisco Castillo Arenas

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Cazar al Capricornio by Francisco Castillo Arenas

General Franco’s closest confident, Carrero Blanco, is murdered by ETA. The killing is a major shock to the state, giving them a real belt.

Then in 2005 a gang of thieves break into the safe of a private company. The theft sends shockwaves through the powers of state. One of it’s greatest secrets is in jeopardy after the theft.
Antonio Alba, a member of the CNI is sent to discretely retrieve the contents. Time is not on his side as the sand slips through the hourglass. He is told that the thieves stole, the Capricorn project. His masters tell him that it is just details of the Spanish attempt to be a space power. Alba is suspicious after seeing how several agencies of foreign intelligence have begun a ruthless hunt for what has become known as, ‘the Windsor secret’. What he has been told is not matching the reality of Cazar.

The thief, who is a former Kosovar Albanian guerrilla from the UÇK, becomes curious to find out what he had been ordered to steal and to cut through the lies. Checking what he is stolen he is shocked to find that it is worth much more than he was paid to do the burglary. Can he do the impossible and give his pursuers the slip. As matters take shape a deadly triangle of intrigue and death play out.

Cazar al Capricornio, por Francisco Castillo Arenas, el más cercano confidente del General Franco, Carrero Blanco, es asesinado por ETA. El asesinato es un gran golpe para el estado, dándoles un cinturón real.

Luego, en 2005, una banda de ladrones irrumpe en la caja fuerte de una empresa privada. El robo envía ondas de choque a través de los poderes del estado. Uno de sus mayores secretos está en peligro después del robo. Antonio Alba, un miembro de la CNI, es enviado para recuperar discretamente el contenido. El tiempo no está de su lado mientras la arena se desliza a través del reloj de arena. Le dicen que los ladrones robaron, el proyecto Capricornio. Sus amos le dicen que son solo detalles del intento español de ser una potencia espacial. Alba sospecha después de ver cómo varias agencias de inteligencia extranjera han iniciado una búsqueda despiadada de lo que se conoce como “el secreto de Windsor”. Lo que le han dicho es que no coincide con la realidad de Cazar.

El ladrón, que es un ex guerrillero albanés de Kosovo de la UÇK, siente curiosidad por saber qué le habían ordenado robar y cómo deshacerse de las mentiras. Al comprobar lo que le han robado, se sorprende al descubrir que vale mucho más de lo que le pagaron por el robo. ¿Puede él dar a sus perseguidores el resbalón? Mientras los asuntos toman forma, se forma un triángulo mortal de intriga y muerte.

El Cazar al Capricornio de Francisco Castillo Arenas es un sillón sin costuras, un paseo en montaña rusa, suave como la seda, ¡que te mantendrá en tu ropa interior!

Cazar al Capricornio by Francisco Castillo Arenas is a seamless, seat of the pants, rollercoaster ride, smooth as silk, that will have you hanging on to your lingerie! There is nothing like a paperback!

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

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The Hunt for Red October was the first techno-thriller novel by Tom Clancy. It was published in 1984 by the Naval Institute Press and the U.S. President, at the time, Ronald Reagan said of it, that he had enjoyed reading the book. I’m not surprised, it’s a real page-turner.

It’s a clever plot, with a lot of detail. Russian Naval Captain Marko Ramius, who is of Lithuanian descent, is at sea with his nuclear submarine. The sub is called Red October, hence the books name, and it is bristling with state-of-the-art ballistic missiles. The submarine utilises a silent propulsion system called the caterpillar drive. This means that audio detection by passive sonar is near impossible – this is deeply concerning for the Americans.

He appears to have gone rogue.

We first see a name, Jack Ryan, which we all know now. Jack Ryan works for the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst. Jack has a theory.  He believes that Ramius is intent on defecting to the United States.

Ramius kills the boats political officer, Ivan Putin, in case he tried to prevent him from defecting. He lies to the crew telling them that they are going to Cuba, but by this time the Russians are in hot pursuit having been notified of his plans by Ramius. The letter arrived after he had set sail.

The Russians pretend that they are on a search and rescue mission, but they will sink Red October if they have to.

As the Red October passes by Iceland whilst making its escape it comes close to the USS Dallas, a Los Angeles-class submarine. The American crew hear an unusual sound, the caterpillar drive, but they don’t initially think that it is as a submarine.

