The Associate

Upon leaving Yale Law School, scholastic superstar Kyle McAvoy plans to work in the public service sector before joining his father's firm. But a blackmail threat concerning college fraternity shenanigans sends him into a major New York practice--and a plot that has him running for his life. Erik Singer is the perfect choice for this classic Grisham thriller. His fresh, edgy vocal tones adapt well to the character of Kyle, as well as to the other characters in the story. Singer's pace keeps up with the racing plot, offering slight shifts in inflection to suggest gender and age. And when the story reaches a sudden and unsatisfying ending, we can hear our disappointment mirrored in his performance. R.L.L. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine


With each new release, Scott Brick's performance gets better and better. In this latest, and one of the best, legal whodunit by the dependable Margolin, Brick is called upon to portray a myriad of characters, and he glides from one to the other with ease. A young associate in a top-notch Portland, Oregon, law firm is fired by a partner for a costly mistake. Then, he is charged with the partner's murder. In an attempt to clear himself, the associate, Daniel Ames, stumbles upon a multi-faceted conspiracy with several more bodies littering the trail. As Brick's winsome voice leads the listener toward the surprise ending, one can only marvel at the almost perfect match of writer and reader. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

January 26, 2009
Bestseller Grisham's contemporary legal thriller offers an action-and-suspense plot reminiscent of that of his breakout book, 1991's The Firm, in contrast to 2008's didactic The Appeal, which served as a platform for his concerns about the corrupting effects of judicial elections. Kyle McAvoy, a callow Yale Law School student, dreams of a public service gig on graduation, until shadowy figures blackmail him with a videotape that could revive a five-year-old rape accusation. Instead of helping those in need, McAvoy accepts a position at a huge Wall Street firm, Scully & Pershing, whose clients include a military contractor enmeshed in a $800 billion lawsuit concerning a newly-designed aircraft. McAvoy can avoid exposure of his past if he feeds his new masters inside information on the case. Readers should be prepared for some predictable twists, an ending with some unwarranted ambiguity and some unconvincing details (the idea that a secret file room in a high stakes litigation case would be closed from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. every night stretches credulity to the breaking point). Still, Grisham devotees should be satisfied, even if this is one of his lesser works.