The Brethren (2000)

Crime doesn’t pay, or does it? By the time I finished reading this novel, I was totally fed up with the concept that if ‘someone’ in government makes a mistake, his errors can be erased, papered over or (hopefully) expunged by all sorts of other crimes being committed on his behalf. But we are talking about an American Presidential election. And the prescience shown by John Grisham in this novel published one year before 9-11 is staggering. It reminded me that public fears have to be stoked, especially in an election year, before people will get out to cast their vote.

They call themselves the Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison. One was sent up for tax evasion. Another, for skimming bingo profits. The third for a career-ending drunken joyride.

Meeting daily in the prison law library, taking exercise walks in their boxer shorts, these judges-turned-felons can reminisce about old court cases, dispense a little jailhouse justice, and contemplate where their lives went wrong. Or they can use their time in prison to get very rich—very fast. …

Goodreads

The scam they thought up involved enticing correspondence from middle-age men who are hidden in their ‘closets’, and then extorting them by threatening to reveal their secret lives. Not an edifying subject matter, for sure. But this is similar to the phishing emails that have become everyday occurrences these days. There’s such a rich world to steal from, scammers seemingly can’t help themselves.

So, my question is: has John Grisham been a victim of one of these extortions?

John Grisham (February 8, 1955)

Appearances can be deceiving, so I’m going to probe a little deeper with astrology.

This chart is rectified to reflect the age (26) when Grisham married his wife (Venus). Two inconjuncts.

Sun Inconjunct Jupiter

This aspect has possibilities for positive and helpful energy. You may be a very optimistic person who helps people in need at the critical moment. If so, others will help you when you need it. If you can control yourself and keep from going overboard, you will find that you can be quite lucky. But don’t assume that luck will always carry you through. Work as hard as you can to get what you want and act fairly and honestly with others, the the luck will be there.

Mercury Inconjunct Uranus

As you get older, you will have to learn to discipline your mind so that you can think things through. It’s alright to be somewhat restless, but you must learn to stay put during school and at other times when it is important to concentrate. On the other hand, you are quite inventive. You can see solutions to problems quicker than most, and you may be good at designing. Model building and other activities that develop your design sense and ability to see in three dimensions would be very useful.

Now I have a much clearer picture of the man: he was only working through a couple of big ‘what if’ scenarios, just to see what might have happened if: 1) he was selected to run as his party’s Presidential candidate; and 2) he had a momentary misstep along the way. His feet in both camps of the Law and the Government gives him an insight into what goes on behind the scenes. That makes sense of this book.

In an October 2006 interview on the Charlie Rose show, Grisham stated that he usually takes only six months to write a book, and his favorite author is John le Carré.

Wikipedia

OK. His writing reminded me of John le Carré’s spy novels. Only difference, Grisham’s stories tend to work out for the best for everyone. Now I know why.