I remember being fully engrossed by The Firm so many years ago. But like most thrillers, we never know what happens to the main character, until now. The Exchange by John Grisham takes us back to lawyer Mitch McDeere fifteen years after fleeing the country and tossing a match over their shoulder to Mitch’s crooked and deadly law firm. What happened in their wake. Mitch is back practicing law in New York City after years away with his wife, now with a family. Mitch’s firm has offices all over the world and when a partner and mentor in Rome asks for him by name to help his estranged daughter, Mitch reluctantly agrees. While visiting Libya, Mitch’s colleague is kidnapped and what follows is a fascinating look at international politics at a time of political unrest. This book definitely relies on the nostalgia factor. I often found myself thinking back to how much I loved the action and riveting story of The Firm. Although this story was full of interesting political quandaries that kept me interested, it was a missing the twists and turns I had hoped for. I found myself hoping for a double agent that I could love to hate, but in this case, the frustrating character was international policies about nationality. Although I enjoyed the story overall, it was going to be tough living up to The Firm. I would definitely recommend this book for readers of Vince Flynn and Daniel Silva, and of course John Grisham fans. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fifteen years after the “The Firm”, Mitch is now working for Scully and Pershing. He has recently been assigned to negotiate the outstanding debt for a bridge in the middle of nowhere, commissioned by the Libyan government, owed to a Turkish contractor. His London associate, Giovanna, daughter of Luca, a family friend of Mitch and Abby, is assigned to the same project. Arrangements are made of Mitch and his team to travel to Libya to tour the almost completed bridge, but something goes wrong: Giovanna is kidnapped and held for ransom.
I enjoyed the book, revisiting our old friends Mitch and Abby. It was interesting visiting a war torn setting in Libya, the lack of trusted officials, the precarious security detail assigned to them. For the most part, this is a novel about lawyers trying to come up with an unreasonably huge ransom demand by a due date, or else a pretty Italian woman will be executed. I enjoyed the read but felt the story was predictable. The terrorists seemed to have the upper hand at all times and there was a lack of satisfaction in anyone getting what was due to them. A solid 4 out of 5 stars.

I have to be honest, The Exchange, read exactly like how many other John Grisham novels read in my opinion. I can't tell if that is a compliment or not, as Grisham has certainly made a name for himself in the legal thriller genre. The Exchange takes place after the events of The Firm, and while readers do not need to have read Grisham's first novel with the character Mitch McDeere, it certainly helps to fully flesh out the backstory.

Otherwise, in the Exchange, Mitch finds himself traveling internationally on a fast paced case that begins to turn sinister and target those closest to him once again. With his family's lives at stake, Mitch must put all of his smarts and legal expertise on the line in order to come to a happy conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Double Day Publishing for allowing me the chance to read this novel.

After the firm--was very interested in seeing where the story would read. John Grisham is always a fun read. Thank you net galley and the publisher for arc in exchange for a review

John Grisham has always been one of my favorite authors and I was excited to see that a sequel to The Firm was being released. I really wanted to love this book but I just didn't. It was a slog to finish the book and I wasn't excited to pick it up. Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for the advanced copy. It just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the literary world, sequels often bear the burden of expectation, a challenge that John Grisham navigates with the finesse of a seasoned litigator in "The Exchange: After The Firm." This novel marks the return of Mitch McDeere, the protagonist whose cunning and moral fortitude captivated readers in "The Firm."

Set fifteen years after the events that turned Mitch's life upside down, we find him and his wife Abby living a seemingly tranquil life in Manhattan. Mitch, now a partner at the world's largest law firm, is drawn back into the labyrinth of legal intrigue when a favor for a mentor in Rome spirals into a plot with global ramifications.

Grisham's narrative is a high-octane legal thriller that doesn't just revisit old haunts but expands the universe of "The Firm" with new layers of suspense and moral complexity. The stakes are higher, the villains more shadowy, and the lines between right and wrong more blurred. Mitch, ever the master strategist, finds himself in a chess game where every move could be fatal, and there's nowhere to hide.

