Who doesn’t like a Grisham? The last Grisham book I reviewed was The Guardians which was at the top of his form. So would The Whistler be a classic Grisham?

Is the law an ass? How corrupt are the police? We have to believe in justice as a democracy but doubts surface all the time on the media. So when Grisham writes about corrupt judges your anxiety grows. After all, we trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all litigants, to punish those who do wrong, and to oversee the orderly and efficient flow of justice.

This is the story to take down a corrupt judge and a mafia ring in Florida. Lacy works for the Board on Judicial Conduct and hears from a mysterious informant and intermediary that the informant is prepared to file a complaint about the most corrupt judge in America. What follows is a rather predictable tangled web of bribery, murder, and intimidation that puts Lacy and those she trusts in danger.

There are thrills and spills and a degree of suspense but is this classic Grisham? Probably not, a holiday read perhaps but not his best by a long way. I think in the last few years, he has churned out books but too many are average. I cannot believe he is in need of a bob or two so why not take more time to produce a quality novel. Perhaps the book contracts are dominating his output. Shame!

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Grisham joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss his new novel, “The Whistler,” involving a crooked judge, gambling and millions of dollars in stolen cash.

John Grisham Bio

John Grisham is considered a master storyteller. Worldwide, the bestselling author has sold nearly 300 million copies of his books. Since “The Pelican Brief” in 1992, Grisham has had 28 consecutive No. 1 New York Times fiction bestsellers.