The Firm

"It’s probably the best thing Grisham has ever done. It came out 30 years ago. It’s a wonderful story about a young man who leaves Harvard third in his class. Every law firm in the country is desperate to get hold of him. He comes from a poor family, he’s just got married, and he gets an offer he just can’t refuse. He gets a wonderful salary, wonderful provisions, wonderful everything. It includes what he thought was important at the time, a BMW. Then he discovers he’s working for the mafia. He’s a very moral man and he has to find a way out of this problem, realizing you don’t get severance pay, you just disappear. It’s a bloody good novel and it’s Grisham at his best. So, you’re a Kane and Abel fan are you? I was flattered to be asked. Thank you very much indeed. Now, if you’ve never read John Grisham, this is the one to start on, because his genius is that he was a professional lawyer as a young man, after coming down from university. What you get is the real feeling of what it’s like to work in an American firm. He captures that brilliantly because he’s done it, he’s been there. If you’ve never read him, start with The Firm."