The Associate by John Grisham

A man from Las Vegas wrote letters of confession to people he might have harmed when he was still in his drinking days. In 1984, there was a woman who had claimed she was raped by the same man but her charges were dismissed then. Once she received the letter of admission from the man, she called the police and had him arrested again. This incident was widely reported in the area where John Grisham lived, and he wrote a novel around it. This became his 21st novel, The Associate.

Bennie Threatens To Expose Him

The protagonist of the novel is Kyle McAvoy, who is getting plenty of offers from big law firms with huge pay packets. Kyle, on the other hand, wants to do legal aid work for migrants before he joins Scully and Pershing. The real story starts when he is visited by Bennie Wright who knows one secret about him and threatens to make it public thus harming his career (if Kyle does not do as asked to).

At Best, His Career Would Be Harmed

Three years back, Kyle along with his friends came into his apartment with a freshman girl after a long day of drinking. Two of the boys had sex with her, one filmed it in the cellphone camera and though Kyle didn’t participate, he was still there in the video and he could still be charged as an accomplice. At worst, he also faces the prospects of jail term along with his friends.

Kyle Does Not Have Any Choice

It’s obvious that Bennie is blackmailing Kyle and Kyle in turn has understood that he doesn’t have any choice and that he simply has to do what he is told to. He is directed to join the same firm where he intended to go, but he has to work as a spy and procure information for Bennie. Bennie and his friends have installed cameras and bugs all around Kyle thus creating such a vice like grip that he cannot even think of escaping. One of Kyle’s friends decides to write a letter of apology to the victim, admitting that he committed rape, though Kyle tries to convince him that nothing positive would come out due to confession.

John Grisham’s Talent Goes beyond Legal Thrillers

As always, the narrative talent of John Grisham is consistent and smooth, though the plot itself is fanciful. The readers just keep turning the pages to find out whether Kyle managed to escape or not. John Grisham is well known for writing contrived plots, though he has tried to come out of his comfort zone and has stretched the limits of his talent, the legal thrillers still continue to be his bread and butter.

The Associate by John Grisham