The Racketeer

The New York Times In its early stages [The Racketeer] does follow the familiar Grisham template, in which a lawyer finds himself unexpectedly in legal trouble. But then it breaks out into the exhilarating tale of how Mal, a disbarred attorney, now a savvy, self-taught legal scholar, leads his pursuers on a long, winding chase…this is not a story about a triumph or a miscarriage of courtroom justice. It's the more devious, surprising story of a smart man who gets even smarter once he spends five years honing his skills as a jailhouse lawyer—and then expertly concocts an ingenious revenge scheme…Mr. Grisham writes with rekindled vigor here. Perhaps that's because he hasn't mired this book in excessive research…He has simply…gone back to what he does best, storytelling rather than crusading. —Janet Maslin Show Less