The ClientThe Client
Score Modern
What it's about
Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his little brother sneak into the woods in Memphis to smoke, and find a man about to kill himself in his car. The man is a mob lawyer, and before he dies he tells Mark where a murdered senator's body is hidden. Now the FBI wants Mark to talk and the mob wants him dead, and Mark finds a lawyer, a recovering alcoholic named Reggie Love, for one dollar.
Why it's worth reading
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and became a film with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. Mark is one of Grisham's most likable heroes.
You'll love it if you liked
The Pelican Brief
Presumed Innocent
The Bourne IdentityGood to know
It opens with a suicide witnessed by children. It's fast and light on legal detail.
By the numbers
- Readers55 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller64 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #148 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #588 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1120 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by John Grisham
The Pelican Brief
The Widow
The Rainmaker
The GuardiansIf you like this, read next
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Quick answers
Is The Client worth reading?
Yes. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and became a film with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. It ranks #1,120 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 71.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Client about?
Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his little brother sneak into the woods in Memphis to smoke, and find a man about to kill himself in his car. The man is a mob lawyer, and before he dies he tells Mark where a murdered senator's body is hidden. Now the FBI wants Mark to talk and the mob wants him dead, and Mark finds a lawyer, a recovering alcoholic named Reggie Love, for one dollar.
How long does it take to read The Client?
About 11 hours (422 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Client?
If you liked it, try The Pelican Brief by John Grisham, Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow or The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum.