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  • The Racketeer

  • By: John Grisham
  • Narrated by: JD Jackson
  • Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (10,952 ratings)

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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
  • 5 Stars
    5,714
  • 4 Stars
    3,372
  • 3 Stars
    1,291
  • 2 Stars
    359
  • 1 Stars
    216
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    5,881
  • 4 Stars
    2,597
  • 3 Stars
    756
  • 2 Stars
    201
  • 1 Stars
    130
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,036
  • 4 Stars
    2,723
  • 3 Stars
    1,213
  • 2 Stars
    356
  • 1 Stars
    212

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story, boring reader

Delivery was painstakingly slow, unexciting, and monotonous. It was difficult to stick with it, I nearly gave up several times; it was truly one of those sunk cost scenarios.

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

Glad I listened

I haven't read/listened to a Grisham novel is a while and I'm glad I did. Good story that kept me guessing, very good character development and satisfying conclusion. J.D. Jackson nailed the performance.

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

A sloppy Grisham Thriller...

Would you try another book from John Grisham and/or J.D. Jackson?

Of course -- I ALWAYS buy Grisham's books...

What could John Grisham have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He could have had his book edited by a competent editor...

It STILL drives me NUTS that the MATH didn't work out with the selling of the gold bars -- either he sold 100 for $122,000 or 50 for half that...

NOT 50 for $122,000 TOTAL at $1,220 an ounce...

This was brought up again at the END of the book -- and the SAME mistake was made...

I cannot OVERLOOK errors like this and I've STOPPED reading other author's books for MUCH less...

Come on Grisham -- Don't put out SLOPPY work anymore...

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

Grisham is Back!

So glad I downloaded this. I just couldn't put it down once I got started. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there were twists and turns that made it so well worth the listen. The last few Grisham's were good just not great. The Racketeer is great!! J.D. Jackson will be on my favorite reader list - he did a superb job.

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

Okay story....slow in the middle....okay ending

It's still Grisham, so the writing is very good, but the story lacked action or suspense.
There was a long slow middle that really didn't seem to have a lot to do with the story.
Then when we get answers, they seem to hurry though them.
Would not recommend to read, but okay to listen to.

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

Ok- not my favorite

Would you listen to The Racketeer again? Why?

No- story slow at times

If you’ve listened to books by John Grisham before, how does this one compare?

Yes- not my favorite

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

Easy to understand

Any additional comments?

Picked up at the end- but wish I'd listened more carefully at the beginning

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

Very enjoyable

Would you listen to The Racketeer again? Why?

I've already listened to "The Racketeer" twice. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to listen again and catch all the subtle hints that were dropped early in the novel.

What did you like best about this story?

"The Racketeer" reminded me very much of Grisham's early works that I enjoyed so much. The characters were very likable, even if they were a bit shady.

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

J.D. Jackson receives 10 stars for his narration.

J.D. Jackson was awesome. The first half of the book gets 2 stars, the 2nd half gets 4. Jackson makes it worth it though!

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

Excellent book. Lots of twists and turns!

Very happy with the book, many unexpected plot twists, and a very imaginative story line!!

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

Fun fiction

Great imagination and fun in this read. Easy to stick with and it even has a satisfying ending. This was a nice escape.

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