Review on 🤝 The Brethren: Unveiling an Unparalleled Brotherhood by Whitney Byers

So far you couldn't go wrong with John Grisham's book. It's not John O'Hara, but his books have always been interesting and engaging. I can't understand why he wrote this, other than to fulfill his obligation to the publisher. There are two plots that you know will eventually be linked, but until then you really don't care. The "Brothers" are three convicts who were judges of one kind or another and found themselves behind bars due to character flaws that manifested themselves at an inopportune moment in the life of each of them. Given the relative freedom of the minimal security prison they are in, they will extort money through a nasty little scam they run on the internet. Grisham seemed to take great pleasure in describing how it worked. Much more than I enjoyed reading about it. At least this story was believable. The second parcel was really a very runny mush. The chief of the CIA is concerned about defense budget cuts and the propensity of announced presidential candidates to continue the practice. So he uses CIA resources to find the perfect candidate. One that has no bugs, no skeletons, no baggage, and who can be made the chosen one. Once spotted, the candidate is told that as long as he sticks to the script, he will remain President because the CIA can make the candidate look like a prophet and money is not an issue at all. The candidate agrees to the terms, and the story winds its way until the Breather's paths cross with the candidate's. The situation is handled less than satisfactorily, and the story is nearing completion. I can't end this without pointing out a glaring factual error in the book which, while irrelevant to the story, demonstrates a level of sloppiness all too common in modern book publishing these days. A character in the book tries to escape with a lot of money and is hunted by the CIA. At some point, the CIA chief learns that the suspect has just presented his passport at the airport in Hamilton, Bermuda. I was in Bermuda when I read this and hummed out loud. Hamilton is the capital of this small island, and now within its borders there is, and never has been, an airport. The airport is, and always has been, in St. George's, many miles to the east, and is called Kindley Field. In the distant past, flying boats landed and took off at Darrell's Island in the Great Sound, but it is now a ruin and some distance from Hamilton on the other side of the island. We expect much more from Mr. Grisham. Unfortunately this time it was not delivered.