How is "The Broker" similar/different from " An Innocent Man"?

The Broker and The Innocent Man are related to judicial issues that are used against the main characters to place them in abominable situations. It puts the characters in terrible predicaments because Joel Backman like Ron Williamson and Denis Fritz are in the mercy of the United States court. These books are very similar in writing style, which is suspense. Although both were filled with much suspense I felt like both took breaks in between action filled chapters to convince readers that although these characters were portrayed as criminals, being informed of their past and hard times, they deserve sympathy. John Grisham does a wonderful job of intriguing his readers by structuring the text in a puzzling written way that keeps you glued to his books because unanswered thoughts or questions causes a reader to read more. He usually doesn't reveal answers until the end of his novels. To every problem it is in our nature to figure out the answer which he demonstrates greatly in An Innocent Man following Ada polices' journey to solving the case and proving innocence among the two "criminals" Williamson and Fritz that were wrongly convicted. I think the only major difference between the two books is one is fictional, the other non-fictional, which is why I personally prefer An Innocent Man over The Broker. I sometimes watch re-told murder mysteries on Discovery and WEtv because it freaks me out sometimes, which isn't always a bad thing because it means they've done their job to keep my attention and An Innocent Man had more of a connection to the characters because seeing real pictures in the book and the fact its based on a true story makes it more realistic for me which causes more of an interest to continue reading. I would reccommend both books to anyone that is interested in Grisham's suspenful story lines.

Now, Backman is living in Bologna. I find out that the CIA is going make sure Backman is killed because he possess secrets that could compromise the national security, so the CIA goes under cover and leaks out information to the three countries, (Russia, China, and Israel), regarding Joel Backman's where abouts so they can lay eyes on the country that kills Backman due to his unwanted knowledge of this satellite. Surprisingly, John Grisham takes a rest from the suspenful action and actually gives the reader a chance to get to know the main character. You discover events from his past about his experiences in the white house and his sadness after he was convicted because he felt abandonment from his three children who left him when the scandal broke. But so far, when Backman gets to Italy, he is really enjoying himself which I would've thought the opposite. He compliments everything about Italy: The food, the language and the lovely scenery. So for a second I forget about the undercover spies coming to kill him. He now has to learn the language, where he is forced to attend this Italian class and has changed his identity. If a person asks him something in Italian, like the difficulty he faces of ordering food, that he doesn't understand he can't say anything in english so he must either nod his head or speak Italian like the Italians. Grisham choses to take a break from the action for a second so he can excite us towards the end, making the story a good ending because the ending of a story or how the story unfolds, must be interesting.

Chapter 1 starts out with the main character Joel Backman in jail. Most authors write a introduction that leads up to an event or turning point but John Grisham jumps right to a sudden event in the book. Although it was a bit confusing, because it doesn't clearly state he's in jail in the first couple of pages. I just had to envision the story just like a film in my head where you listen to the characters and watch for clues so you can finally put all the pieces together. Joel Backman has been sentenced to twenty years in jail for treason. He worked in the White House with the president Author Morgan but was sentenced to jail after discovering this universal satellite system. He doesn't realize that Author Morgan's term is about to be up after a calamitous (i hoped i used that word correctly) loss for votes in the presidential election. So President Morgan begans to feel pressured from the CIA to free Joel Backman "the broker". To allow Backman to go under cover and live in Italy with a whole new identity, but there's a twist, the president and the CIA know he will be killed. " It's not a matter of if he will be killed, but who kills him." The CIA is looking for a country that wants access to Backman's discovery of this incredibly powerful satellite system and they're looking to see who makes the kill. Russia, China, or Israel. When a detective comes to talk to Backman about the presidents deal to pardon him he doesn't really understand whats going on so through the chapter I' m on pens and needles because I feel just as confused as the main character. The detective isn't answering most of the questions he asks. "And we don't have time to explain, it's a quick deal, Mr. Backman. Unfortunately, you dont have time to contemplate things. A snap decision is required. Yes or no. You want to stay here, or you want to live on the other side of the world?" " Where?", says Backman. "We don't know where but we'll figure it out." " Will I be safe?" "Only you can answer that Mr. Backman." So Backman is thrown into this CIA project that is extremely questionable but seems to be a great ticket out of jail for someone who's been rotting away in the big house for six years. Once again I love mysteries and suspense because it doesn't give a reader answers right away, you have to continue reading the text.

The Broker

The Broker is a New York Times Bestseller and my mom seems to think it is one of John Grisham's most thrilling novels. Everytime it comes time for me to read a new book I look through my parents stack of books stored upstairs in our chest that would be a good read. My parents always give me these spiritual holy christian books they keep upstairs and this time I wanted to break away from that and pick something new since quite frankly its only so much education about God one persons mind can bare to take. So my mom gave me this book and I thought, " I did read a John Grisham book for my summer reading". Like any reader puzzled about a certain book, I turned over to the back cover to be informed a little about the story and I grinned as i realized this book had suspense written all over it and those are my favorite reads. Even the critics reviews were convincing. " A fast-paced, fun read with echoes of something deeper. The author's command of pop fiction delivers crisp, sharp prose."- Boston Globe and " Where Grisham leads, millions of readers follow." -New York Daily News. After having read An Innocent Man, I knew this book would be just as good if not better.