City News

In the story “The Partner” by John Grisham, a lawyer who despises his life decides to run from it, taking something extra with him. Patrick Lanigan becomes a partner in his firm, but soon learns that he will be kicked out when the other partners receive a large sum of cash due to an illegal scam they performed. Unwilling to accept this fate, and already sick of his current life, Patrick decides to steal the money that was meant for the other partners, and live life on the run. He relocates to a city in Brazil, and successfully hides out there for multiple years, meeting the love of his life in the meantime. The heist performed by Patrick did not just happen in a day. It took a very large amount of hours and sacrifices in order to successfully pull the stunt off. He started planning long before he stole the money, and continued planning while hiding in Brazil. This plotting would most certainly help him in the future, as his luck of blending in in South America would eventually run out when dangerous men find him. Patrick gets caught early on in the story, leading to it mostly explaining what exactly he did and how he is able to cleverly get out of his situation, which would ordinarily be met with harsh punishment. His patience, connections, careful planning, and the knowledge of a very good lawyer enables him to have a much better chance at pulling off the heist than any regular criminal.

            John Grisham is great at intriguing the reader and making them want to keep turning the page. He does a good job of keeping the reader interested and on their toes, wanting to know what the protagonist will do next. With fascinating ideas that the author trickles into the story, it truly enhances the level of appreciation for the story. I felt that the end came across as a little confusing, however, and somewhat unexpected. What occurred was the woman that Patrick met in Brazil, who he was deeply in love with, performed an action that seemed a little off, and she did not have much of a reason to do it. She chose a different route than expected, and while unexpectedness makes for good stories, it was unexpected for a reason; it didn’t seem to make much sense. Other than that, though, it was a well-written novel.

            I would recommend this book to other readers because it is a very captivating read. It starts off intriguing when Patrick begins getting tortured, and it makes readers curious as to who he is and what he has done to deserve this. It is thrilling to learn the different tricks and loopholes Patrick utilizes to escape from his situation. The reader can also appreciate the careful planning of his crime, and it makes the reading more enjoyable. Also, the author does a great job of causing the reader to like Patrick Lanigan, despite his wrongdoing. He does this by setting up a reasonable motive for committing his actions and actually shows Patrick as a good person. Overall, it is a fun and thrilling read, especially for readers interested in law and thrillers.

Check out the Partner at NBPL!