The Brethren

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

They call themselves the Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison.

One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. And the third, for a career-ending drunken joyride.

Meeting daily in the prison law library, taking exercise walks in their boxer shorts, these judges-turned-felons can reminisce about old court cases, dispense a little jailhouse justice, and contemplate where their lives went wrong.

Or they can use their time in prison to get very rich --very fast. And so they sit, sprawled in the prison library, furiously writing letters, fine-tuning a wickedly brilliant extortion scam ... while events outside their prison walls begin to erupt.

A bizarre presidential election is holding the nation in its grips--and a powerful government figure is pulling some very hidden strings. For the Brethren, the timing couldn't be better. Because they've just found the perfect victim...

Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM, coming soon!

©2000 Belfrey Holdings, Inc. (P)2000 Random House, Inc.

funny and full

Frank Muller sells this very well. bless his soul. if a popular hack like Scott Brick had read this it would have sounded dull,fake and affected. how is it that in a few short years there are so many dreadful and ponderous school marks loosed onto the pages of audible? can't they tell the difference between a real actor like Muller or Stacey Keach or Frank labella and this host of popular frauds that now haunt so many of these recordings?

Grisham shines at the top of his game in this one, a very engaging text with a very real and complex understanding of how government actually works. wonderful characters.

please audible. find good actors with genuine talent to narrate these things. god how I miss Frank Muller...

Great Story, Ending Didn't Live Up to Expectations

The story had me hooked from the start. Loved the twists and turns. But then, so many unanswered questions. How did things unfold for Buster?..I thought Trevor's character would've developed differently, or did it? Surely the brethren were eventually repaid appropriately for all their grand deeds?
....The money?....Oh well🤷🏽‍♀️
Other that, I was very impressed and entertained. Wonderful Narration!

Another awesome Grisham

Just when you think you’ve read your favorite Grisham the next one takes its place.

Grisham seldom disappoints.

It's Full of intrigue ,fast moving and excellent narration. Fun characters and not .dull moment.

Took a while to get interested

Would you try another book from John Grisham and/or Frank Muller?

Yes I would. Frank Muller does an excellent reading and John Grisham is a good writer. I have read a few of Grishams other books and some are better, some are worse than this.

What does Frank Muller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Frank Muller comes across as an excellent character. I like his voice a lot and he doesn't get to theatrical.

Was The Brethren worth the listening time?

Yes, I am glad that I took the time for this book. However, it took a very long time to really catch my attention. Throughout the first half of the book I kept considering giving up because it was not grabbing me, making me think, or keeping me guessing. It drug on for a very long time, but in the end I did enjoy the direction the plot took. It just took a very long time to get there.

Great story line

Unfortunately the narrator kept repeating sentences at the end of about 5 chapters but the story was great. Thank you

Great performance

A great story and performance, but I anticipated a much more climactic ending. Overall a very enjoyable listen!

Annoying performance

The story was great. Good plot, some humor. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it. It took me over half of the book to get used to the narrator. His every sentence sounded like it was a revelation. Like a magician or carney that has an amazing show for you. Believe me - not every sentence is that earth-shattering.

This'll work!

Very cool story. Grisham interwove two seemingly disjointed tales into each other gracefully. There wasn't much of a "mystery" involved as the reader can easily guess where the story is going. That fact, however, doesn't take anything away from the sheer brilliance of Grisham's storytelling effort here.

Grisham broke out of the cookie cutter mold with this novel. There is no "good guy". Every character has a different angle and motivation but they're all crooks. It's great fun! The narration is fantastic.

Give it a whirl.

Very dated, unfortunately

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I expect John Grisham would change it, too, now. A huge part of the plot is a scam to trap and extort gay men, and everyone in the book treats this as though it is the most horrific, dirty, unacceptable secret ever. Just seems both dated and impossibly silly in this day and age, when being gay is not such a big deal. But at times it came off as really homophobic.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Actually I'm not there yet.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Frank Muller?

No, I'm going to try to avoid him -- he's very breathy, trailing off into an ominous whisper even on very ordinary sentences.

Pretty good job doing a variety of voices, so if you don't mind a little overdramatic breathy whispering, he might not bug you.