The Americans suspect the motives of the Russians and crews are on alert.

On the Dallas submarine the crew analyse the sonar tape again. They realise that what they heard was the new propulsion system of the Red October.

Jack Ryan then begins to work his magic.

Tom Clancy wrote many fantastic books in his career, but The Hunt for Red October has always been my personal favourite of his.

Buy the book or Audio of The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy from Amazon

Or buy the DVD from AMAZON

Tecno-thrillers, espionage thrillers and political thrillers have become immensely popular and diverse in the last three years.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

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American writer Dashiell Hammett wrote the classic novel The Maltese Falcon.

It was originally serialized, like many of Charles Dickens’ works, in the Black Mask magazine in 1929 to 30. The book was made into the classic film of the same name with actors Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Sydney Greenstreet and incredible Peter Lorre.

Sam Spade is the main character and practises as a private detective, in partnership with Miles Archer, in San Francisco.

A glamorous beauty, Miss Wonderly, hires them to follow a man called Floyd Thursby, who she says has run away with her sister. Archer sets off to follow Thursby, but winds up dead that night. He’d been shot. Next Thursby gets himself killed and the police suspect Spade.

Miss Wonderly is unmasked. She is actually called Brigid O’Shaughnessy. It transpires that she is  on the hunt for a very valuable black statue of a falcon. She is not the only one. A shady Greek called Joel Cairo and Casper Gutman are also after the falcon. Gutman has in his service, one Wilmer Cook, a young, volatile, gun-totting thug. O’Shaughnessy will not spill the beans to Spade, though she is desperate for his help.

I can’t tell you the rest as it would spoil such a wonderful plot.

It is a story which is full of mystery, intrigue and thrills set off with a touch of the exotic.

Dashiell Hammett wrote this best seller novel, The Maltese Falcon, while living at 891 Post Street in downtown San Francisco. As an homage I visited the spot when I lived there. He is one of the worlds finest writers of detective novels and his work endures.

Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean

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Alistair Maclean died in 1987, but what a legacy he left behind.

Alistair MacLean wrote the novel, Where Eagles Dare, at the same time as he wrote the screenplay. The 1968 film was shot on location in Bavaria and Austria. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced this classic film with stars such as Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. Both the book and the film were a major success.

Out of interest, the title comes from Act I, Scene III in William Shakespeare’s play Richard III: ‘The world is grown so bad, that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch’.

The plot has various twists and turns. During the winter of 1943 to 44 U.S. Army Brigadier General George Carnaby is captured by the Germans. He is said to be a chief planner for the Western Front. The Germans take him to Schloß Adler to be interrogated. The castle can only be accessed by cable car or by helicopter.

A British Major, John Smith and a U.S. Army Ranger Lieutenant, Morris Schaffer (Clint Eastwood) are instructed on their mission by Colonel Turner and Admiral Rolland of Britain’s MI6. They are to be parachuted into Germany disguised as German troops with a team of commandos. Their mission – to rescue Carnaby before he can be interrogated.  They are dropped by a captured German Ju-52 transport plane. Smith secretly contacts agents Mary Ellison and Heidi Schmidt. The other commandoes do not know of their existence. Heidi gets Mary a job as a secretary at the castle.

Two of the commandoes are killed in suspicious circumstances, though Smith decides to continue the operation. He works closely with Shaffer and informs London of what is happening.

The commandos surrender to the Germans and Smith and Schaffer are separated from the enlisted men. Smith and Schaffer quickly kill the Germans who are guarding them and then get their escape route ready. They ride on top of the cable car and then climb up a rope, lowered by Mary, into the castle.

Carnaby is being interrogated by General Rosemeyer and Standartenführer Kramer. When the three captured enlisted men arrive, they identify themselves as German double agents.

The plot then gets quite tricky to follow. But it is worth staying with it as it is ingenious.

Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean is a fantastic read and the film is a classic and one to watch over and over again. He is a great author in the style of Desmond Bagley and Hammond Innes.

Buy Where Eagles Dare from one of the worlds greatest fiction authors and you will not be sorry.

The Firm by John Grisham

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The Firm, by John Grisham, is a cleverly plotted work of legal fiction written by John Grisham and published in 1991. It was immensely successful and was then, in 1993, made into a film with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tom Cruise, and Gene Hackman. The Firm also spawned a television series in 2012.

