In this book the FBI is paranoid about national security and today 9/11 seems a good day to talk about it.
story
America doesnt have a large enough defense budget. So the FBI director cooks up a plan to get congressman Aaron Lake elected as President provided that Aaron rectifies the defense budget to the director’s liking after swearing in as President of the United States.
Elsewhere in a minimum security federal prison 3 judges collectively as ’’The Brethren’’, serving time there, are running a scam to blackmail wealthy males with homosexual tendencies. They start off by advertising in magazines about a single white male looking for discreet friendships. When the replies start coming in they start their game and wait till they have something concrete to prove that their prey is homosexual. In the meantime a lazy bum of a lawyer operating on the outside (to traffic mail outwards to and inwards from post boxes) tries to locate their potential prey and determine how much to blackmail them for.
But this time they catch a big fish. None other than Aaron Lake assuming the false identity of Al Konyers. Aaron accidently mails them a letter with his true name along with a letter using his assumed identity Al Konyers. The Brethren are portrayed as one smart bunch. Hats off to Grisham for that. They way they think and act is really impressive in the story.
opinion
The story is, in an overall sense, well connected and can be appreciated for that. But it fails to bring any sense of suspense or any other thrilling emotion to the readers mind. So while we may enjoy it on a lazy weekend I wouldn’t recommend it as a must-read.