"The Exchange" is a testament to Grisham's ability to evolve his characters and his storytelling. While the novel can stand alone, those familiar with "The Firm" will appreciate the nuanced changes in Mitch and Abby's characters—older, wiser, but still as tenacious as ever. The narrative is tight, the pacing relentless, and the legal wrangling as sharp as ever.

However, the novel is not without its flaws. Some may find the return to Mitch's world less a sequel and more a reimagining that doesn't quite capture the original's raw edge. Others might argue that the character of Mitch lacks the flaws that make a protagonist truly compelling.

Despite these critiques, "The Exchange" is a worthy successor to "The Firm." It's a book that not only thrills but also makes you ponder the cost of justice and the price of survival in a world where the law is both shield and sword. Grisham fans old and new will find much to savor in this latest offering from America's favorite storyteller.

Thank you Netgalley, Doubleday Books | Doubleday and John Grisham for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

The Exchange is a riveting sequel to The Firm, continuing the story of Mitch and Abby McDeere after they exposed the crimes of a law firm and fled the country. Set fifteen years later in Manhattan, Mitch is now a partner at a prestigious law firm. When a favor takes him to Rome, he becomes entangled in a sinister plot with worldwide implications, putting his loved ones at risk. With his skills put to the test, Mitch must navigate a dangerous game with no place to hide.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy The Exchange. The plot may have lacked the excitement and intrigue expected from a thriller, and the characters may not have resonated as strongly. Overall, the story may have fallen short in delivering a gripping and engaging narrative that captivates my attention.

I found this book rather.... ordinary, I guess, at least compared to John Grisham's earlier work. It was an easy read and engaging enough, but there were a lot of meetings... and phone calls... and international flights... The book certainly didn't deliver on its promises of being a riveting legal thriller. It never achieved the level of suspense you would expect from Grisham. Oddly, too, the book opens with Mitch going to Memphis in connection with a death row case. It's a short-lived excursion that includes a rather banal meeting with one of his former colleagues from The Firm, but that storyline goes nowhere, and then the *actual* plot of the book begins. Having said all of that, it was entertaining enough to warrant a three-star rating from me.

I wanted to like this book. I loved The Firm and I consider John Grisham a comfort read. But this is less about Mitch McDeere than it is about everyone else in his sphere. Now he’s a corporate lawyer so zero courtroom and minimal legal stuff. Rich, perfect father/husband/lawyer zipping around the world having meetings which could have been emails.

**2.5 stars**

So I was shocked when I was approved for this on NetGalley but it after reading it and seeing a lot of negative reviews I’m pretty sure I was only approved in the hope I’d give it a really good review. Sadly, I cannot. I read the firm when it came out around 1993-94 and it started a live for John Grisham, a love I still have today. But I think a sequel to Mitch’s story is about 15 years too late. This one was lacking the mystery and nail biting suspense of The Firm or a usual Grisham novel. I honestly didn’t care about Giovanna enough to read a whole novel about her. I can’t believe Mitch would go back to visit old friends in Tennessee, I’m sure that was just for the readers of The Firm but still.

If The Exchange had been my first John Grisham book honestly it would be my last. I’m going to re-read The Pelican Brief and remember what I loved about his books.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Good enough. I really like The Firm and it was great to revisit these characters. Solid 4 stars. Grisham is always good for a solid read.

The Exchange is not so much a sequel of The Firm but the longest addendum known to man. With some of the same characters but none of the pace and thrill and edge of your seat drama, this book just made me question what I ever liked about John Grisham thrillers.

Update Mar'24: 3.5 stars
I waited patiently on the waitlist at the library but I'm not sure why. 3 stars because it's Grisham and I've been a fan since The Firm. But .5 stars because:
Questioning why it was considered a follow-up. Okay, Mitch and Abby were there but this was a stand-alone.
What was the point of the death-row scenario scene. Confusing.
So much travel, I couldn't tell where Mitch was. Adding to the confusion.
So many meetings. I lost track of who was who at the zoo.
Finale. Anticlimactic, to say the least. Maybe anticlimactic is not the correct word, the words came quickly but I was not terribly immersed. And then it was done.