This was Grisham’s second work, following A Time To Kill which was published in 1989. After The Firm’s success his first book then came to prominence and was also hugely successful, being made into a film. The film A Time To Kill starred Matthew McConaughey, Ashley Judd, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Donald Sutherland and Patrick McGoohan.

The name of the main character, Mitchell “Mitch” McDeere, must be ingrained into the minds of all lawyers and prospective lawyers in North America and beyond and especially to tax specialists.

The novel has terrific pace and great character development as it races through its cerebral path and cat and mouse chase.

John Grisham is one of the heavyweights in the written fictional word and rightly so.

McDeeres graduated with a top degree in accountancy and then went on to graduate, third in his class, from Harvard Law School. He had two brothers, one died in Vietnam and one is in prison, a fact he would rather keep quiet.

He is married to a school teacher, Abby.

Mitch gets a superb financial offer from a law firm in Memphis, Bendini, Lambert and Locke, a small tax law firm based in Memphis. After joining he is under great pressure to study and pass the bar exam. Mitch is assigned to the maverick partner, Avery Tolar.

Shortly before McDeere starts, Marty Kozinski and Joe Hodge, two of the lawyers in the firm are killed in the Caymans Islands, in a scuba diving accident. Mitch goes to the funerals and then finds out that three other lawyers who worked for the firm also died. His suspicions are aroused and he contacts a fiend of his brother, Eddie Lomax. Lomax is a private investigator and he agrees to start working the case.

Suspicious, he hires a private investigator, Eddie Lomax, an ex-cellmate of his brother Ray, to investigate the deaths of the attorneys.

Lomax is killed, but not before he warns McDeere to be careful. He had found out that the other three lawyers had also died suspiciously.

McDeere is targeted by an FBI agent, Wayne Tarrance. He finds out that the FBI are watching the firm.

McDeere goes to Washington, D.C. on a business trip where he is informed by the FBI that the firm is a front. It looks after the financial affairs of the Chicago Morolto crime family.

McDeere’s work has been honest thus far, but the lawyers are gradually enmeshed in the criminal side of the firm including tax fraud and money laundering operation.

The lawyers, once drawn in cannot leave, if they try to then they are killed.

Mitch finds out that Kozinski and Hodge were in contact with the FBI when they were murdered.

The firm’s security chief, DeVasher, becomes suspicious that he is getting involved with the FBI.

McDeere agrees to assist the FBI in return for 2 million dollars and his brother, Ray’s release from prison. Tammy Hemphill, Lomax’s secretary, helps McDeere to copy thousands of incriminating documents at great personal risk.

A leak in the FBI leaves McDeere exposed and he escapes stealing 10 million, as he does so, from one of the firm’s Grand Cayman bank accounts.

The FBI indicts many of the present and former members of Bendini, Lambert and Locke. They also indict a large group of suspected members of the Morolto family. The charges range from money laundering to, the not so sexy, mail fraud.

Mitch, Abby and Ray then live a contented life in the Caymans, living off the money.

John Grisham is an American attorney, politician and novelist specialising in legal thrillers. In an interview on the Charlie Rose show in 2016, Grisham said that his favorite author is John le Carré. The New York Times said of the book, ‘Mr. Grisham, a criminal defense attorney, writes with such relish about the firm’s devious legal practices that his novel might be taken as a how-to manual for ambitious tax-law students.’

John Grisham is one of my favourite authors of fiction and The Firm, one of my top picks for a thriller on a holiday read.

The Firm, van John Grisham, is een slim geplot werk van juridische fictie, geschreven door John Grisham en gepubliceerd in 1991. Het was een enorm succes en werd vervolgens, in 1993, verfilmd met Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tom Cruise en Gene Hackman. The Firm bracht in 2012 ook een televisieserie uit.

Dit was het tweede werk van Grisham, na A Time To Kill dat in 1989 werd gepubliceerd. Na het succes van The Firm kwam zijn eerste boek op de voorgrond en was ook enorm succesvol, omdat het werd verfilmd. De film A Time To Kill speelde Matthew McConaughey, Ashley Judd, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Donald Sutherland en Patrick McGoohan.

De naam van de hoofdpersoon, Mitchell “Mitch” McDeere, moet ingebakken zijn in de hoofden van alle advocaten en toekomstige advocaten in Noord-Amerika en daarbuiten, en vooral bij fiscalisten.

