 First edition cover | |
| Author | John Grisham |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Legal thriller |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 1997 |
| Publication place | United States |
Published in English | 1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 412 |
| ISBN | 0-385-47295-1 |
| OCLC | 38277014 |
| 813/.54 21 | |
| LC Class | PS3557.R5355 P35 1997 |
The Partner (1997) is a legal/thriller novel by American author John Grisham. [1] It was Grisham's eighth novel.
It's been four years since Patrick Lanigan, a junior partner in a law firm based in Biloxi, Mississippi, learned of the scheme, masterminded by his firm's client, shipbuilding magnate Benny Aricia, to defraud the U.S. government via inflated and falsified contracts for the construction of U.S. Navy vessels. The firm's senior partners didn't include Lanigan in the plan, in which they stood to earn millions laundering the ill-gotten gains. Lanigan then devised a plan of his own, wherein he faked his death, stole $90 million from the secret offshore accounts where the firm had been hiding the ill-gotten gains, and then fled to South America. Since then, Lanigan started a new life with new-found love Eva. But Aricia has never forgotten the man who betrayed him and soon, his men find the former partner with intentions to do whatever it takes to recover the money. In a desperate bid, Lanigan gives power of attorney over his estate to Eva, then turns himself over to the FBI. Once returned to the U.S., Lanigan must fight multiple legal battles, in state, civil and federal courts, involving a former client, his estranged wife, and the highest levels of government, to protect the people he cares for, gain his freedom and, finally get back to Eva and the part of the fortune they secretly set aside.
Publishers Weekly wrote: "To call the plot of The Partner mechanical is at least partly a compliment: it is well-oiled, intricate and works smoothly. But its cynicism is remorseless." [2] Kirkus Reviews called the book Grisham's "best-plotted novel yet," praising the "masterfully bittersweet end." [3]
In January 2025, it was announced that Tom Holland had made a deal to star in and produce an adaptation of The Partner for Universal Pictures with screenwriter Graham Moore set to write the script. Previously, John Lee Hancock had intended to adapt The Partner as a follow-up to The Blind Side for New Regency before the project stalled in development. [4]
John Ray Grisham Jr. is an American novelist, lawyer, and former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Along with Tom Clancy and J. K. Rowling, Grisham is one of only three anglophone authors to have sold two million copies on the first printing.
The Rainmaker is a 1997 American legal drama film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on John Grisham's 1995 novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Roy Scheider, Virginia Madsen, and Teresa Wright in her final film role.
The Pelican Brief is a legal-suspense thriller by John Grisham, published in 1992 by Doubleday. It is his third novel after A Time to Kill and The Firm. Two paperback editions were published, both by Dell Publishing in 1993. A namesake film adaptation was released in 1993 starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.
The Client is a 1993 legal thriller novel written by American author John Grisham. It is Grisham's fourth novel and follows the story of an 11-year-old boy, Mark Sway, who becomes entangled in a mob-related legal case after witnessing the suicide of a lawyer who knows the location of a murdered U.S. senator’s body. The novel is set primarily in Memphis, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
The legal thriller genre is a type of crime fiction genre that focuses on the proceedings of the investigation, with particular reference to the impacts on courtroom proceedings and the lives of characters.
The Street Lawyer is a legal thriller novel by John Grisham. It was Grisham's ninth novel. The book was released in the United States on 1 January 1998, published by Bantam Books, and on 30 March 1998 in the UK, published by Century.
The Runaway Jury is a legal thriller novel written by American author John Grisham. It was Grisham's seventh novel. The hardcover first edition was published by Doubleday Books in 1996 (ISBN 0-385-47294-3). Pearson Longman released the graded reader edition in 2001 (ISBN 0-582-43405-X). The novel was published again in 2003 to coincide with the release of Runaway Jury, a movie adaptation of the novel starring Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack and Rachel Weisz. The third printing (ISBN 0-440-22147-1) bears a movie-themed cover, in place of the covers used on the first and second printings.
The Firm is a 1991 legal thriller by American writer John Grisham. It was his second book and the first that gained wide popularity. In 1993, after selling 1.5 million copies, it was adapted into a film of the same name starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman and Jeanne Tripplehorn. Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, came into prominence afterwards due to this novel's success.
The Brethren is a 2000 legal thriller novel by American author John Grisham.
The Chamber is a 1996 American legal thriller film directed by James Foley. It is based on John Grisham's 1994 novel of the same name. The film stars Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway, Lela Rochon, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry, and David Marshall Grant.
The Associate is a legal thriller by John Grisham. His 21st novel, it was published by Doubleday and released in the United States on January 26, 2009.
Polly Jean Nelson is an American attorney and author. She is best known as a member of serial killer Ted Bundy's last defense team from 1986 until his execution in January 1989.
The Litigators is a 2011 legal thriller novel by John Grisham, his 25th fiction novel overall. The Litigators is about a two-partner Chicago law firm attempting to strike it rich in a class action lawsuit over a cholesterol reduction drug by a major pharmaceutical drug company. The protagonist is a Harvard Law School grad big law firm burnout who stumbles upon the boutique and joins it only to find himself litigating against his old law firm in this case. The book is regarded as more humorous than most of Grisham's prior novels.
The Client is an American legal thriller drama television series developed by Judith Paige Mitchell that aired on CBS for one season, premiering with a two-hour pilot on September 17, 1995, and airing new episodes through April 16, 1996. The series was based on the 1994 film The Client, itself adapted from the 1993 John Grisham novel. It starred JoBeth Williams, John Heard, and Polly Holliday in the roles created in the film by Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, and Micole Mercurio, respectively.
The Firm is a 1993 American legal thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack, and starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn and Gary Busey. The film is based on the 1991 novel of the same name by author John Grisham.
Charles Belfoure is an American writer, architect and historian specializing in historic preservation, author of several histories and fiction works, including The New York Times best-selling novel The Paris Architect.
Rideback is a film and television production company formed on December 12, 2007 by producer Dan Lin. Its notable films include The Lego Movie franchise.
A Time for Mercy, a legal thriller novel by American author John Grisham, is the sequel to A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row. The latest book features the return of the character Jake Brigance, a small-town Mississippi lawyer who takes on difficult cases. The novel was released on October 13, 2020.
The Exchange: After The Firm is a legal thriller novel by John Grisham, serving as a sequel to his famous work The Firm. The book delves into the life of Mitch McDeere, the protagonist of The Firm, exploring his new challenges fifteen years after the events of the first novel.
The Guardians is a legal thriller novel by John Grisham, focusing on the world of wrongful convictions and the struggles faced by defense attorneys in exonerating innocent people.