Book Review: The Associate by John Grisham

 

Goodreads Overview:

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father's small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn't want, even if it's a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains, from drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist Baxter Tate to quiet former math teacher Dale who shares Kyle's cubicle at the law firm, The Associate is vintage Grisham.

Review: 

Back in the early years of John Grisham's career, I read all of his books as soon as they were released. A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, etc. were all instant successes. I got behind when I was in college and shortly thereafter, but I have been trying to read at least one a year. 

The Associate had the classic Grisham feel. Kyle is just out of law school and wants to take a lower paying job where he can give back to the community. His father is a small-town lawyer that specializes in helping his friends and neighbors while making a living on his own terms. When Kyle accepts a high paying job in New York City, it is unexpected and out of character. Working countless hours with the sole purpose of billing clients exorbitant amounts of money, just so the rich can get richer, was never his goal. He can't tell his father why he had a sudden change of heart, so he relies on a college friend to help him with the delicate situation he finds himself in. 

Kyle is being blackmailed to steal confidential information from the firm, which would get him disbarred and could land him in jail if he gets caught. He is being followed, his apartment and phones have been bugged, and he has no choice but to seek legal counsel and confide in someone to get help. He contacts Roy Benedict, a criminal lawyer and former FBI operative. Together they must work out a plan that will get the blackmailers off his back while keeping his career and reputation intact. 

If you are a fan of Grisham's early work, I would highly recommend this book. It was a sit on the edge of your seat thriller that will keep you engaged from start to finish.