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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A high-stakes thrill ride through the darkest corners of the Sunshine State, from the author hailed as “the best thriller writer alive” by Ken Follett

“Riveting . . . an elaborate conspiracy.”—The New York Times Book Review

We expect our judges to be honest and wise. Their integrity is the bedrock of the entire judicial system. We trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all litigants, to punish those who do wrong, and to oversee the flow of justice. But what happens when a judge bends the law or takes a bribe?

Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. It is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption.

But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined. And not just crooked judges in Florida. All judges, from all states, and throughout United States history. And now he wants to put a stop to it. His only client is a person who knows the truth and wants to blow the whistle and collect millions under Florida law. When the case is assigned to Lacy, she immediately suspects that this one could be dangerous.

Dangerous is one thing. Deadly is something else.

Review

“Riveting . . . finely drawn . . . The Whistler centers on an elaborate conspiracy involving an Indian reservation, an organized crime syndicate and a crooked judge skimming a small fortune from the tribal casino’s monthly haul.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A main character who’s a seriously appealing woman . . . a whistle-blower who secretly calls attention to corruption . . . a strong and frightening sense of place . . . Grisham’s on his game.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“A fascinating look at judicial corruption . . . an entirely convincing story and one of Grisham’s best. I can’t think of another major American novelist since Sinclair Lewis who has so effectively targeted social and political ills in our society. In Grisham’s case, it is time at least to recognize that at his best he is not simply the author of entertaining legal thrillers but an important novelistic critic of our society. In more than 30 novels, he has often used his exceptional storytelling skills to take a hard look at injustice and corruption in the legal world and in our society as a whole.”—Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post

“Grisham’s latest involves the rich and powerful and an abuse of the justice system. Grisham novels are crowd-pleasers because he knows how to satisfy readers who want to see injustice crushed, and justice truly prevails for those who cannot buy influence.”—Associated Press

“Grisham has become an institution. For more than 25 years now he’s been our guide to the byways and backwaters of our legal system, superb in particular at ferreting out its vulnerabilities and dramatizing their abuse in gripping style. He excels at describing injustice and corruption. Grisham’s legal knowledge is impressive, and his ability to convey it unparalleled in popular fiction.”—USA Today

About the Author

John Grisham is the author of numerous #1 bestsellers, including The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Innocent Man, The Whistler, The Boys from Biloxi, and many more. His books have been translated into nearly fifty languages. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system. He lives on a farm in central Virginia.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1

The satellite radio was playing soft jazz, a compromise. Lacy, the owner of the Prius and thus the radio, loathed rap almost as much as Hugo, her passenger, loathed contemporary country. They had failed to agree on sports talk, public radio, golden oldies, adult comedy, and the BBC, without getting near bluegrass, CNN, opera, or a hundred other stations. Out of frustration on her part and fatigue on his, they both threw in the towel early and settled on soft jazz. Soft, so Hugo’s deep and lengthy nap would not be disturbed. Soft, because Lacy didn’t care much for jazz either. It was another give-and-take of sorts, one of many that had sustained their teamwork over the years. He slept and she drove and both were content.

Before the Great Recession, the Board on Judicial Conduct had access to a small pool of state-owned Hondas, all with four doors and white paint and low mileage. With budget cuts, though, those disappeared. Lacy, Hugo, and countless other public employees in Florida were now expected to use their own vehicles for the state’s work, reimbursed at fifty cents a mile. Hugo, with four kids and a hefty mortgage, drove an ancient Bronco that could barely make it to the office, let alone a road trip. And so he slept.

Lacy enjoyed the quiet. She handled most of her cases alone, as did her colleagues. Deeper cuts had decimated the office, and the BJC was down to its last six investigators. Seven, in a state of twenty million people, with a thousand judges sitting in six hundred courtrooms and processing a half a million cases a year. Lacy was forever grateful that almost all judges were honest, hardworking people committed to justice and equality. Otherwise, she would have left long ago. The small number of bad apples kept her busy fifty hours a week.

She gently touched the signal switch and slowed on the exit ramp. When the car rolled to a stop, Hugo lurched forward as if wide awake and ready for the day. “Where are we?” he asked.

“Almost there. Twenty minutes. Time for you to roll to your right and snore at the window.”

“Sorry. Was I snoring?”

“You always snore, at least according to your wife.”

“Well, in my defense, I was walking the floor at three this morning with her latest child. I think it’s a girl. What’s her name?”

“Wife or daughter?”

“Ha‑ha.”

The lovely and ever-pregnant Verna kept few secrets when it came to her husband. It was her calling to keep his ego in check and it was no small task. In another life, Hugo had been a football star in high school, then the top-rated signee in his class at Florida State, and the first freshman to crack the starting lineup. He’d been a tailback, both bruising and dazzling, for three and a half games anyway, until they carried him off on a stretcher with a jammed vertebra in his upper spine. He vowed to make a comeback. His mother said no. He graduated with honors and went to law school. His glory days were fading fast, but he would always carry some of the swagger possessed by all-Americans. He couldn’t help it.

