"The Brethren" by John Grisham
WARNING!!!! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!! (and I strongly strongly recommend reading this book, so unless you want to know what happens before you read the book, DO NOT read this review).
For what seems like forever, I have heard and read about what a great author John Grisham, and so when my brother was cleaning out his room and found "The Brethren" on his bookshelf, I decided to give it a shot. It was a fantastic decision on my part. The way that I would describe it without ruining any of the book would be by saying that it is kind of like the show Scandal.
This book takes place during the year leading up to the next US presidential election, and the CIA has been monitoring a Communist leader in Russia that has very quickly been ascending to power. Out of fear that the Russian leader will start World War III if he is stopped, the head of the CIA decides to take matters into his own hands. He has his agency observe and evaluate several congressmen with extreme scrutiny, to choose one that the CIA may support and get into the White House. They were looking for a perfect candidate, one that was intelligent, appealing, well spoken, and someone that was willing to double the United States' military budget to combat the Russian leader. Their selection, Aaron Lake, a Congressman from Arizona. Once Mr. Lake accepts the offer, the CIA works its contacts as only the CIA can, and almost instantly Aaron Lake becomes a household name, and a serious contender for the presidency.
At the same time as this is happening, three former judges are serving time in a Florida federal prison. They are very smart, very cunning, and very greedy. Within the prison, they are known as the Brethren, and they have too much spare time for their intellectual prowess. Thus, they decide to begin an extortion scheme, one which targets gay men who are still in the closet, one that is meticulously planned and fine tuned to the last detail. As the Brethren planned it to, the extortion scheme works to perfection. That is, until they hook the big fish; one that might even be too big for the Brethren. His name? Aaron Lake. In all the money, agents, and time the CIA spent observing Mr. Lake, they failed to discover that Mr. Lake was still in the closet. The book continues from there.
AT THIS POINT THERE ARE NO MORE SPOILERS
I would definitely recommend this book to anybody. It is a gripping tale that will keep you hooked from cover to cover. It is one of the best books I have read recently, and I now understand why John Grisham gets the recognition that he does. This book is incredible, and if you are looking for a fantastic read that will not let you go, this book is a great option.
Golden Line: "Every morning at 7:30 Klockner and his team met over coffee and pastries to plan the night and review the day. Wes and Chap were always there, and six or seven others joined them, depending on who was in town from Langley. The technicians from the front room sometimes sat in, though Klockner did not require their attendance. Now that Trevor was on their side, they needed fewer people to track him.
Or so they thought."
For what seems like forever, I have heard and read about what a great author John Grisham, and so when my brother was cleaning out his room and found "The Brethren" on his bookshelf, I decided to give it a shot. It was a fantastic decision on my part. The way that I would describe it without ruining any of the book would be by saying that it is kind of like the show Scandal.
This book takes place during the year leading up to the next US presidential election, and the CIA has been monitoring a Communist leader in Russia that has very quickly been ascending to power. Out of fear that the Russian leader will start World War III if he is stopped, the head of the CIA decides to take matters into his own hands. He has his agency observe and evaluate several congressmen with extreme scrutiny, to choose one that the CIA may support and get into the White House. They were looking for a perfect candidate, one that was intelligent, appealing, well spoken, and someone that was willing to double the United States' military budget to combat the Russian leader. Their selection, Aaron Lake, a Congressman from Arizona. Once Mr. Lake accepts the offer, the CIA works its contacts as only the CIA can, and almost instantly Aaron Lake becomes a household name, and a serious contender for the presidency.
At the same time as this is happening, three former judges are serving time in a Florida federal prison. They are very smart, very cunning, and very greedy. Within the prison, they are known as the Brethren, and they have too much spare time for their intellectual prowess. Thus, they decide to begin an extortion scheme, one which targets gay men who are still in the closet, one that is meticulously planned and fine tuned to the last detail. As the Brethren planned it to, the extortion scheme works to perfection. That is, until they hook the big fish; one that might even be too big for the Brethren. His name? Aaron Lake. In all the money, agents, and time the CIA spent observing Mr. Lake, they failed to discover that Mr. Lake was still in the closet. The book continues from there.
AT THIS POINT THERE ARE NO MORE SPOILERS
I would definitely recommend this book to anybody. It is a gripping tale that will keep you hooked from cover to cover. It is one of the best books I have read recently, and I now understand why John Grisham gets the recognition that he does. This book is incredible, and if you are looking for a fantastic read that will not let you go, this book is a great option.
Golden Line: "Every morning at 7:30 Klockner and his team met over coffee and pastries to plan the night and review the day. Wes and Chap were always there, and six or seven others joined them, depending on who was in town from Langley. The technicians from the front room sometimes sat in, though Klockner did not require their attendance. Now that Trevor was on their side, they needed fewer people to track him.
Or so they thought."