My review in one word: disappointing.

Nov'23: Review coming! 4 stars for now.
I wasn’t able to finish this book before it was archived, now I’m on the waitlist at our (wonderful) local library.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. The Exchange is a sequel to The Firm, which I loved, but this book fell very short for me. Mitch and Abby don't even feel like the same characters. Gone is the fire and drive I feel they had in the first book and in its place is fear and going with the flow. Maybe I wouldn't behave any differently were I in there shoes, but I expected more of them. Mitch takes a return trip to Memphis at the start of the book and I feel it was only placed there to give anyone who hasn't read The Firm the backstory they need to understand where Mitch came from. While there Mitch has a very unbelievable lunch with an old friend he hasn't seen since he fled the city and the FBI dismantled the firm they worked in.

Normally I'm all about the details, especially when it comes to solving a mystery, or in this case when we are trying to figure out just where Mitch's associate is and who has taken her. The action didn't really ramp up until I was about 40% into it. I'm glad I stuck with it, but next time just make the book shorter and cut out all the extra details that have nothing to do with the case at hand (and there are a plethora of unnecessary details in this book!). The story itself made me tired as there is a ton of travel and meetings. Oh the meetings!

I do believe this works as a standalone book. So if you haven't read The Firm you should be fine.

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Like to know what happened to Mitch and Abby McDeere, who fled the country after exposing the criminal enterprises of Memphis law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke in the Firm? Read The Exchange.

Fifteen years later, Mitch is a NY partner in a renowned international law firm. He and Abby have twin sons and Abby is a senior editor at a press specializing in cookbooks.

After Mitch takes on a case in Libya, a young female lawyer (Giovanna) who accompanies him is kidnapped and held for ransom. Both Mitch and Abby out themselves at risk to bring her home.

Thank you, Netgalley and Doubleday, for an ARC of this book! The opinions in this review are entirely my own!

Well, this was definitely not my favorite Grisham, unfortunately! I have to admit that this is the first of his books I read in English. All the others I have read, I read in German. Even though this one fell a little flat for me, he is still one of my favorite authors. I did like the writing, but the setting and focus of the story just weren't what I expected from the author. I'm not sure why I couldn't love the book. It was an OK book for me, but now your typical amazing Grisham.

"The Exchange" by John Grisham is a book billed as a sequel to his breakout novel “The Firm.”

It is now 15 years after the events of "The Firm." Mitch McDeere is happily married with a couple kids and works at a prestigious global law firm. When he gets involved in a lawsuit for a bridge in Libya, things go bad and Mitch is now negotiating for the return of a kidnapped coworker. Things get more tense when Mitch’s wife is the contact for the kidnappers.

While it is the same characters, I’m not sure that this is what I was expecting. The preceding book was a riveting page turner while this one was not. It felt a bit slow and predictable.

I first read and enjoyed The Firm over 30 years ago so I didn't really remember all of it so I do believe this can be read as a standalone. This story started a little slow for me, the action picks up after the kidnapping and I liked those parts. I did really enjoy the interaction between Mitch, Abby and their boys. There was the start of a possible death row case which was wrapped up too quickly, I would've enjoyed more of the story. I would like reading more about Mitch, Abby and their sons in the future maybe a book 3?

I enjoyed "The Exchange" and appreciate the advance copy. It was great to reunite with Mitch and Abby in the story. It was a tense legal thriller that kept me turning the pages as most of Grisham's books do. It was not as compelling as "The Firm" which left me a little disappointed. However, it would make a fantastic movie and I am recommending it to library patrons and book clubs.

This was a great follow up to its predecessor - it was interesting, unique, well paced, and picked up the characters in a way that was true to them. Definitely worth a read - hoping for a movie (without it's previous main actor).