The Brethren

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Frank Muller

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Three disgraced judges plot a major scam from behind bars—with national consequences—in this “crackerjack tale” (Entertainment Weekly) from the master of the legal thriller.

They call themselves the Brethren: a trio of former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. 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 scheme—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.

Critic reviews

“Terrific storytelling from one of the masters of the game.”—USA Today

“Gripping . . . engaging . . . will hook you from the first page and won’t let you go.”—New York Post

“Fast-paced and action-packed . . . You’ll be thoroughly entertained.”—New Orleans Times-Picayune

“Deeply absorbing . . . All will be captivated by this clever thriller that presents as crisp a cast as he’s yet devised, and as grippingly sardonic yet bitingly moral a scenario as he’s ever imagined.”—Publishers Weekly

“With startlingly good writing and plotting, Grisham tells an entrancing tale.”—San Antonio Express-News

“Grisham does such a terrific job of inventing clever twists and devising a compelling momentum that readers can’t help but be intrigued.”—Chattanooga Free Press

“Skillfully written and plotted with an eye for logic as well as humor.”—Dallas Morning News

“Entertaining, satisfying . . . The plot is engaging and moves along at a brisk pace. The crisp, laconic prose produces an easy read. The characters are well drawn. The requisite morality issues are present. Grisham displays a gift for capturing contemporary feeling about the law, politics and society.”—Tulsa World

“An intricately plotted tale.”—The Atlanta Constitution

“An exciting read right up to the end.”—The Legal Intelligencer

Another winner!

Spent some time over coffee and shared smiles enjoying and listening to this book with my husband! We loved it!

Fantastic Escape

After listening to around 6 Grisham novels, I have yet to find one of his legal thrillers that I haven't enjoyed.

One reviewer complained about the narrater being breathy? I found the reader, Frank Muller to be top notch - I would seek him as a narrator again. He was dramatic in his reading and his characters were extremely distinct and consistent w/out being corny. They sounded like real characters.

The book is fairly typical for a Grisham book, which is fantastic. I guess what captures me is that someone is always finding a way to get rich and then hanging on the edge to find out if their scam will work or they will lose everything...

I love Grisham books and this was no exception to my rule.

The Brethren

As a previous listener stated the narrator drives you nuts! His criticism is so exact! The narraator's voice elevates and drops in a same monotone song...at every, single, sentence! He is terribly boring to listen to and I am sorry to add that this ruins Grisham's entire work. It is extreme-ly irritating. I'd purchased the book over 8 months ago and still cannot get myself to hear it all because of this fella's poor narration. Sorry. This is the first negative input I've ever given a Grisham collection.

Good story, too many book assembly issues

Typical well concocted story. Performance slightly marred by sound section assembly repetitions. Still, Grisham is unbeatable.

Enjoyable

As with every Grisham novel it was thrilling and riviting I enjoyed every minute I couldn’t stop listening