Quick-take: What a thrilling ride.

Dan's Review

Mark Sway was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is just an 11 year-old kid out to sneak some smokes with his little brother Ricky.

He stumbled upon a crooked lawyer who revealed a secret that Mark wish stayed secret. Now, the crooks and the FBI are after what he knows.

This is a crazy action-packed crime drama whose only real fault is that it may perhaps have a bit too much action. The timeline of all that happens in the courtroom, hospital, goons, and FBI is measured in hours, not days. NOTHING moves this fast. It's a good the book started on a Monday so John Grisham can squeeze a bit more action in before all the offices break for the weekend.

I like a story with arcs. There are highs, lows, a middle, and a solid ending. This book is entirely an upward trajectory. Nobody sleeps for 5 days. Then the ending falls flat. I would have really liked a survey of all the supporting characters. Perhaps a fast forward a few months to see how everything turned out? John Grisham closed the most important story arc and then just walked away. Boo.

Despite ending with a whimper, I'm stilling giving this book 5 stars. It was very entertaining.

Those who know me know I am a fan of audiobooks. The version I got was an old unabridged copy read by John MacDonald. He did a wonderful job. I tried to find a store link for you, but everything said abridged. Stay vigilant. I have read many books that I wish were abridged. This is not one of them. I am not sure what could possibly be cut to knock this down from 13 hours to 5 hours, but I bet something entertaining was lost. The version I linked I found at the library.