The Broker

February 20, 2008 in Suspense, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: John Grisham

Genre: Suspense

Subject: Espionage and Intrigue

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

Summary:

Joel Backman is a notorious former lobbyist, now in prison for crimes that are not fully revealed until much later in the book. Whatever he did has caused Russia, China, Israel, and Saudi Arabia to want him dead. Backman is unexpectedly pardoned after the CIA director visits an outgoing president and exerts tremendous pressure (and a few million dollars). The CIA’s plan is to hide Backman in another country, get him comfortable, then leak his location to the Russians, Chinese, Saudis, and Israelis. The idea is to find out which of the four will kill Backman, which will answer a host of questions Backman did not answer before going to prison.

Backman is quietly transported to Italy, where he is provided with a new identity, an Italian language tutor, a guide, and a living allowance. He is not allowed to contact anyone from his past. Realizing that the CIA must have some ulterior motive for getting him out of prison, Backman makes his own plans, secretly contacting his son and some of his old associates, most of whom narrowly escaped prison themselves, and who are not particularly happy to hear from him.

Backstory: Three hackers in India discovered a way to access and control a satellite system that China had secretly put into orbit. They hijacked the satellites, writing new programs to control them, then set out to sell the system to the highest bidder.

My Thoughts:

The Broker is a fun ride, not just because of the usual cloak and dagger stuff inherent this this type of novel, but also because of the scenery. Having spent time in Europe, I found the descriptions of life in Italian cities absolutely delightful.