The Exchange: After the Firm by John Grisham (Firm #2) (2023)

 

Every time I read a John Grisham novel I am reminded of why I enjoy them so much. They are well written, fast paced, and engaging stories and The Exchange: After the Firm is no exception. The story begins 15 years after The Firm. Mitch and Abby McDeere now live in Manhattan with their where twin sons, Carter and Clarke. Mitch is a partner in the largest law firm in the world and Abby edits cookbooks.

When a mentor in the firm’s Rome office asks Mitch to go to Libya to negotiate the settlement of a lawsuit between a Turkish construction company and Gaddafi’s Libyan government Mitch, who is always looking for the next adventure, says yes. He also agrees to take his mentor’s daughter, an associate in the firm’s London office. When things go very wrong and the mentor’s daughter is kidnapped by terrorists, Mitch finds himself in the middle of the a high-stakes hostage negotiation that endangers everyone around him.

Some of the reviews I’ve read complained about the frequent mention of Mitch’s air travel, meals, etc. but I found the everyday minutia of life an interesting contract to the stress of the main event.

Although The Exchange is considered a sequel to The Firm, having read The Firm is not a prerequisite to enjoying this story.

3.72 stars on Goodreads, 4.0 on Amazon

Santa's Little Yelpers (Andy Carpenter #26) by David Rosenfelt (2022)

 

This was my first foray into the world of Andy Carpenter and I will definitely be visiting again. Andy is a defense attorney who doesn’t want to practice law and has an aversion to talking on the phone. And he always manages to get roped into both.

Throughout the book I felt Andy was sitting in my living room telling me all about his latest case, complete with wise cracks and asides. Secondary characters receive the same treatment, as well as Andy’s three dogs. I was laughing out loud at the author’s description of Andy’s basset hound, having owned one myself.

Santa's Little Yelpers has very little to do with the puppies on the cover. Rather it deals with their caregiver, Chris Myers, an ex-con who has always maintained he was innocent of the crime for which he was convicted. When the main witness against Chris recants his testimony, Chris asks Andy to help him get the decision overturned.  When that witness is murdered just after recanting his recant, all trails lead once again to Chris.

Andy and his private investigator wife are convinced Chris was framed for both crimes and set out to determine by whom. In addition to his wife, Andy works with a large team with a diverse collection of talents. It was very entertaining to be introduced to all of Andy’s vice presidents in charge of … There always seemed to be one when he needed it. The road to proving Chris innocent had many twists, turns, and dead-ends before reaching its satisfying conclusion.

The library owns 18 other titles in this series, including three other Christmas titles.

4.35 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon