Rating: 
Summary: A flawed conclusion
Review: An interesting concept but a weak conclusion forces me to give no more than a three-star review for John Grisham's 'The Brethren'. The story is simple - three disgraced judges prey on closet homosexuals, demanding money for their silence. One of their intended victims is just about to hit the political world big time. Meanwhile, in the background, the Director of the CIA is monitoring (and changing) events to suit himself.While the story rolls along at a good rate, and while we're treated again to Grisham's short, declarative sentences, the outcome is one that left me wondering why I'd read the book. In any novel that is predicated on plot, the plot must be watertight and must follow through logically. This one does not. There are loopholes that an author as good as Grisham should have foreseen and plugged. How, for example, does a half-drunk lawyer who is being watched day and night by the CIA, just walk out of his house without being seen? Why would the CIA permit the scam to continue, threatening their preferred candidate, when they could have closed it down in moments? And why, at the end, were the bad guys just allowed to walk free? I enjoy Grisham, but 'The Brethren' left me feeling empty.
Rating:
Summary: Plot twists, fascinating characters....
Review: the story line and characters are excellent! Places seemed familiar...and the governmental angles were fascinating (really makes you think about how do things really work?) I was enthralled in wanting to see where the various plot lines went and truly enjoyed reading the book (the first Grisham I have read)....until the end. The ending was disappointing - I felt he could have done more or better given all the intricacies throughout the book.
Rating: 
Summary: One of Grisham's Best
Review: I had picked up The Brethren awhile ago but never got into the book for some reason. When I finally did get past the first few pages I was hooked! It may not be great literature, but it will definitely hold your attention. This book is written in the typical Grisham style with plots and subplots all over the place. All of these loose ends do eventually tie together and make for a very interesting read. The ending is better than some of Grisham's other books.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining romp!
Review: I rarely read Grisham because there is usually so much more out there, but in an airport bookshop I picked it up for a quick flight read, and was pleasantly entertained. The Brethren are three 'tarnished' southern judges who have found themselves in a minimum-security prison in Florida for scandals involving bingo-skimming, drunk driving or tax problems. They hold 'court' in the prison, resolving bizarre, irrelevant prison disagreements and are generally bored until they stumble upon the perfect way to get rich. They work out a scheme to bilk wealthy, married, reputable, middle-aged men of blackmail cash by advertising as a nice young gay man looking for a pen pal. They are fairly successful until the day they realize that one of their 'hooks' is the leading presidential candidate. The way Grisham develops his characters, their dialogue, and their resolution really is ingenious' and every time I read a novel of his I can see Hollywood picking the stars out. To the reviewers who panned this book - you are getting exactly what you are paying for, folks - if you want really tight plots or believable ones - look elsewhere - this is "pulp fiction" at its finest!
Rating:
Summary: JG can't end a book
Review: The Brethren will carry you through from start to finish in a fairly easy fashion. It's not tedious and it's not a tough read. It would be a good vacation book. But the ending was forced and left me wanting more. JG just can't finish them like he used to.
Rating:
Summary: As always with Grisham, a page turner.
Review: A page turner yes, but not as good as any of Grisham's previous novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to the quality of his prior books.
Review: This book didn't hold my interest. Frankly, it seems that it was written just to get another novel on the store shelf. The story itself was really not that believable. For instance, how could an American public elect a candidate whom they had never heard of who was openly receiving vast amounts of campaign
"contributions" and not question his backers and their motives? Also, the incentive for blackmail was accusing men of being gay. This may have been more of a critical career killer 10 years ago, but today we have openly gay politicians(Barney Frank, etc.), so the motive sort of loses it's impact. Why did the CIA waste all that time and effort just to end up killing the attorney who was dealing with the "brethren"? I just could not buy off on the plot and thus, my interest waned.
And the ending went really nowhere. For instance, why didn't the CIA director just have the three blackmailing judges killed, rather than sending them away? What was the point behind Buster breaking out of prison? This subplot never went anywhere. I hope his next novel is given a little more thought, or perhaps, Grisham is out of fresh ideas? I know I'll be wary of his next, if or when it comes.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book combines all the plot twist we are used to with Grisham while proving that he can work outside the courtroom. The characters in the story are extremely real. And the concept, while hopefully fictional, seems very believable. He keeps you guessing until the end as to all the tie-ins. The book is a good story until you relize at the end how they fit together. This suspense is what makes the book great.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly Entertaining
Review: While I didn't have high expectations for 'The Bretheren', what I found was an entertaining novel with a very believable plot. Definitely an easy read, with characters that hold your attention. Makes you wonder who is really running the Washington show...
Rating:
Summary: OK, but can't hang with Grisham's earlier books
Review: The whole subplot with the Presidential election and the CIA manipulating the whole thing is pretty interesting. However, seems pretty unlikely. Still, if you have a weekend with nothing to do, you can finish this book in a short amount of time and will be pretty entertained.
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