“Twenty minutes, huh?” he grunted.

“Sure, or not. If you like, I’ll just leave you in the car with the motor running and you can sleep all day.”

He rolled to his right, closed his eyes, and said, “I want a new partner.”

“That’s an idea, but the problem is nobody else will have you.”

“And one with a bigger car.”

“It gets fifty miles a gallon.”

He grunted again, grew still, then twitched, jerked, mumbled, and sat straight up. He rubbed his eyes and said, “What are we listening to?”

“We had this conversation a long time ago, when we left Tallahassee, just as you were beginning to hibernate.”

“I offered to drive, as I recall.”

“Yes, with one eye open. It meant so much. How’s Pippin?”

“She cries a lot. Usually, and I say this from vast experience, when a newborn cries it’s for a reason. Food, water, diaper, momma--whatever. Not this one. She squawks for the hell of it. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“If you’ll recall, I’ve actually walked the floors with Pippin on two occasions.”

“Yes, and God bless you. Can you come over tonight?”

“Anytime. She’s number four. You guys thought about birth control?”

“We are beginning to have that conversation. And now that we’re on the subject, how’s your sex life?”

“Sorry. My mistake.” At thirty-six Lacy was single and attractive, and her sex life was a rich source of whispered curiosity around the office.

They were going east toward the Atlantic Ocean. St. Augustine was eight miles ahead. Lacy finally turned off the radio when Hugo asked, “And you’ve been here before?”

“Yes, a few years back. Then boyfriend and I spent a week on the beach in a friend’s condo.”

“A lot of sex?”

“Here we go again. Is your mind always in the gutter?”

“Well, come to think of it, the answer has to be yes. Plus, you need to understand that Pippin is now a month old, which means that Verna and I have not had normal relations in at least three months. I still maintain, at least to myself, that she cut me off three weeks too early, but it’s sort of a moot point. Can’t really go back and catch up, you know? So things are fairly ramped up in my corner; not sure she feels the same way. Three rug rats and a newborn do serious damage to that intimacy thing.”

“I’ll never know.”

He tried to focus on the highway for a mile or two, then his eyelids grew heavy and he began to nod. She glanced at him and smiled. In her nine years with the Board, she and Hugo had worked a dozen cases together. They made a nice team and trusted each other, and both knew that any bad behavior by him, and there had been none to date, would immediately be reported to Verna. Lacy worked with Hugo, but she gossiped and shopped with Verna.

St. Augustine was billed as the oldest city in America, the very spot where Ponce de León landed and began exploring. Long on history and heavy on tourism, it was a lovely town with historic buildings and thick Spanish moss dripping from ancient oaks. As they entered its outskirts, the traffic slowed and tour buses stopped. To the right and in the distance, an old cathedral towered above the town. Lacy remembered it all very well. The week with the old boyfriend had been a disaster, but she had fond memories of St. Augustine.

One of many disasters.

“And who is this mysterious deep throat we are supposed to meet?” Hugo asked, rubbing his eyes once again, now determined to stay awake.

“Don’t know yet, but his code name is Randy.”

“Okay, and please remind me why we are tag teaming a secret meeting with a man using an alias who has yet to file a formal complaint against one of our esteemed judges.”

“I can’t explain. But I’ve talked to him three times on the phone and he sounds, uh, rather earnest.”

“Great. When was the last time you talked to a complaining party who didn’t sound, uh, rather earnest?”

“Stick with me, okay? Michael said go, and we’re here.” Michael was the director, their boss.

“Of course. No clue as to the alleged unethical conduct?”

“Oh yes. Randy said it was big.”

“Gee, never heard that before.”

They turned onto King Street and poked along with the downtown traffic. It was mid-July, still the high season in north Florida, and tourists in shorts and sandals drifted along the sidewalks, apparently going nowhere. Lacy parked on a side street and they joined the tourists. They found a coffee shop and killed half an hour flipping through glossy real estate brochures. At noon, as instructed, they walked into Luca’s Grill and got a table for three. They ordered iced tea and waited. Thirty minutes passed with no sign of Randy, so they ordered sandwiches. Fries on the side for Hugo, fruit for Lacy. Eating as slowly as possible, they kept an eye on the door and waited.

As lawyers, they valued their time. As investigators, they had learned patience. The two roles were often in conflict.

At 2:00 p.m., they gave up and returned to the car, as smothering as a sauna. As Lacy turned the key, her cell phone rattled. Caller unknown. She grabbed it and said, “Yes.”

A male voice said, “I asked you to come alone.” It was Randy.

“I suppose you have the right to ask. We were supposed to meet at noon, for lunch.”

A pause, then, “I’m at the Municipal Marina, at the end of King Street, three blocks away. Tell your buddy to get lost and we’ll talk.”

“Look, Randy, I’m not a cop and I don’t do cloak-and-dagger very well. I’ll meet you, say hello and all that, but if I don’t have your real name within sixty seconds then I’m leaving.”

