| The Broker | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | John Grisham |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Thriller novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Publication date | January 11, 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 368 pp (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | 0-385-51045-4 |
| OCLC Number | 57236073 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.54 22 |
| LC Classification | PS3557.R5355 B76 2005b |
The Broker is a suspense novel written by American author John Grisham published in the United States on January 11, 2005. The novel follows the story of Joel Backman, a newly-pardoned prisoner who had tried to broker a deal to give the world's most powerful satellite surveillance system to the highest bidder.
Contents |
Joel Backman is "the Broker"- a Washington power broker-lobbyist. But his life falls apart when a deal collapses involving a hacked spy satellite that nobody knows about, and Backman ends up in jail. Six years later, the political wheels in Washington have turned and other power-hungry men are eager for his blood. Bargains are made and an outgoing disgraced president grants him a full pardon at the behest of the CIA and he finds himself spirited out of the prison in the middle of the night, bundled onto a military plane and flown to Italy for a new life. He has a new name and mysterious new "friends" who will teach him to speak the language and to blend in with the people of the city of Bologna.
But something isn't quite kosher in this new setup, and he is under constant surveillance. In fact, his own government is setting him up for professional assassins from Russia, China, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. The CIA intends to sit back and wait to see which one gets him first, trying to solve the biggest mystery to hit the US government in decades; seeing who built this seemingly impenetrable and most advanced satellite ever.
It turns out to be China. Despite having low satellite technology, they stole the information from the U.S. Backman survives several assassination attempts and manages to establish communication with his son, Neal Backman. He escapes surveillance and returns to his home to contract a new deal with the US government. The CIA is told about the satellite, along with the taking of the program of the satellite itself.
The book has been hailed by some critics as a return to form for Grisham, while others lament it as a mere "trip to Italy" put into fiction form. A New York Times book review claimed that the description of an outgoing president who was "an idiot... but a clean one" seemed to be referring to President Bush, or perhaps to Bill Clinton's infamous last-minute presidential pardons in 2001.[1] Nevertheless, The Broker made number one on the New York Times [2].
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