I always read Grisham for pure entertainment. I found none in this particular novel. There was no mystery, no suspense to keep you turning the pages. Everything happened at the beginning and the only question was when would the boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer in the opening chapter finally talk to the feds. Because nobody in their right mind would be inclined to believe that the author will have the boy killed by "the bad guys".
A propos,the boy. He was an 11-year old acting like a cold-blooded adult all the time, except for a few occasions when he felt a bit insecure. This character was totally unconvincing. Grisham must have known this all along, for he let him burst into tears every now and then to compensate for his grown-up ways and kept throwing in sentences like "Mark is so mature for his age, you would not believe it". And I did not. Next to him, his mother looked like an incompetent weakling. His 50+ years old lawyer let him control the situation and did as she was told. Yeah, right...
The booked looked promising at first, but did not impress me at all. Weak storyline, stereotyped characters, no thrill. Would not recommend it to anyone.

Un senador asesinado por la mafia. Un niño de 11 años que, junto a su hermano, presencian el suicidio de un abogado. Desafortunadamente, el niño recibe cierta información que el FBI quiere que revele a toda costa y el asesino y su círculo quieren todo lo contrario. Todo ocurre entre Memphis y Nueva Orleans.
Este libro es de los primeros de Grisham y, aunque no es de los que más me han gustado porque hay partes que se me han hecho reiterativas y algo tediosas, me ha parecido entretenido. Mafia, abogados, FBI y un niño de 11 años que, junto a su abogada Reggie (que me gustó desde el minuto uno) toma decisiones que hasta se hacen inverosímiles. Un niño muy valiente, criado en la calle y con una agilidad mental fuera de su edad que necesita, a toda costa, salvar a su familia y a sí mismo.

I read this before the move was made. This the perfect example of how very much American laws & justices system is so different from British law special with children.
This an excellent crime court room drama that only Grisham could write as he was trained court lawyer which is needed to get the facts dead right. After all you need how to crack eggs to make an omelette you would not expect a bricklayer to try to make a swimming pool on upstairs flat.
This like all his books twists & turns like top in hands of a master spinner.

An intriguing, fast-paced, legal thriller involving an 11-year old kid named Mark and his sudden overturn of his little life. He comes to know a big secret from a dying man and gets sandwiched between the Mafia and the FBI.

It's certainly a page turner, but I felt it could have been 100-150 pages shorter. A lot of repetitions about what Mark can and has to do. Too many characters and although there's not much depth into any of the characters, it certainly increases the page count. But the audiobook was narrated really well (by John MacDonald) and got me through the book in around 5 hours. I liked the crisp writing and use of uncomplicated words.

This didn't "wow" me, But I hope my next John Grisham read will be better.

3.25/5.

Grisham is a solid pick for fluff reads and that's what this one is for sure. It takes some major suspension of disbelief to enjoy, and that need grows the further you get in the book. It has a lot of problems if you think about it. But I don't read Grisham for deep thoughts or reality. I read him for fluff. Plus, I saw this movie years ago so had some vague memories of how it went. I'm interested in watching it again to see how it holds up.

Some possible triggers: swearing, violence (domestic, against children, mob/mafia, murder, attempted murders), bullying, a violent suicide right off the bat. Smoking by children.

Really liked this as a teenager. Grisham was an evangelist who promoted American idealism to the rest of the world. Grisham was my favorite American writer before I discovered PKD, Bukowski, Willeford and Crews. Now I am like that elitist blowhard third world consumer of American art who shits on the new third world entrants that start their ascent/descent into American novels with Grisham. The truth is that John Grisham entertained the hell out of me as a teenager. Will I ever be seen in public with a Grisham novel again? Nobody cares anymore. Everyone's watching Netflix and podcasts. Book reading is now like golf or something.

"The Client" is an immensely engaging legal thriller with a gripping and realistic plot. While I loved the plot and found it thought-provoking, one plot hole stood out:  why didn’t the mafia react immediately and kill the child instead of giving him a warning?  This seemed rather convenient for the story. Despite this, the book is filled with suspense and ethical dilemmas, making it overall a good read.

I rather enjoyed this novel as I work my way through the box of John Grisham books from the garage sale (about 1/3 through!). The only thing that irked me in this novel was the unrealistically high level of maturity in 7 year-old character Mark Sway. That aside, The Client is the usual page-turner you expect from Grisham. Very entertaining.

Decent story, revolving around two brothers who witness a suicide of a lawyer. The man knows where a body is buried, from a mob hit.

The richness here is the relationship of an adolescent boy with the mature lady lawyer he's hired.

Per atsitiktinumą atsidūręs savižudžio advokato Klifordo automobilyje, Markas sužino kraupią ir pavojingą paslaptį: kur užkastas labiausiai šiuo metu JAV teisėsaugos ieškomas negyvėlis, mafiozų auka tapęs senatorius Bojetas. Advokatui pasitraukus iš gyvenimo, didžiąją paslaptį težino du žmonės pasaulyje – patsai žudikas ir mažametis berniukas... Sunkiai sunkiai su šia knyga susidraugavau,bet antroji knygos pusė patiko labiau nei pati pradžia.
3,5 ⭐

A thoroughly enjoyable fast moving legal thriller !

8/10!! A really good story that kept me reading but not super thrilling. Loved a lot of the characters Mark, Reggie & Harry especially! Grisham really knows how to tell a good story.