The Partner
Encyclopedia
The Partner is a legal/thriller novel
by noted American
author John Grisham
.
, gets wind of a plan masterminded by Benny Aricia to defraud the U.S. government over a shipbuilding overcharging scheme. His firm is deeply involved in the scam and the associates stand to gain $90 million. However, they're planning to keep Patrick out of it. He bides his time, secretly collecting evidence. He knows that simply stealing the money and running won't work, so he makes it look like he's killed in a car crash. When the body is found it is identified as Patrick even though it is badly burned. Patrick watches his own funeral from a safe distance. His wife Trudy received $2.5 million in life insurance.
Although he pretended not to know, Trudy had been cheating on him.
Six weeks later, $90 million vanishes from the law firm's off-shore bank account. The associates know that only an insider had the knowledge to pull it off and eventually they start wondering if Patrick is really dead after all. Without the money, the associates and Benny Aricia are in deep financial trouble. Benny hires specialist Jack Stephano to track down Patrick.
Over four years later, Patrick is finally discovered living a new life in Ponta Porã
, Brazil
, a small town on the border of Paraguay
under the name Danilo Silva. His girlfriend is Brazilian lawyer Eva Miranda. Patrick is kidnapped and tortured by thugs hired by Jack Stephano. They try to get him to reveal the location of the money, which, conveniently, Lanigan doesn't know. Before he is tortured more or even killed the FBI intervenes, tipped off by Eva. The FBI leans on Jack Stephano to hand over the fugitive and Patrick is repatriated. After arriving back in Biloxi in custody of the FBI, a series of legal battles ensue.
The insurance companies Monarch-Sierra and Northern Case Mutual that paid $2.5 million to Trudy, who did not deserve it, immediately sue and block access to the insurance money. Trudy is now in a difficult position. Suddenly she cannot afford the big house and the Rolls Royce anymore. So she sues Patrick for divorce to get some of the money back. The federal government sues Patrick for theft and fraud on charges of stealing the $90 million. The state charges Patrick with murder, because a dead body was found in Patrick's car.
One by one he defeats his opponents. He defeats the insurance companies by revealing that they colluded with Benny Aricia to find and torture Patrick. He blackmails Trudy with her adultery. He convinces the federal government by revealing that Benny Aricia defrauded them. Finally he defeats the state lawsuit by revealing that he didn't murder, but stole the body of a dead client. He makes a deal with the federal government to pay back all the money he stole, plus interest. In the years that he was on the run he had instructed Eva to invest the money. Even after paying back the federal government there are still millions left. In the end Patrick is defeated by his own clever scheme. As he knew they would torture him if he ever was found, he gave Eva control over the bank accounts. When he goes to the pre-arranged rendezvous she does not show up. Finally he realizes that she has betrayed him. A broken man, he starts looking for her knowing that he will never find her.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by noted American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author John Grisham
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
.
Plot
Patrick Lanigan, a junior partner in a law firm in Biloxi, MississippiBiloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, gets wind of a plan masterminded by Benny Aricia to defraud the U.S. government over a shipbuilding overcharging scheme. His firm is deeply involved in the scam and the associates stand to gain $90 million. However, they're planning to keep Patrick out of it. He bides his time, secretly collecting evidence. He knows that simply stealing the money and running won't work, so he makes it look like he's killed in a car crash. When the body is found it is identified as Patrick even though it is badly burned. Patrick watches his own funeral from a safe distance. His wife Trudy received $2.5 million in life insurance.
Although he pretended not to know, Trudy had been cheating on him.
Six weeks later, $90 million vanishes from the law firm's off-shore bank account. The associates know that only an insider had the knowledge to pull it off and eventually they start wondering if Patrick is really dead after all. Without the money, the associates and Benny Aricia are in deep financial trouble. Benny hires specialist Jack Stephano to track down Patrick.
Over four years later, Patrick is finally discovered living a new life in Ponta Porã
Ponta Porã
Ponta Porã is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Its population is 68,317 and its area is 5,329 km²...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, a small town on the border of Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
under the name Danilo Silva. His girlfriend is Brazilian lawyer Eva Miranda. Patrick is kidnapped and tortured by thugs hired by Jack Stephano. They try to get him to reveal the location of the money, which, conveniently, Lanigan doesn't know. Before he is tortured more or even killed the FBI intervenes, tipped off by Eva. The FBI leans on Jack Stephano to hand over the fugitive and Patrick is repatriated. After arriving back in Biloxi in custody of the FBI, a series of legal battles ensue.
The insurance companies Monarch-Sierra and Northern Case Mutual that paid $2.5 million to Trudy, who did not deserve it, immediately sue and block access to the insurance money. Trudy is now in a difficult position. Suddenly she cannot afford the big house and the Rolls Royce anymore. So she sues Patrick for divorce to get some of the money back. The federal government sues Patrick for theft and fraud on charges of stealing the $90 million. The state charges Patrick with murder, because a dead body was found in Patrick's car.
One by one he defeats his opponents. He defeats the insurance companies by revealing that they colluded with Benny Aricia to find and torture Patrick. He blackmails Trudy with her adultery. He convinces the federal government by revealing that Benny Aricia defrauded them. Finally he defeats the state lawsuit by revealing that he didn't murder, but stole the body of a dead client. He makes a deal with the federal government to pay back all the money he stole, plus interest. In the years that he was on the run he had instructed Eva to invest the money. Even after paying back the federal government there are still millions left. In the end Patrick is defeated by his own clever scheme. As he knew they would torture him if he ever was found, he gave Eva control over the bank accounts. When he goes to the pre-arranged rendezvous she does not show up. Finally he realizes that she has betrayed him. A broken man, he starts looking for her knowing that he will never find her.