The Brethren – John Grisham

Three judges do some misadventures while in office. All three now-former judges are locked away in a minimum security prison, Trumble. The security is so minimal at Trumble that it takes more than 4-5 hours just to realize that an inmate is missing. The three former judges are known as the Brethren in Trumble. They meet once a week and conduct hearings in the prison cafeteria. They pronounce judgments on the petty cases amongst the inmates. The Brethren are allowed to conduct these hearings as they are approved by the prison management. The hearings also act as a stabilizing factor in the prison as petty disputes are resolved in an amicable manner.

True to the adage, “idle brain is the devil's workshop”, the three judges start a devious scheme to get rich. The Brethren’s lawyer is their partner in crime responsible for the matters outside Trumble. The success of the scheme makes the Brethren gallant in their pursuit for richness.

In the parallel world, the CIA director has chosen a candidate to join the poll fray for the US President elections. The director is hell bent on ensuring that his chosen candidate becomes the next US President. Aaron Lake, a congressman from Arizona, has no visible secrets. He is nurtured to become the perfect presidential candidate. All goes well until the Brethren get involved with the presidential candidate!

The Brethren is one of John Grisham’s old books, published in 2000. The story is strong; however the suspense is not a guarded secret. It is easy to put two and two together and guess the plot of the novel. One thing which I did not like about this novel is the climax. It is usual to expect that when crime is committed, especially against the mighty, it should be punished. In this novel, it’s a win–win situation for all the main characters, except one. There could have been a stronger message about messing with the mighty, if not messing with the law. This is a good to have book in your library.