The Client

by John Grisham

1994

Status

Checked out

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Mystery

Collection

Standard Shelves

Publication

Dell Island Books (1994), Edition: 1st Edition., 566 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER �?� In a weedy lot on the outskirts of Memphis, two boys watch a shiny Lincoln pull up to the curb.... Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his younger brother were sharing a forbidden cigarette when a chance encounter with a suicidal lawyer left Mark knowing a bloody and explosive secret: the whereabouts of the most sought-after dead body in America. Now Mark is caught between a legal system gone mad and a mob killer desperate to cover up his crime. And his only ally is a woman named Reggie Love, who has been a lawyer for all of four years. Prosecutors are willing to break all the rules to make Mark talk. The mob will stop at nothing to keep him quiet. And Reggie will do anything to protect her client�??even take a last, desperate gamble that could win Mark his freedom... or cost them both their … (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member jguidry

I enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. I was expecting an average courtroom drama. I was not expecting a character like Mark Sway. I enjoyed watching his character develop and he had me laughing from almost the beginning of the story. He suffered a lot throughout and made a lot of twists

and turns but he never lost his sense of humor and his wits. My favorite part was when he was left in juvenile detention with a phone. Not exactly how the police were expecting him to use his phone time.

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LibraryThing member sara2190

One of the main characters in this book is Mark Sway, a little ten-year-old boy. He has strong will, you can tell this because he keeps on going through all of this turmoil. He also seems to be really smart, and he speaks like someone who's a lot older than ten-years-old.

Another main character is

Roy Foltrigg. He is the district attorney in the story. He has a really big ego, and it seems like he's lazy. He always has a team of lawyers who do everything for him, while he takes all of the credit. He seems like a typical man of politics.

I feel that I didn't really learn too much from this book. But what I did learn is how much witnessing a crime or knowing about a crime can affect your life. I never knew what kind of power that the mob can have over people's lives. It was interesting to learn this.

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LibraryThing member kellyoliva

I read this book several years ago, but it left a definite impression on me and convinced me that Grisham is a powerful writer. The story follows an adolescent boy who is privy to the secrets of a murder, and enlists the help of a middle-aged female attorney to help him protect himself from the

killers. The two become a determined team who have to evade both a sneaky police detective and a group of men who never want the murder's details unveiled. This is a stunning read. The movie doesn't suck, either.

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LibraryThing member knieryk2008

There has only been one book that kept me from going to work and "The Client" is that book. I started it one evening and could not put it down. I read all night long and into the next day until I finished it.

LibraryThing member abbylibrarian

A US Senator has been murdered and 11-year-old Mark Sway is the only one who might know where the body is. Threatened by the New Orleans Mafia and frightened for his family, Mark stumbles into the office of lawyer Reggie Love and hires her. The FBI wants to subpoena him, the Mafia is threatening,

and Mark's family can't be moved because his younger brother is in the hospital. This detailed legal thriller had me turning the pages because of its non-stop action and unforgettable characters. Highly recommended for beach reads or airplanes.

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LibraryThing member peeweeke

An eleven-year-old boy has discovered a secret that not even an adult should know.
A US State Senator is dead, and Mark Sway is the only one who knows where the body is hidden. The FBI want him to tell them where it is at whatever cost to Mark and his family. The killer wants him silenced forever.

Reggie Love has been practising law for less than five years. She is the only lawyer that can save him from these twin threats. Together with Mark she must take on the might of the State and the wiles of a cold-blooded killer.

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LibraryThing member mazda502001

A good gripping read - really enjoyed this book.

Back Cover Blurb:
A US state senator is dead, and a young boy is told the name of the killer - a mafia hitman, Danny 'The Blade' Muldano - by Muldano's lawyer. After the lawyer's suicide, Muldano and the boy are the only people who know the killer's

identity.

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LibraryThing member babaruda

I like Grisham's stories and read this book with pleasure. I know this book in my native language, but is very interesting experience for me read this story in English. The book is very useful for students- at the end of the book you can find Activities, where you can check your knowledge about the

content of the book and English words.

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LibraryThing member tetchechury

Decent Grisham book. He never writes anything bad. But this one was more miss then hit for me.

LibraryThing member melydia

Stories about children getting wrapped up in adult affairs aren't usually my plot type of choice, but this one was good. 11-year-old Mark Sway witnesses the suicide of a mafia lawyer, who reveals a very important secret to him before dying. The rest of the book is about Mark's attempts to stay safe

while everyone - the FBI, the police in New Orleans and Memphis, the mafia - is after him. Surprisingly suspenseful and touching.

