The Broker by John Grisham

“Pardoned spy on the run, hunted by every major power.”

John Grisham’s The Broker departs from the high-stakes legal thrillers that built his name and instead delivers a globe-trotting espionage tale centered around political gamesmanship and personal redemption. The novel opens with the sudden pardon of Joel Backman, a disgraced Washington power broker imprisoned for attempting to sell access to a powerful satellite surveillance system. The CIA orchestrates his release—not as an act of mercy, but to draw out foreign intelligence agencies and see who kills him first.

Grisham’s strength lies in his ability to make procedural storytelling feel tense and urgent. Backman’s forced exile in Italy is paced with a slow, deliberate unraveling of identity as he learns the language, adopts a new persona, and constantly looks over his shoulder. The immersion into Italian culture, while sometimes bordering on travelogue, grounds the narrative and provides an introspective counterbalance to the novel’s more suspenseful elements.

Where The Broker succeeds is in its restraint—it’s a thriller, but not loud or explosive. Grisham plays a long game, allowing the reader to sit with Backman’s paranoia, his cunning, and ultimately, his humanity. However, some longtime fans may find the novel's climax underwhelming, with less courtroom fireworks and more muted diplomatic maneuvering.

Verdict:
A quieter, more cerebral thriller that swaps courtroom drama for international intrigue. The Broker may not be Grisham’s most electrifying work, but it’s a confident detour that rewards patience.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)