Rating: 
Summary: Needs more character depth!
Review: If you are looking for the classic Grisham tale of a man caught between a rock and a hardplace you have come to the wrong place. Grishams characters in this novel evoke no sympathy because he breezes over each character in such a way that the reader never really has the chance to connect with them. Subplots are dropped here and there, and then seem to just go away (such as Butch). The CIA agents are portrayed as nothing more then men with badges, the lawyer is simply a drunk who you could care less about, and Aaron Lake is just a plastic politician wound up in a plot of greed who seems to have left his conscience in the trash with his letters from Ricky. There is no edge of your seat excitement in this book and you won't be up until 3:00am on a work night cheering the judges on from your bed. Grisham is a talented writer who has proven in the past that he does have the know how to create an excellent suspense novel, but his past couple of books don't seem to be reflecting that (Don't get me started on the Street Lawyer- uggg) Return to the old formula John, because the new one is not working!
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Disappointed Long-Time Fan
Review: I cannot believe that John Grisham wrote this book. The ending was foreseeable from the first chapter. Still, I continued to read it hoping that there would be the usually twist in the plot. I finished the book with the oddist sensation. It was not one of surprise that I would normally experience but relief that it was finally over. I am glad that this is not the first John Grisham book that I have read or it would be my last. I have faith that whatever took place during the writing of this book is over and his writing style will return to the great books that we have come to know and love.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointingly Dreadful
Review: What absolute drivel Grisham has written for his latest book. I've struggled to around page 50 and have had enough. I am no longer interested in the bunch of dreadful characters sprinkled throughout the book and don't particularly care where the story will lead. After reading most of the comments here - I am well advised it seems to give up this 'also ran' - life is too short. What went wrong John - this is a huge disappointment, especially coming from the author of such wonderful previous novels. Is the Brethren the work of a ghost writer. Grisham has progressively declining over the past few books and now I believe he has sunk as low as you can get - absolutely no more Grishams for me!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This book was a real disappointment, and I am an avid fan of John Grisham. Maybe he is turning books out too quickly; they just don't have the interesting storylines and great suspense they did several years ago. I had a hard time getting through this one, and was really glad to be done with it. I didn't even care how it ended. It just wasn't "The Firm," "The Partner," or "The Rainmaker." I won't rush out to buy his next one.
Rating:
Summary: Get Back to What Works
Review: Don't get me wrong, Grisham is an excellent story-teller. The problem with "The Brethren" is that Grisham has strayed too far away from a most succesful formula. Before Grisham came onto the scene, I wasn't a great fan of legal thrillers, but wonderful books such as "The Firm", "The Pelican Brief" and "The Runaway Jury", left me thirsty for more. I was quite surprised that "The Brethren" followed so swiftly on the heels of "The Testament", but having read it, I understand why. Grisham appears to have decided to change tack when it comes to his theme. Spellbinding us with the world of the courtroom, and the lawyers who can barely cope, we couldn't get enough. Trying to convince us with the inner workings of a frail crippled leader of the CIA, with the worrying personal life of a no-one Senator, Aaron Lake, and attempting to persuade us to feel for three old, cranky imbettered corrupt judges, in the softest of Federal prisons, is not something Grisham had any success at. If a formula works then go with it, don't disappoint the fans by changing tack so dramatically, and in my opinion so badly. If you are looking for a good story, then read "The Brethren" - if you're looking for a GOOD Grisham, then don't.
Rating: 
Summary: Grisham delivers again
Review: The Brethern is certainly different from Grisham's earlier works. There is a role for a lawyer in the story, but only a minimum one. The strength of the book, besides Grisham's fine writing, is in the plot (or plots), building around various conspiracies or scams concocted by the characters in the story, including a top US government official. I found the book a little slow to begin with, and I guess that's because there are so many characters involved in the story. Half way through, I still did not know who the real heroes are. But, typical of Grisham, he keeps us in suspense all the way and the outcome is full of surprises. Yes, Grisham has delivered the goods once again. His fans would not be disappointed with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Strike Three For Grisham
Review: Strike three for Grisham. For an author who started out hitting home run after home run, it's disappointing that his last three novels (Street Lawyer, Testament, and now this one) have been lucky to make it to first base. Unlike The Street Lawyer, which was totally uninteresting, this one at least has a plot worthy of a Grisham novel. The problem is that by the third chapter, you basically know who is doing what, so you set yourself up for a big twist somewhere...but it never comes. Grisham's style is still there, and he keeps you interested with colorful enough characters, so it is easy enough to keep interested. But with a handful of pages to go, I kept wondering, "When is the shoe going to drop? Who is going to come out of the woodwork and blow me away in shock?" It wasn't until I had read the last page before I realized I had been duped...by Grisham. There was NOT a twist, the characters never progress, and but for an interesting scam that was on exhibit throughout the book, nothing ever really happens. While this book was more compelling to read than The Testament, I felt that at least with The Testament I had closure, an ending I could be (somewhat) satisfied with. With The Brethren, I felt like someone cut out the last chapter, and that chapter held the key to all of the twists that never came about. I've read every Grisham novel to date (enjoyed them all until the last three, Pelican Brief and The Firm being my favorites), and unless another Grisham enthusiast HIGHLY recommends the next novel, I think I'll invest my precious reading time in a different author.
Rating:
Summary: A very poor effort on Grisham's part
Review: Very disapointing. Not much effort by Grisham here. The ending was very anti-climatic. I will think twice before buying another John Grisham novel.
Rating:
Summary: Solid and engaging
Review: This is the first Grisham book I've read/heard. I listed to the unabridged audio version. I found the characters to be believable in most respects. I particularly like the way Grisham delved into the actual characters and their backgrounds to help understand the motivations and did so in such a way that I didn't find myself wanting to move ahead. The characters themselves were neither caricatures nor monochromatic plot devices. Knowing the characters furthered the story without dragging it down. I found that he deftly moved from one plot line to another at just the right pace and tied them together early enough in the book to provide the necessary cohesion. I listened to the unabridged audio version read by the prolific narrator Frank Muller. He's easy enough to listen to most times but I find that often moves too quickly in dialog from character to character without a vocal distinction such that it made it occasionally confusing as to who was speaking. This was the only thing that I did not like and it is the sole reason I give it 4 instead of 5 stars. Grisham's book gets 5 and Muller's reading of the book gets 3.
Rating:
Summary: A great book with a disappointing ending
Review: This book had me intrigued from the very beginning. The way the plot kept building made me not want to put the book down. I savored every page until the end, when I was left with a feeling of "That's it?" The novel leaves the reader with no sense of resolve or closure, like Grisham's other novels do. Overall, the book was wonderful, but readers should be expecting a disappointment when the reach the last page.
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