• The Racketeer

  • By: John Grisham
  • Narrated by: JD Jackson
  • Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (10,819 ratings)

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The Racketeer  By  cover art

The Racketeer

By: John Grisham
Narrated by: JD Jackson
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Publisher's summary

Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered.

Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.

Who is the Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.

On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The judge’s body was found in his remote lakeside cabin. There was no forced entry, no struggle, just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.

What was in the safe? The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday....

Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever new novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.

©2012 Belfry Holdings, Inc. (P)2012 Random House Audio

Featured Article: The Essential John Grisham in Audio


John Grisham is best known for his fast-paced legal thrillers and mysteries, many of which have been adapted for television and film. Because he’s so prolific and has been writing for decades, it can be difficult to know where to begin when selecting a title from his impressive back catalog. And Grisham is definitely a jack-of-all-trades: he’s written not only legal thrillers, but nonfiction, a series for kids, some humorous novels, and recently, a new mystery series outside of the legal thriller genre. To help you decide which Grisham gem to download next, we’ve compiled a list of the very best.

What listeners say about The Racketeer

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    5,615
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    3,353
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining and an excellent read

What made the experience of listening to The Racketeer the most enjoyable?

Great story line.

What other book might you compare The Racketeer to and why?

All of Grishams books are excellent. David Baldacci's Camel Club stories are right up there.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Better towards the end

Took me a while to get into the story, and felt sorry for the eventual villain.
Good narrator and story if you don’t anything better.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed it!

What did you love best about The Racketeer?

Grisham always has a good story with some unexpected twists.

Which character – as performed by J.D. Jackson – was your favorite?

Malcom/Max

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no laughter or tears - just a really good listen - a little tedious at times but typical Grisham

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Wait for the author's comments

Would you consider the audio edition of The Racketeer to be better than the print version?

Audio better than print? No, depends on your mood

What other book might you compare The Racketeer to and why?

I thought of Grisham's The Litagator--serious subject but handled deftly and with some humor..

Any additional comments?

I finished this listen with some reservatiosn--until I heard Grisham's own closing remarks. They set things straight-- and I set my doubts aside..

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Clever fiction

The book starts in a tedious way as the story is knit together. If you stay with it, the payoff is a very clever tale.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another bombshell

Fantastic story and a great ending! A great way to treat a lawyer story from a different perspective.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Will keep you intrigued

good story line, easy to listen to, nice twist at the end. definitely a good choice

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great storyline!

I loved this book. Loved narrator's voice and inflections. A great plot with an ending I didn't expect.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story!!

I literally couldn't stop listening to this book. I was sure I had the twists in the plot figured out several times, and I was surprised every time. More than likely a repeat listen for me in the near future.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

loved it great storytelling

Wow very unexpexted. Great story had the FBI running and guessing. it all worked out.

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