The Broker by John Grisham, 306 pages

"In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world's most sophisticated satellite surveillance system.

Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive - there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?" -Book Jacket

As far as Grisham books go, this wasn't my favorite, but it was decent - worth the $1 I paid for it at the used bookstore. I found it to be a little anti-climatic at the end. There were some suspenseful moments but no real run-for-your-life ones. Joel Backman is probably a pretty good representation of political power brokers: slimy yet personable. You like him and you despise him.

I enjoyed Grisham's author's note at the end and would recommend this if you need something to read on an airplane or a road trip, or just need a break from deep stuff like Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Who knew seagulls could be so philosophical?