The Racketeer by John Grisham

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Paper

Publisher: Dell

JAGS: 6

Malcolm Bannister, a former attorney, is convicted to spending 10 years in federal prison for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A federal judge and his young mistress are found dead with no evidence or apparent motive, and Malcolm Bannister knows who has done it. The only problem, Bannister is in jail, and the FBI has no leads.

Everything has a price, including the ace up Bannister’s sleeve as he plots with and against the FBI for an early release, and to catch a killer. You see, Malcolm would love to help out the FBI, but as the man who is known as the Racketeer, everything has a price, and sitting behind cell bars makes his information all the more valuable.

This is a typical Grisham novel about the redemption of a wayward lawyer who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, except that The Racketeer isn’t as nearly as predictable as Grisham’s previous Courtroom dramas. The Racketeer is a fast-paced read with more than its share of plot twists. Out of all of Grisham’s novels, this one by far is better than most, and has the potential of Hollywood movie magic. Quick weekend read.


The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr

Genre: Fiction

 

Pages: Paper

 

Publisher: Carroll & Graf

 

JAGS: 7

 

The services of Sherlock Holmes and his trusted friend Dr. John Watson are needed once again by the British Realm to solve a perplexing case of supernatural proportions. Enlisted by Holmes’s brother Mycroft under the Queens direct order, the detectives travel to Scotland after receiving a cryptic message from the elder Holmes. Almost immediately, the pair is thrust into what appears to be the brewing of international espionage as the train ride from London is attacked by spies.

Reaching the royal residence of Holyroodhouse, or as it is more simply known by British subjects as Palace of Holyrood, Holmes and Watson stumble on what could quiet possibly be the strangest case yet. The ghost of Rizzo is said to be haunting the West Tower and all of the Queens staff knows all too well the comings and goings of the specter of Holyrood.

Caleb Carr wows readers once again with his poetic styling of 18^th century England as he resurrects the famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in The Italian Secretary. Caleb Carr does not have the clinical syntax of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Dr. Watson, but executes beautifully the subtle nuisances of the relationship between the detectives. Carr’s interpretation honors the Holmes legacy and would make any Sherlock fan proud to read. A definite must read if you are a Holmes fanatic.