Score : B-

Author: John Grisham

Genre: Thriller, Fiction

Joel Blackman once was an uncontested player in the Washington power game. He was adequately dubbed the "broker", as he could market anything, from the corporation seeking a federal earmark, to the arms dealer trying to sell his stock in the slums of the earth. Everything seemed to go swimmingly well in his world until the day he became victim to the very thing that brought him prosperity throughout his years in Washington: greed.

In effect, his involvement in the sale of a strategic piece of software won him the undying attention of some of the most powerful Nations in the world. And after reluctantly spending 6 years in a Federal penitentiary, Joel is pardoned to his utmost stupor by an outgoing president. Little did he know, his release was orchestrated by the CIA who also conveniently released his new whereabouts to the Chinese, the Russians, the Israelis and the Saudis.

The broker is a great psychological thriller from a writer who is traditionally more accustomed to the inner workings of the court room. Despite having a terrific start, the book however disappoints a little in its languishing descriptions of the landscape and its tirades in the culinary wonders of Bologna. I mean seriously, it is safe to assume that nobody signed up for a guided tour of Italy upon opening this book, because the flamboyant Mario Batali does a better job at that.

Besides that, the book is very well written and the events sit quite comfortably in the chronology of the story.

Final Word: A very entertaining read from a prominent law fiction novelist. This book however lacks the essence that would otherwise make it a great spy story, and often takes the reader in an unwanted trip around the streets of Bologna.