“Fair enough.”

She canceled the call and mumbled, “Fair enough.”

Review:

4.5 out of 5

89.23% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep them coming good read for those who like suspense

K.T. · June 16, 2025

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading but not my favorite

A. · June 19, 2025

I like a good legal thriller, and love John Grisham. In this novel I think he gives too much information too soon about who the subject of the search is. It's too easy to figure out who it probably is, leaving only details to wrap it up at the end. He's still my favorite author!

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! That was good!

G. · May 13, 2025

I thought this a fast moving tale that is a very real possibility in Florida. Thoroughly enjoyed it and glad I had the time to read it-almost non-stop. Thanks John for the ride you took me on. Whew!

3.0 out of 5 stars Where, oh where, are the editors?

L.V.M. · April 16, 2025

There are many problems with this book. For one, the character of Lacy is never fleshed out. It's impossible to warm up to her because she's like a stick figure. We know she's pretty and she occasionally wears black slacks and black shoes, but that's about it. Like the other characters, she entirely lacks a sense of humor. Second, this is definitely not a page turner of a book. It's more of a yawner because there are no surprises. Third, there is a huge, glaring flaw, namely the fact that we never find out what happened to the poor guy stuck on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Where, oh where, are the editors????

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, as always!

K.S. · May 10, 2025

Love the twist and turns, the characters and how the story plays out! Easy read while on vacation in Honduras.

4.0 out of 5 stars Grisham Carries On

G.J.F. · June 9, 2025

Great read in the Grisham style. Well developed plot and characters. I loved the epilogue which tied up all the loose ends

5.0 out of 5 stars easy fun read

C. · May 8, 2025

Good book. Very easy read and an interesting story, John Grisham nails another one. An entertaining read from start to finish.

5.0 out of 5 stars John Grisham: some familiar techniques but some new departures as well

R.H.C. · October 28, 2016

John Grisham practically invented the "legal thriller" format. His latest novel, well past his 20th, both continues some familiar Grisham features as well as striking out in some new directions as well. He continues to develop his writing skills as an outstanding novelist, demonstrating increased mastery in areas such as character development, dialogue, and plot evolution. He still draws the reader in from the beginning as the story begins to unfold. One departure from his other books is that this is no "page turner" that increases the reader's fixation as the suspense builds (think of "The Firm" by contrast]. Grisham, for once, is in no hurry to develop his story--people are not "falling" off tall buildings on page 6 as occurred in an earlier novel. This does not mean that he has lost his ability to inject an explosive vivid element suddenly when it is least expected which grabs the reader like no other author I am familiar with. So the reader has plenty of time to internalize the varied details of the plot.I have commented in past reviews on how his recent books have educated the reader on various legal topics, such as how the mass torts bar operates; public interest lawyers fighting to protect the environment; the deficiencies of the death penalty; and the misuse of confessions. Here the story involves the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct, which policies judges and conducts investigations of alleged judicial misconduct. Such agencies exist in virtually every state and do highly important work. Integral to the plot is an Indian-owned casino which allows Grisham to educate us about this fascinating development. 200 tribes in this country run casinos, on reservations, which means they pay no federal taxes of any kind and no taxes (state or otherwise) on profits. These casinos generate billions in profits, with oceans of cash flowing through their hoppers. So this leads to the reader learning about money laundering and other unpleasant, but highly profitable, activities.The story picks up when a criminal investigation ensues. Grisham's description of how U.S. Attorneys employ grand juries is right on (I used to run them), as is his introduction of quaint government practices such as asset forfeitures and freezing, RICO, and what inducements can be offered to secure testimony from lower level crooks. I was amazed to learn about "burner" phones--technology marches on. The important thing here is that all of this new information not only does not slow down Grisham's exciting tale, but actually enhances its effectiveness. His own background as a criminal defense counsel really pays off in adding credibility to his stories.The book is atypical for Grisham in that it does not build to a "page turning" climax that grips the reader until the last paragraph is read. And I sort of missed that--not to say the ending is not well done, and the pace doesn't pick up around page 335. It's just not the kind of ending found in other Grisham novels where you can't go to bed until to finish it off--no matter what. It also has relatively little focus on litigation and trials, although some important elements do make brief appearances. All told, just another fine achievement by John Grisham that provides a most "satisfying meal" for any reader who appreciates a well-written and exciting criminal tale.

Typical Grisham - but more grounded

I. · December 4, 2016

great read!

G.C. · October 16, 2024

Well written and thoroughly engaging! It was hard to put this book down. I can’t wait to read the 2nd in this series!

H.J. · May 8, 2025

If you like Grisham then I suppose you would like this. Wasn’t terrible at all but not my thing. Had to read it for book club

Good read

S.I. · January 21, 2025

Really enjoyed this except for the poor dog who was always left alone. why have one in the first place? Other than that, a good insight into the machinations of corrupt people.

Ottimo libro

C. · August 3, 2023

Ottimo libro, come sempre

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The Whistler: A Novel

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