| The Broker (novel) | |
| Author: | John Grisham |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Publisher: | Doubleday |
| Release Date: | January 11, 2005 |
| Media Type: | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages: | 368 pp (hardcover edition) |
| Isbn: | 0-385-51045-4 |
| Dewey: | 813/.54 22 |
| Congress: | PS3557.R5355 B76 2005b |
| Oclc: | 57236073 |
The Broker is a suspense novel written by American author John Grisham and published in the United States on January 11, 2005. The novel follows the story of Joel Backman, a newly pardoned prisoner who had tried to broker a deal to sell the world's most powerful satellite surveillance system to the highest bidder.
Joel Backman is "the Broker", one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington, D.C. However, Backman's life falls apart when a deal collapses involving a hacked spy satellite that nobody knows about, resulting in his imprisonment. Six years later, the political wheels have turned and other power-hungry men are eager for Backman's blood. Bargains are made, and after an outgoing disgraced President grants him a full pardon at the behest of the CIA, Backman finds himself spirited out of the prison in the middle of the night, bundled onto a military plane, and flown to Italy to begin a new life. He has a new name and mysterious new "friends" who teach him to speak Italian and to blend in with the people in Bologna.
However, Backman soon realizes that something is not quite kosher in this new setup, in that he is under constant surveillance. In reality, the CIA is setting him up for professional assassins from China, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries. They intend to sit back and wait to see who kills him in an effort to solve the biggest mystery to hit the U.S. government in decades: the question of who built this seemingly impenetrable and most advanced satellite ever. It turns out to be China; despite having low satellite technology, they stole the information from the U.S.
Backman barely survives several assassination attempts and manages to establish communication with his son, Neal. He escapes surveillance and returns to his home to contract a new deal with the federal government. The CIA is told about the satellite, along with the taking of the satellite's program. In return, they agree to do what they can to get the countries targeting him to back off, though they caution him that some of them will not listen. Backman then covers his escape by pretending that he is resuming his old life, then quietly disappears and presumably returns to Italy.
The Broker made number one on the New York Times bestseller list.[1] The book has been hailed by some critics as a return to form for Grisham, while others lament it as a superficial "trip to Italy" put into fiction form. A New York Times book review claimed that the description of an outgoing president who was "an idiot... but a clean one" seemed to be referring to President Bush, or perhaps to Bill Clinton's infamous last-minute presidential pardons in 2001.[2]
The description of the town of Bologna, Italy, in the novel is quite accurate; however, it contains a few mistakes. For instance:
Additional errors include a scene where a character suggests that he be sent any medical bills for an injury sustained; in Italy there is a comprehensive state healthcare system and so this would not be relevant. In a later scene, a CIA agent travels on an Alitalia flight to Washington in economy class and has to pay for drinks; Alitalia long haul services include all drinks. Furthermore, as Backman travels per train from Italy to Switzerland and the train stops in Chiasso, is mentioned the train will make a few more stops in Italy before entering Switzerland, but Chiasso is already in Switzerland.