In the world of the sinister
Tulip Chowdhury is thrilled by plots and intrigues
Bookworms often change their taste in reading. At times reading romances, autobiographies or anthologies give way to reading something different. At such times when one wants to go for some suspense, crime and thrill, there is John Grisham for you. You will stay hooked to the last line while crime is committed, the jury meets and judges pronounce the verdict. While all these go on, there is mystery and suspense gripping your mind, leading you on, sniffing for the plots to reveal the untold tales and unravel deep-rooted secrets that have you gasping for breath. Mitchell Y. McDeere, a lawyer from Harvard, considers himself very lucky to get three job offers. Among them the most lucrative is the offer from Bendini, Lambert and Locke. It is a relatively young law firm but most of the partners here have retired in their late forties or early fifties with money to burn, with six-figure incomes guaranteed for the rest of their lives. Mitch is offered a brand new BMW, a large house in an expensive neighborhood and even his huge student loan is also paid. The firm believes in having lawyers without loan headaches and the expensive car and the house is for social status. When Mitch tells Abby, his wife, of this offer she falls from the sky. Their ramshackle apartment and shaky Mazda to be gone for the grand changes with a salary of $80,000 per month and a confirmed partnership at the firm! It seems as if life is suddenly too generous with them. Mitch is ready to take up the challenge; it is a "once-in-a-lifetime" offer for him. Mitch and Abby are full into the new, posh life. Their dreams are big. It is all luxury and comfort for the first time since they have been married. Mitch's pride knows no bounds when he opens the door of his BMW and slides onto the streets on his way to the new office. Mitch has found a deli near the office where he often goes to grab a bite within his very busy work schedule. One day he is approached by a stranger in the deli, who claims to be Wayne Terrance, Special Agent, FBI. He has come to warn Mitch about working in the Bendini firm. Mitch gets the red signal that he should trust no one in the firm or else he will end up regretting it. He also learns that his car, phones and even the house are bugged and every word he utters is recorded; and, lastly, Terrance says that the huge sum Mitch is being paid does not grow on trees. Mitch is told about the five lawyers of the firm who have died in past years. Terrance claims that though the deaths have been made to look like accidents, the FBI does not buy it and is trying to uncover the mysteries. Mitch is way deep into becoming an employee of the Bendini firm to back out and yet he sees dark voids in his future. But there is no turning back. Mitch decides to gamble with life, he agrees to sell illegal documents of the Bendini for millions of dollars to the FBI. When the Bendini firm learns of the FBI tagging Mitch they also set up watch on him, they no longer trust him. Mitch is well aware of being followed by men of his employers and there is also the FBI. Abby and Mitch are like instruments of the FBI and the Bendini firm. Abby too is being followed to find clues of Mitch's movements. They cannot even get close to each other in their own house without suspicion of hidden cameras watching their every move. Even in restaurants the person sitting at the next table is eavesdropping on their conversations. Their car is bugged as well as the mobile sets and the land phone given by the office. In the midst of all these lie the challenges of deceiving Mitch's colleagues and getting thousands of photocopies of important documents that the FBI are after. In the office building Mitch often goes to the room that has photos of five dead employees and remembers Terrance's warning that the deaths were only made to look like accidents. Mitch has goose bumps as he stares at the smiling employees, employees that were supposed to become millionaires as the firm prospers day by day. He often wonders if his photo is going to be there too one day since his colleagues are already suspecting him of double play. Mitch, a brilliant lawyer, knows that if he plays it safe with the Bendini firm the FBI will get him at one time or the other and Terrance has already warned him of being behind bars once they get to the bottom of the murders and the hidden smuggling ring they know Bendini is involved with. And if he plays it into the FBI game he will take their money and disappear once the papers are handed over. Along with the help of a trusted friend, Mitch and Abby play the gamble of life, and it's a dangerous game. As the Bendini firm finds out about Mitch's betrayal they are already planning on a sixth accidental death and even the FBI is not sure they can give protection on time. For Mitch and Abby life hangs onto minutes and seconds, on split decisions and courage. None of them are sure of what the final play of the lurking dangers hold for them. They wonder if they will be able to keep their commitment for the FBI and still be alive when the Bendini firm is hunting them as their most wanted enemy. Like Grisham's other thrilling crime stories, The Firm also holds the reader from the first word to the last. There is mystery, suspense, death and survival, each taking the reader to exciting revelations beyond imagination. And within this all there is also the sweet tale of Mitch and Abby's love for each other and their devotion. The reader cannot rest in peace until he or she reaches the end of the roller coaster ride on the vivid descriptions of the plot and characters. Along with the protagonist the reader holds onto the reins to come out of the dark and dangerous games of crime and justice. The book is a real kick as one feels the adrenalin surge and the heart beat faster as events unfold with the deft play of words. It is a sure read for Grisham fans.
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