The Firm

Notes

The Firm by John Grisham was his second book. It saw his move from the minor league to become a blockbusting author.

When Grisham sent a draft to his agent, the enterprising promoter made some copies and peddled them around Hollywood.  Paramount bought the rights for $600,000, which fuelled a book deal.

The Firm went on to be the biggest seller of 1991.

Whilst a romp of a read, I’m not convinced it is any better than his first book, A Time to Kill, which flopped. It all shows the power of promotion, and maybe a little luck.

Publisher’s Synopsis

When Mitch McDeere qualified third in his class at Harvard, offers poured in from every law firm in America. Bendini, Lambert and Locke were a small, well-respected firm, but their offer exceeded Mitch’s wildest expectations: a fantastic salary, a new home, and the keys to a brand new BMW.

Except for the mysterious deaths of previous lawyers with the firm. And the FBI investigations. And the secret files.

Mitch soon realises that he’s working for the Mafia’s law firm, and there’s no way out – because you don’t want this company’s severance package.

To survive, he’ll have to play both sides against each other – and navigate a vast criminal conspiracy that goes higher than he ever imagined…

Read a full review of The Firm by John Grisham at A Writer’s Notebook