Correction to the Bookmovement's introduction: the judge's name is Raymond Fawcett.
Weak ending.

THE RACKETEER by John Grisham

This vintage Grisham mystery will appeal to fans and new readers as well. The Racketeer is the tale of an innocent (and now former) lawyer who is out to redeem himself by squealing on a murderer and thief. The main character, Malcolm Bannister, posits a scheme to the FBI to gain his exoneration and freedom by giving them the name and motive for the torture and murder of a federal judge and the woman with him.
You will enjoy the twists and turns of the plot as Malcolm enters the Witness Protection system and gradually gives the feds what they want.

I like the legal aspect of John Grisham's books. This book is intriguing and also disturbing at the same time. Perhaps the far-reaching power that one gets when they are "in charge" scares me in that they go unpunished or unstoppable. This book, though fiction, rings true to what is sometimes leaked to the public, but I believe mostly goes untold. Sad, but the punishment of crime is won by who has the most talented lawyer or power on their side, not by the truth.

This was not a typical John Grisham book. our group for the most part really liked this book for many reasons. One was the way the story flowed. Another was the way Grisham kept some of the character relationships a "secret" until the end. There were many different aspects to be explored: the RICO part of the story, how Max was able to do what he did from prison and after, the way that the police handled or did not handle things, etc.
As in any group there were those who did not like this book simply because it was not their "cup of tea" so to speak.