The Broker
| The Broker | |
|---|---|
 First edition cover | |
| Author | John Grisham |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | 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 | 57236073 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.54 22 |
| LC Class | PS3557.R5355 B76 2005b |
The Broker is a suspense novel written by American author John Grisham and 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 sell the world's most powerful satellite surveillance system to the highest bidder.
Plot summary
Joel Backman is "the Broker"- a Washington power broker-lobbyist, considered by some to be one of the most powerful men in Washington. However, 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 after an outgoing disgraced president grants him a full pardon at the behest of the CIA, he finds himself spirited out of the prison in the middle of the night, bundled onto a military plane, and flown to Italy to begin 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 in Bologna.
However, he soon realizes that something isn't quite kosher in this new setup, in that he is under constant surveillance. In reality, the CIA is setting him up for professional assassins from China, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. They intend to sit back and wait to see who kills him, in an effort to solve the biggest mystery to hit the US government in decades: the question of 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 barely 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 satellite's program. In return, they agree to do what they can to get the countries targeting him to back off, though they caution him that some of them will not listen. Backman then covers his escape by pretending that he is resuming his old life, then quietly disappears, and presumably returns to Italy.
Literary significance and criticism
The book has been hailed by some critics as a return to form for Grisham, while others lament it as a superficial "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 bestseller list.[2]
Publishing notes
- The blurred man on the back is really John Grisham.
- '"Kwytemail", the secure e-mail system by which the Backmans communicate, is modeled after services such as Hushmail.
References
- ↑ Dershowitz, Alan M. (January 9, 2005). "'The Broker': Pardon Me". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
- ↑ Best Seller list