So in the beginning of the story their is these two boys that are brothers and this take place around the 1960's and these two brothers ricky and mark are smokers that are bad boys. so one day they decide to go in the forest and later seems to find something that they couldnt believe . Finds out that once they stumble upon the woods they see a man trying to kill him self. as the look to see who it is the man that is trying to kill him self see them and catches one of the brothers and stick him in the car with him so that he doesn't die alone. therefore thru out the suicide he manages to escape with the man killing him self and the brothers free. until years later the case that they once were in are now possibly responsible for the death. Therefore called the client and see what really happens. do the boys get in trouble or do they get set free?

this book is not for me.

This book has enough flaws and loopholes for it to not work for me. But somehow, put together, it was mildly entertaining.

The Client by John Grisham follows 11-year-old Mark Sway who happens upon the lawyer of a Mafia mobster, minutes before the lawyer is about to commit suicide. The lawyer knows some crucial information about who in the Mafia killed Senator Boyd Boyette and where the body is. He, well, unloads his secrets on this little kid in the few delusionary minutes before dying. The FBI wants Mark Sway to give up the information, and the Mafia want Mark Sway dead. And now, I quote from the blurb at the back of the book:

Only one woman lawyer can save [Mark and his family] from these twin threats. Together with Mark, she must take on the might of the State and the wiles of a cold-blooded killer.

Let’s look at the characters first. The “only one woman lawyer” bit made my eyes roll back into my head. Somehow, neither was the fact that she is a woman crucial to the story nor was the fact that she is a lawyer. She was not astute enough to be a lawyer and missed crucial things that even non-lawyers wouldn’t miss. Unlike her opponents, we don’t see her research law and precedence at all, even when there are obvious openings to save her case. She was not proactive.

Another thing that ticked me off was sentences of this sort:

(About Reggie’s secretary, Clint, Mark thinks)

He was her secretary. Reggie was a she. The secretary was a he.

(About Reggie’s neat office that has burgundy chairs, wallpaper in floral shades of rose and pink, and no leather)

This, without a doubt, was the office of a woman. A very near woman.

This was clearly written by a man, in the 90s. These are not surprising things: lots of people prefer floral wallpaper. And this can't be her only ‘character quirk’. There has to be something more of substance to her, and it wasn’t there. None of her experiences as a woman translated to her work or her character. Her traumas were just there to make her appear less one-dimensional, not really for character development.

Mark Sway was definitely the highlight of the book. He is quick-witted and sure-footed, and very sharp for an 11-year-old. Most of the good ideas come from him. His relationship with his mother was one of equals, which I liked.

The Mafia guy, Barry “the Blade” Muldanno is, well, not scary. He is the weakest link in his Mafia ring, and so wasn’t exactly the threat I was expecting. I got bored every time the story switched to his point of view.

Now, for the plot and pacing. We find out where the body of Boyd Boyette is in the first 10 pages. Then there are about 200 pages of repetition of the same information from multiple characters. New information only appears on page 327, which again falls flat in the end.

This was the style of legal thrillers in the 90s, and it’s the perfect format to turn into a 2-hour movie (which they did). Had the book been written today, it would have been a fourth of its size and there would be a more careful reveal of crucial plot points.

Overall, though, it kept my attention. It was entertaining in a “brainless Hollywood movie with lots of cars and police and Mafia” sort of a way. It is also a light read. This may not be the best legal thriller I have read but it’s not the worst either.

The beginning of Grisham's "The Client" is very plausible and exciting. He creates a horrifying, nightmarish scenario of violence and desperation for one precocious 11 year old boy and his brother. But can a precocious 11 year old have the maturity of a fearless seasoned man? Apparently this one goes on to, and that's where the story losses points for me. I think I would have made the kid at least 15 years old.
It also feels like this may have been written with the idea of an eventual movie deal. And unfortunately that was the early '90s where films were over produced and the stories created were maybe over dramatized, exaggerated or splashed with a little too much hyperbole.
3.4 stars

Another thrilling ride from Grisham. I had a hard time putting this book down. The story just became more wild as it progressed!

Old Grisham = Best Grisham.

Another Candy read…my brain is getting cavities

اخرج الصبي دولارا من جيبه {الان انت عميلي و انا محاميتك }..هكذا نتعرف على مارك الذي قرر ان يتذاكى و تدخل في انتحار صغير لطيف

ليتعرف على سر من الطراز الذي يودى بحامله الى داهية مؤكدة
جون جريشام عبقري الروايات القانونية الأمريكية المثيرة..{مبدع وقت للقتل و الشركة } يقتحم عالم المافيا بعروضهم اياها التي لا يمكن رفضها ابدا