Despite being one of the literary world’s broadest genres, thrillers are a difficult beast to master.

They require a complex mix of pace, plot, and of course suspense, to keep readers up until 3 a.m in a wide-eyed, page-turning frenzy.

They range from whodunit murders to captivating conspiracies, tension-filled courtrooms to espionage and the supernatural. The list goes on and on, with new subgenres constantly being invented.

The one thing all of these tales have in common?

The ability to create a just-one-more-page reading experience, that transports you from the comfort of your sofa to a rollercoaster ride of excitement, anticipation and anxiety. Finally resulting in relief, as the ending cleverly ties each storyline together in a neatly wrapped decorative bow. 

Nevertheless, thrillers have come under considerable scrutiny from the literary community.

Dubbed as fast-food fiction, genre writers are often snubbed by their elitist compadres for producing formulaic narratives. Some even going as far to say these author’s are talentless. Yes, of course there are some books that have flat characters, stilted dialogue or simply lack substance, however at their best, thrillers can be both engaging and well-written and often grapple with meaningful issues of corruption, justice, equality and human psychology. 

After listening to Brian Koppleman interview John Grisham, on his excellent podcast The Moment, I felt compelled to read Grisham’s best-selling legal thriller The Firm.

Grisham practiced criminal law for about a decade while moonlighting as an author. 

The Firm, his second published novel, spent 47 weeks on the New York Time’s bestseller list and has sold more than seven million copies worldwide. Not so bad for a burger with a side of fries, but does it live up to its hype? 

Although it was quite slow to start with, it did keep me turning the page to the very end.

The Firm centres around Mitch McDeere, who graduates top of his class from Harvard law and receives offers from all the big law firms in New York and Chicago. Charmed by a hefty salary, BMW and a new home for him and his wife, Mitch joins Bendini, Lambert & Locke, a small but impressive tax firm in Memphis.

It isn’t long before Mitch finds out that everything isn’t quite what it seems at the Firm. Singled out by the FBI, Mitch has choose which side of the law he’s on before it’s too late. 

Despite the somewhat stereotypical characters, I was still eager to find out just how Mitch McDeere was planning on getting himself out from under the FBI and the firm.

The thriller definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing as to what move Mitch would make next, but the story was a little too far-fetched in places and the dialogue was somewhat stilted.

Like most of Grisham’s books, The Firm grapples with good vs evil, the little guy vs the big guy, and that in today’s justice system people can make the wrong choice at the wrong time and pay for it for the rest of their lives.

Overall I enjoyed The Firm probably as much as I enjoy a good burger and a side of fries*.

*We actually have some pretty tasty burger joints in my city.