the ending is anticlimactic and unsatisfying
How is the end?
I like John Grisham, but most of his work over the past decade has been pretty disposable.  His novels have gotten shorter, his plots have become more simplistic, his characters more stereotypical, and his tone more sanctimonious.THE ASSOCIATE is a case in point.  This novel has a good concept, but Grisham doesn't take much effort in developing it.  After a strong beginning, this novel essentially turns into a heavy-handed condemnation of the way big law firms operate on Wall Street.  This novel reminds me of earlier Grisham books like THE STREET LAWYER, THE KING OF TORTS and THE LAST JUROR, where the moralizing takes precedence over good storytelling.Even worse, most of the characters in THE ASSOCIATE are caricatures, and the hero is pretty bland and unlikable for the most part.  The bare-bones blackmail plot lacks tension, and the ending is anticlimactic and unsatisfying.  Overall, this book is uninvolving and far from Grisham's best.I still believe that Grisham hit his peak over fifteen years ago with his two first efforts, A TIME TO KILL and THE FIRM.  If you've never read Grisham, my advice is to read those two novels first, and to avoid most of his recent work. 