A Misdemeanor

The Associate by John Grisham

Legal Thriller

I labeled this a legal thriller although 'thriller' is really too exciting a word to be placed on this book.  It's not one of Grisham's best; just an okay read.

It's about a young man set to embark on a legal career, so it's a little different from Grisham's norm.  Kyle McAcoy has played it safe all his life--good school, good grades, doing all the right things.  Should one bad night ruin his whole life?  What if that bad night involved something immoral and illegal?  Kyle has a chance to become an associate at the most prestigious law firm in Manhattan.  But, a college "indiscretion" jeopardizes all that.  Soon, the job is the least of his worries as he battles thugs, fights for his life, and is being blackmailed to commit fraud and treason.

This book involved an incident that will make you question the main character, at least I did.  There are some things for which there is NO excuse and I think Kyle got the consequences he deserved (at the very least), even though he was a passive criminal.  His silence was enough.  I know many will disagree with me, but he got his just desserts.  And, I'm pretty sure Kyle feels the same way as I do about the situation, which made him redeemable enough for me to keep reading about him.

The book was both interesting and depressing.  It's a look into the life of a corporate lawyer.  Is money really worth all that?  It was just okay for me.  It was not really the gripping legal thriller I was hoping for.  It felt very tame and only mildly interesting.  The ending was so ridiculous that is wasn't even credible and I walked away feeling a little cheated.  Very unsatisfying.