The Racketeer

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: JD Jackson

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

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

The Racketeer

Any additional comments?

The last 1/3 seemed to be cramming a bunch of plot into too few pages/scenes. The author tied up loose ends and seeing the end of the book in sight, raced to the finish. Secondly, if you're a writer, you may question the current mantra regarding POV, point of view. There are opinions of editors/writers/publishers/agents etc., that a writer should pick one and and stick to it, no exceptions. This author does pretty much as he pleases with regard to POV. John Grisham doesn't need to follow writing rules because, well ... because he's John Grisham. There are those, like Steven King, who say 'story trumps all' ...ergo, trumps writing rules? Yeah, I think so. The story of the Racketeer is okay, creative. There are plot twists near the end as you would expect from Grisham. It's not as good as his early works, so don't expect it to be.

John Grisham is never disappointing.

Where does The Racketeer rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is the best one so far.

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

Creole Belle also deals with crime and drama.

Which scene was your favorite?

finding out Quinn is in on the deal.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

finding out that Nathaniel Cooley was the thief and would probably be killed in jail

Best Book ever

this was great book it kept me engaged foe the whole read. I could not stop listening John Grisham is the bomb.

The Grisham We Love

This is a fun ride. Law involved but not really the point of the book which makes the plot twists and turns more like Baldacci or Connelly. The story grabs you and even though you know what you are being told isn't the whole story, it was not really a slam dunk deduction to the conclusion. The characters are well developed and act as you would expect them to in the roles they play in the overall plot. Another enjoyable read by a reliable author!

Loved this book. Great twist!!

As always, Grisham delivers a great story with interesting characters and intriguing plot twists.

This was classic Grisham! I enjoyed every word.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Perfect book for audible listeners.

Have you listened to any of J.D. Jackson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

J.D . Jackson was superb.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It all led up to the incredible hoax.

Great read

Lots of twists and turns, keeps your interest right to the end. Love this author!

Enjoyable

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

No, I believe reading the book would have been better. Although Mr. Jackson did a fine job, I wish they had more than one narrator.

Would you recommend The Racketeer to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, I've read all of John Grisham's Novels. This particular one isn't my favorite, but it did keep me going. At times, I believe the story was a little unbelievable, but it is fiction. If you like John Grisham, you will not be disappointed.

What three words best describe J.D. Jackson’s performance?

Clear, smooth, monotonous.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Unbroken

Another High Quality Grisham Novel

The narration in this book is some of the best I've heard. The story was full of intrigue and kept me guessing. Very well thought-out.

No research required...

Would you listen to The Racketeer again? Why?

No. It is very rare that I would listen to a book more than once. The Racketeer did not reach that "very rare" level for me.

Would you be willing to try another book from John Grisham? Why or why not?

I have listened to most of John Grisham's books. I look forward to any new John Grisham book.

What about J.D. Jackson’s performance did you like?

J.D. has the ability to perform in such a way that you are not distracted by the performance but totally caught up in the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It did not quite reach that level for me.

Any additional comments?

In the epilog John Grisham admitted that The Racketeer was not based on any real live situation and required "little or no research." This showed through and distracted from the story like: How much gold could you really carry in the truck of your car? Could the feds get a murderer out of a Jamaica prison?

This one was good but I would say that it was a "middle of the road" John Grisham novel.