After waiting for The Brethren for many months, I was slightly disappointed with it as a whole.

Grisham has become a staple of my reading not because he writes great novels, but because he writes readable books that aren't very challenging to ones points of view and he writes them frequently which allows me periodic breaks from more serious reading. This book is almost he perfect example. An easily told tale that is fast paced and not at all thought provoking. I'm glad he broke his formula after Street Lawyer and the last two books have been definite improvements.

While not nearly the book A Time to Kill is, its clearly better than his anti-death penalty crusade of The Chamber. As an average Grisham novel it is an enjoyable diversion for a day or two, though non-Grisham fans might want to wait until the inevitable film is made and watch that instead. This like almost all his recent books read more like a screen play than a novel. I only wish he would show the talent that wrote A Time to Kill again.