The Partner (1997) is a legal/thriller novel by noted American author John Grisham.The Plot
Patrick S Lanigan, a junior partner in a law firm in Biloxi, Mississippi, gets wind of a scheme to defraud the US Government over a shipbuilding overcharging scheme. His firm is deeply involved in the scam, and they're planning to keep him out of it. He bides his time, secretly collecting evidence and then disappears. A body is later found, identified as his burned in a car crash and is buried under his name.
Six weeks later, $90 million vanishes from the law firm's off-shore bank account, and he is suspected. The search is on...
Four years later, he is discovered living a new life in a small town in Brazil. He is kidnapped and tortured to reveal the location of the money. Before he can reveal it, the FBI is informed and he is rescued and repatriated.
With the FBI and police eager to convict him on numerous charges, Patrick, whilst slowly recovering from horrific injuries, schemes with his lawyer Sandy McDermott, to defend the charges whilst revealing details of the scam
The highlights of the plot are Patrick's foresight that one day he will inevitably be caught, and his immaculate preparation for such a situation. The FBI, the state authorities, his widow and even his lawyer are all at times amazed by the depth of his planning. The beauty of this story is that Patrick defends himself against all the charges, without going to trial, and without spending even a single day in jail. And in the most unexpected twist at the end of the story, the hunted becomes the hunter ....... I can't tell you the ending, you should read this book and I guarantee you will love it and you can't wait to read till the last page!
This is my first Grisham's book. I know I'm soo not cool cos I just read his book now, but hey.. better late than never, no?
I like the twist at the end of the story and the smart planning in this book, and now I'm reading The Testament, and The Brethren is on my next list.I know I should read Grisham's latest book, but I feel that I need to read his older book first before I move on to his latest book.
Just curious, why he named almost all of his book with "THE"?