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LibraryThing member MickTheChick

I just finished this book recently. I saw the movie first and I liked it - in fact, I liked many movies that were based on John Grisham novels, so I decided to read this one. The movie and the book were different, of course, but I liked the movie better. Maybe that's because I saw it first. Either

way, this was a good book - the plot was unique and conflicts were complex enough. I like how Grisham was an omniscient narrator; the reader gets a glimpse of every character's thoughts. There were some parts that seemed to drag on in the book, though. Too much description, not enough dialogue. Then, as much as the book may have dragged on, the ending seemed very rushed. AND, I don't like that Mark didn't even end up saying a proper goodbye to Reggie.

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LibraryThing member jepeters333

11-year-old Mark witnesses a suicide, but first the victim tells him where the body is buried.

LibraryThing member Anagarika-Sean

This book was average. Mr. Grisham has done better.

LibraryThing member Jarratt

I enjoyed “The Client.” I thought the characters were very well done, but I must say I thought 11-year-old Mark Sway was a little too street-smart for his age. The, “I saw it in a movie” line is used repeatedly to explain this, but I still don’t buy it. I was also a little disappointed

that some loose ends weren’t tied up at the end with an epilogue. Grisham’s a good writer and weaves pretty good stories.

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LibraryThing member tallyprosence

John Grisham's "The Client" is catchy, fast paced yet intriguing, and just one of those books that I couldn't put down. Each character has such a unique and interesting story, and by the time your finished with it, you feel like you know each of them! I am a huge fan of John Grisham, and this is

one of my favorites and a must read for people who are Grisham fan's.

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LibraryThing member bookwormwilly

John Grisham's "The Client" is a classic that will be read for a very long time. It was written very well with a lot of detail and kept me on the edge of my seat.

LibraryThing member polo9

Great plot. great character, very funny, very clever. G at his best.

LibraryThing member peptastic

I really liked this book as a kid. All I recall from it now is that he liked sprite and the scene where Reggie's mom fed him lasagna.The plot was entertaining to me at the time and I found the idea of the witness protection plan interesting.

LibraryThing member timk01

Thought I should read a John Grisham, maybe this wasnt the best to start with but after 150 pages the plot was confused and dragging the characters unbelievable, but the premise of the plot was interesting but I couldnt bear to keep reading.

LibraryThing member herebedragons

Good legal thriller.

LibraryThing member CaptKirk

This one was one of my favorite Grisham books!! I read it before I saw the movie, and I'm glad for that. The book definitely made the movie come to life for me. I also thought the characters in the movie were very true to the book characters, and I couldn't have done a better job of casting the

characters myself! Susan Serandon was outstanding in the movie version.

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LibraryThing member kitty5249

Enjoyed it!

LibraryThing member LaneySmith

I enjoy John Grisham's work. I lived in Walls, MS by Hernando and it was an added bonus to be able to see the courthouse from the movie. This book pulls you in and is even better than the movie, naturally!

LibraryThing member dbsovereign

Three stars for the suspense that is pretty much Grisham's main forte overall. The characters in this book are over the top (especially the kid) and the story is bit of a stretch.

LibraryThing member sjjohnson

John Grisham's The Client tells the story of Mark Sway, whose youthful curiosity leads him to witness the suicide of a Mafia lawyer. Before committing suicide, the Mafia lawyer discloses the location of the body of a high profile murder victim, forcing Sway into a tug of war between disclosing this

information to law enforcement and ensuring the protection and safety of his family from Mafia violence.

Grisham has mastered the art of the "page turner," but once in the last fourth of the book I wondered how many more pages of nonsensical narrative I would have to turn. The Client is an enjoyable read, served best with an iced drink and a day off from work, but the primary conflict of the story could be quickly resolved if just one of the characters (namely, Mark, Reggie, and Dianne) makes a common sense decision. There are many opportunities to make wise choices and each are approached with implausible foolishness.

Mark Sway is a wonderfully developed multidimensional character, whose emotional complexity, sense of humor, and loyalty to family are admirable and relatable. Grisham so accurately portrays the tension between precocious maturity and juvenile folly found in pre-adolescent, older sons with abusive fathers and victimized mothers that it makes ones wonder about the events of Grisham's own life. The remaining characters fall a bit flat, including Reggie, who seems to fit the stereotype of the bleeding heart, sensitive liberal trying to protect an innocent boy from the hands of the evil Republican government, and Judge Harry Roosevelt, the judicial rebel with a pretty obvious cause, who is all too corny to believe. The only secondary character who seems not to come from a cookie-cutter is K.O. Lewis, the Deputy Director of the FBI, who reflects both compassion and justice as well as common sense.

One wonders why Grisham felt the need to have a sexy secretary in Roosevelt's courtroom. The "short skirt" scenes seem forced and unnecessary. Must all mainstream fiction express some prurient disposition? Readers would survive if writers didn't try to touch our hearts and our pants.

Overall, a pleasurable read with little to offer but entertainment.

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