The Rackeeter - John Grisham

photo courtesy: goodreads.com

A cracking read that brought me out of my reader's block.

For the last couple of months, I have been grappling with "reader's block".

This has happened to me before. To counter it, I usually pick up something lighter, preferably a thriller to pull me out of the spell. This Grisham book was my saviour this time.

Gist:
A well known federal judge is murdered. A lawyer wrongly convicted of embezzlement is counting years in jail. The FBI is under pressure to find the killer . The lawyer approaches them with the killer's identity. Then begins a cat and mouse game where the lawyer Malcolm, enters the witness protection programme, changes his identity and then things go a bit awry and Malcolm is on the run.

Is he saying the truth? Will the FBI catch up with him, forms the base for this exciting story .

What works:

• The simple way in which he draws the reader into the story. It operates on a very elementary level by introducing main character of Malcolm, but slyly builds up the pace and the plot.

• The reader is in for a smooth ride. The plot is laid out in characteristic Grisham style. He forces the reader to keep on turning the pages, effortlessly.

What doesn't:

• While the plot flows seamlessly, the story on the whole doesn't amount to much. It is a fairly straightforward cat and mouse story with no complexities of characters.

• The story takes the reader on a roller coaster ride, however it leaves the reader unsatiated at the end of it. The ride is fun but after it is over, it doesn't leave the reader with any lingering aftertaste.

Althogether, an enjoyable read, that keeps reader engaged. I was a hardcore Grisham fan in my teens and twenties, but his later books were quite disappointing. I am not sure if this one is one of the earlier one or the latter ones....

But it is a good one. Recommended.