De roman heeft een geweldig tempo en geweldige karakterontwikkeling terwijl het door zijn cerebrale pad en kat- en muisjacht raast.

John Grisham is een van de zwaargewichten in het geschreven fictieve woord en terecht.

McDeeres studeerde af met een topdiploma in accountancy en studeerde daarna, derde in zijn klas, af aan de Harvard Law School. Hij had twee broers, één stierf in Vietnam en één zit in de gevangenis, een feit dat hij liever zwijgt.

Hij is getrouwd met een onderwijzeres, Abby.

Mitch krijgt een fantastisch financieel aanbod van een advocatenkantoor in Memphis, Bendini, Lambert en Locke, een klein fiscaal advocatenkantoor gevestigd in Memphis. Na zijn toetreding staat hij onder grote druk om te studeren en het bar-examen te halen. Mitch wordt toegewezen aan de non-conformistische partner, Avery Tolar.

Kort voordat McDeere begint, komen Marty Kozinski en Joe Hodge, twee van de advocaten van de firma, om het leven op de Kaaimaneilanden bij een duikongeval. Mitch gaat naar de begrafenissen en komt er dan achter dat drie andere advocaten die voor het kantoor werkten ook zijn overleden. Zijn vermoedens worden gewekt en hij neemt contact op met een vijand van zijn broer, Eddie Lomax. Lomax is een privé-detective en hij stemt ermee in om de zaak te behandelen.

Verdacht huurt hij een privédetective in, Eddie Lomax, een ex-celgenoot van zijn broer Ray, om de dood van de advocaten te onderzoeken.

Lomax wordt gedood, maar niet voordat hij McDeere waarschuwt voorzichtig te zijn. Hij was erachter gekomen dat de andere drie advocaten ook verdacht waren overleden.

McDeere is het doelwit van een FBI-agent, Wayne Tarrance. Hij komt erachter dat de FBI het bedrijf in de gaten houdt.

McDeere gaat op zakenreis naar Washington, D.C., waar hij door de FBI wordt geïnformeerd dat het bedrijf een front is. Het zorgt voor de financiële zaken van de misdaadfamilie Chicago Morolto.

Het werk van McDeere is tot dusver eerlijk geweest, maar de advocaten raken geleidelijk verstrikt in de criminele kant van het bedrijf, waaronder belastingfraude en witwaspraktijken.

De advocaten, eenmaal aangetrokken, kunnen niet weggaan, als ze dat proberen, worden ze vermoord.

Mitch ontdekt dat Kozinski en Hodge in contact waren met de FBI toen ze werden vermoord.

De beveiligingschef van het bedrijf, DeVasher, wordt verdacht dat hij betrokken raakt bij de FBI.

McDeere stemt ermee in om de FBI te helpen in ruil voor 2 miljoen dollar en de vrijlating van zijn broer Ray uit de gevangenis. Tammy Hemphill, de secretaris van Lomax, helpt McDeere met het kopiëren van duizenden belastende documenten met groot persoonlijk risico.

Door een lek bij de FBI wordt McDeere blootgesteld en ontsnapt hij door 10 miljoen te stelen van een van de Grand Cayman-bankrekeningen van het bedrijf.

De FBI klaagt veel van de huidige en voormalige leden van Bendini, Lambert en Locke aan. Ze klagen ook een grote groep verdachte leden van de familie Morolto aan. De kosten variëren van het witwassen van geld tot, de niet zo sexy, postfraude.

Mitch, Abby en Ray leiden dan een tevreden leven op de Kaaimaneilanden en leven van het geld.

John Grisham is een Amerikaanse advocaat, politicus en romanschrijver die gespecialiseerd is in juridische thrillers. In een interview op de Charlie Rose-show in 2016 zei Grisham dat zijn favoriete auteur John le Carré is. The New York Times zei over het boek: ‘Mr. Grisham, een strafrechtadvocaat, schrijft met zoveel plezier over de slinkse juridische praktijken van het kantoor dat zijn roman kan worden opgevat als een handleiding voor ambitieuze studenten belastingrecht. ‘

John Grisham is een van mijn favoriete auteurs van fictie en The Firm, een van mijn topkeuzes voor een vakantieles.