• The Broker

  • A Novel
  • By: John Grisham
  • Narrated by: Michael Beck
  • Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (5,314 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Broker  By  cover art

The Broker

By: John Grisham
Narrated by: Michael Beck
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $26.98

Buy for $26.98

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system.

Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive—there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?

©2004 Belfry Holdings, Inc (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Most and best of all, it’s Grisham living up to his reputation as a great storyteller.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A fast-paced, fun read with echoes of something deeper. The author’s command of pop fiction delivers crisp, sharp prose.”—The Boston Globe

“[Grisham] is exceptionally good at what he does. . . . Indeed, right now in this country, nobody does it better.”—The Washington Post

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 Broker

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,110
  • 4 Stars
    1,383
  • 3 Stars
    576
  • 2 Stars
    149
  • 1 Stars
    96
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,929
  • 4 Stars
    674
  • 3 Stars
    168
  • 2 Stars
    29
  • 1 Stars
    28
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,416
  • 4 Stars
    910
  • 3 Stars
    335
  • 2 Stars
    86
  • 1 Stars
    56

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Grisham wins a bet.

This is a stunningly bad book. Without Grisham's name it would never have been published. Like many readers I tend to shop for my favorite authors' works. Never again. I can almost believe Grisham made a bet with someone that he could get any drivel published, and wrote this to win the bet.

The most outrageous flaw in the book is the hours and hours of descriptions of Joel Backman (the Broker) learning Italian. It made no sense in the plot for him to even be required to do so. He never really needs to speak Italian, except to order espresso (which he wil do dozens of times, and each time you'll be treated to extensive English-Italian translations of the transaction). In his intro to Italian his tutor shows him the sights of Bologna, and yes, describes in detail every sight, right down to the number of steps in the tower. At first the travelogue is sort of interesting, but as hours go by and the plot (if ever there was one) is advanced, I found myself wishing I was reading, rather than listening, so I could flip forward a few pages and end the agony.

The basic premise of the plot makes no sense at all. Presumably the Broker is begin set up to be killed by some foreign agency. Depending on which one pulls it off, the CIA learns who owned a satellite system. But they're all gunning for him, and it's not a question of who wants him worst or for what reason, but who will get lucky. And, by the way, there's an excellent chance the CIA will not know which one was successful!

And speaking of that satellite system, Grisham should ask any high school science teacher how fast a satellite in a 300 mile orbit would be travelling. Trust me, it's a lot more than 120 mph. Tom Clancy can rest easy.

The characters are a mess. I didn't know whether to like Backman or hate him. In the end I didn't care. Some interesting characters pop up, like the Tin man, but once developed, they slip away, never to appear again.

Save yourself a few bucks. Don't buy this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

170 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Why all the bad reviews?

I am a Gresham fan and enjoy his style of writing. There is action, mystery, suspense and tense moments, all the elements of an enjoyable book. I was not looking for anything that was heavy, rather something that was intelligently entertaining. The broker won. I am glad I didn't read all the negative reviews first because I would have avoided this book. I enjoyed this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

77 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A nice travelogue!

This is a better travelogue than Frommer's guides. It is obvious that Grisham loves Italy as do I and it was nice to listen to his descriptions of Bologna and Milan. The story itself is fairly preposterous and not terribly satisfying in the telling. OK to listen to on a trip.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

50 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

GRISHAM IS GRISHAM

I just finished this audiobook, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Yes, the action stalls in Bologna--but that doesn't mean the end of suspense and anxiety for readers identifying with the flawed protagonist. All of Grisham's books are riffs on escape--whether it's from the bad guys, surveillance, the feds, or the corrupt, soul-destroying capitalist work world that traps us all. Given Grisham's obsession with this fantasy, it makes sense to set the character in Italy--with its "slow food," ancient rhythms and architecture, and comparative innocence in global terms. It is here that the character--once again like all Grisham's protagonists--relearns what's important, reinvents his life, and gains redemption. I found it believable and strangely powerful--and, of course, it's almost impossible to stop listening toward the end. This book is definitely different in many ways from his previous books, but it works somehow. I'd get it again in a heartbeat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

45 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Hits The Ground Running

I usually love Grisham's books. Well-conceived characters, with their history, development, sympathies and conflicts creating unusual tension and suspense. However this novel skips the initial backstories and thus loses the fuel to keep it all going. Who is this Joel Backman? And why should we care about him? How did he develop his MO and why exactly did he plead guilty and to what? It's all too vague and Grisham misses an opportunity for the real story. Instead, Grisham hits the reader in a spatter pattern of about a dozen characters each of whose story is hard to put together. I almost gave up but about midway through the book there emerges a secret-squirrel type story that gets interesting and to Grisham's credit, there is great theater and sense of place - all of which kept me going until the end. However, I agree with the author's end-of-story disclaimer and I prefer his psychological exploration of courtroom drama to this latest foray into the espionage thriller.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Not Grisham's Best

I have read every John Grisham book, and this was my least favorite. It lacked the suspense, engaging plot, and interesting character development that made this author famous. This book reads more like a travel guide for Italy, complete with descriptions of restaurant menus, and lessons on how to speak Italian.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A good story with a hero you'd prefer not to like

A good story since it is fairly unique in its setup and execution. The challenges, crimes, and retributions in this story are more indirect and obscure than in your typical crime or espionage book. You really have to think to understand why all the characters are trying to get even and why the "hero" is in the middle of it all. Along the way, we get exposed to Italy and Bologna, in a way you wouldn't normally experience it in an espionage novel. I found myself wishing for pasta and wine every night I was reading this book. If you enjoy subtlety rather than being hit by a 2x4 in a spy book, you'll probably enjoy this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Still waiting for some excitment

I usually love anything Grisham, but I must say what was he thinking with this bomb. I was waiting for something exciting to happen but I was left waiting and waiting. I thought I was listening to a translation audio book. Every word in Italian was translated to English. I hate to say this but this was the worst book I have ever heard or read. I should have listened to the reviews, but to be honest I would have purchased it anyway because of the fact that I am a Grisham fan.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

I love John Grisham and Michael Beck....

To me Michael Beck is the voice of Grisham books, none better. For this book thats as far as I can go. What was the plot? What did he do? What was he arrested for? After all that the end fizzled. I am bummed. John what happened here?? Please don't let your word processor break down, write a new book that I can love as I did all the rest of them... unlike this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Italian Travelogue

I?m sorry I wasted a monthly selection on this book. If I wanted to learn Italian or I wanted a Travelogue of Italy I would have downloaded Italy for Dummies....

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful