Books: The Racketeer

The first question that comes into our mind after reading through the initial part of this book is about the title. Who is the racketeer? Is it the main protagonist, Malcolm? He is languishing in a jail, hating every moment of it, because he was involved in racketeering. The truth be told, he was caught unawares in the middle of a racketeering scheme. But now, he is looking forward to walk free by helping with the Feds solve the murder of a judge. So is the book about a wrongly convicted man yearning and working towards freedom? Yes, it is.

Because of the way John Grisham narrates the story, we also tend to suspect there is more to the story than freedom. Possibly, there is an angle of redemption in it. If there is how? This thought grips the reader after he/she has taken up this book. This is also what makes this book a compelling read. You may be already familiar with the genre which has made John Grisham famous. This book doesn't belong to the genre that made John Grisham famous. It actually starts where most of his books end. That is to say after dispensing justice.

Although John Grisham tries to provide a social commentary on justice system, ambition of the officials, greed of men and the prison system, the emphasis is on telling a simple story. Hence the social commentary is mostly hollow but helps to build drama and also makes a naive reader to choose sides. It was exactly what I was looking forward when I picked up the book. I didn't want a lot of twists and turns. A straightforward narration was good for me. At the same time, I also wanted to be surprised once in a while. That is exactly what I got.

This is a good diversion from anything that has been eating your mind.

Tags: Books,John Grisham

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