The plot

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The plot (original title: The Racketeer ) is a novel by the American author John Grisham from 2012, which was one of the best-selling books in the year of publication and made it to the top of various bestseller lists.

action

Malcolm Bannister, an African-American ex- Marine , was an attorney with a small law firm in Virginia until he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in a RICO lawsuit. At that time he had unsuspectingly handled the purchase of a property that turned out to be a remote hunting lodge, into which a lobbyist invited corrupt MPs to orgies with underage girls. When the scandal became public, Bannister's name, along with many others, was placed on a hundred-page indictment by the FBI . His protests of innocence were ignored.

After five years in prison, half his sentence, Bannister, who has since been revoked from his lawyer license and left by his wife, harbors bitter grudges against state authority in general and the FBI in particular. When the brutal murder of federal judge Fawcett and his lover hits the headlines and the FBI investigations come to nothing, Bannister sees his chance. He knows who the murderer is, why he committed the crime and what was in the vault of the corrupt judge that was emptied by the murderer.

He convinces the FBI to offer him a deal that will free him and the witness protection program in exchange for information leading to the murderer's charges . He tells the FBI that Quinn Rucker - a drug dealer he met in prison - escaped from prison and murdered the judge in revenge for a failed attempt at bribery . In this case, the judge had accepted half a million dollars , but failed to keep his promises. With the knowledge of Quinn's whereabouts, which Bannister reports to the FBI, Quinn can be arrested. A short time later he confesses to the judge's murder and is charged. It turns out, however, that Quinn Rucker actually did not commit the murder, and that Bannister is well aware of this fact.

Once charged, Bannister is released and given a new identity - Max Reed Baldwin - and a new face through plastic surgery . After the FBI discovers that Rucker's gang is known to Bannister's whereabouts and they want to take revenge on him, Bannister leaves the witness protection program and goes into hiding. He founds a bogus film studio called Skelter Films and contacts a man he also knows from prison, Nathan Cooley.

He asks them to be part of a documentary about corruption in the DEA and the FBI. Thanks to his new face, he manages to hide his true identity from Cooley. Little by little, he succeeds in gaining Cooley's trust until he finally takes him to a Jamaican prison by drugging him on a private plane and placing cocaine and a gun in his luggage.

In fact, Nathan Cooley is the murderer of the judge from whom he stole about $ 7.5 million worth of gold . The judge had received this from a mining company in return for a judge’s verdict that allowed the mining company to mine uranium in the region . Bannister gets the desperate Cooley to reveal the whereabouts of the gold so that he can buy him out of prison. Instead, Bannister leaves Cooley in jail and steals his gold. Meanwhile, the charges against Quinn Rucker are dropped after it is revealed that he has an alibi. It turns out that Bannister and Rucker have been working together from the start to steal the gold Bannister learned about in prison. He swaps the identity of the real killer for immunity and advises the FBI to investigate the bribery of the mining company on Judge Fawcett.

Meanwhile, Bannister and the Rucker family celebrate their success in Bannister's new house in Antigua and divide the gold among themselves.

background

Commentators have pointed out that The Conspiracy is unique among Grisham's novels in that the protagonist, Malcolm Bannister, is an African American. Grisham has said that fans have encouraged him to make a black man the main character for many years. But this is not a big deal for him. It's not about race.

reception

Tom Nolan of the Wall Street Journal describes the book as a cleverly constructed text full of puzzles. According to him, the question arises who is the main character: Bannister, the murdered Judge Fawcett or his murderer. Nolan also sees the book as instructive in its descriptions of the American legal and penal system. He also praises the book for its surprising twists and turns and changes of location. Janet Maslin of the New York Times describes the book as a change from Grisham's usual legal novels. Although it starts with the usual legal problems, the plot later takes an unexpected direction. She says that instead of "triumphing or failing justice in court," this book is about reform and revenge. The USA Today praised the interesting twists of the book and recommended it on October 27 as a book tip.

filming

According to the Hollywood Reporter , 20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises jointly decided in early 2013 to work on a film adaptation of The Conspiracy . As a director was Daniel Espinosa committed previously in the movie Safe House with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds was directing. After the book was published, Denzel Washington was in discussion for the role of Malcolm Bannister in a possible film adaptation. Grisham hoped Washington would take the role, and many of his contacts encouraged him to bank on this one. Regarding the likelihood that Washington will actually take on the role, Grisham said: “Nobody has heard from Denzel. And I learned a long time ago that you never get who you want. You never get the right actor. "

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Oskar Piegsa: New Thriller by John Grisham: The Racist States of America. Spiegel.de, August 12, 2013, accessed July 10, 2014 .
  2. ↑ a b Amanda Cochran: John Grisham talks "The Racketeer," who may play in Hollywood adaptation. cbsnews.com, October 24, 2012, accessed July 4, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Tom Nolan: Mystery Chronicle: Imperfect Crimes. wsj.com, October 19, 2012, accessed July 6, 2014 .
  4. ↑ Janet Maslin: The Ex-Lawyer (Disbarred) as a Good Guy. wsj.com, October 17, 2012, accessed July 6, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Carol Memmott, Bob Mint Heimer, Brian Truitt and Don Oldenburg: Weekend picks for book lovers. usatoday.com, October 27, 2012, accessed July 6, 2014 .
  6. ↑ Bory's Kit: John Grisham's 'The Racketeer' Picked Up by Fox 2000, New Regency (Exclusive). hollywoodreporter.com, February 12, 2013, accessed July 6, 2014 .