John Grisham "The Racketeer" novel - free geocoins

[+dprovan]

When I saw this on the GC facebook site, in my comment I totally dissed it--as a shameful/sell-out promotion...I felt like this when I found a Geico TB (I got rid of that one quick, but it has been still moving)...Doesn't sound like anyone else feels like this on the blog...If I knew John Grisham (I do like his books, BTW) was an AVID cacher, I would be totally OK with this. I hope this is not a sell-out by Groundspeak ie free promotion? Anyway, I 'applied' for 1 (just for kicks) and got it, so my obligation is to move it along, although I'm sure it'll go MIA immediately. I heard about the Jeep trackables, but that was before I was a cacher...is this going to be a more acceptable trend? Just saying......

It's a promotion, of course, but I'm not sure what makes it a "shameful/sell-out". Anyway, you'd better get used to it since, in case you haven't noticed, Groundspeak's gone to a lot of trouble to give promoters a prominent place to promote on the web pages for the travelers they give away. I don't think Groundspeak would do that if they didn't have bigger plans than just Geico and Grisham.

 

I just launched mine an hour ago! I called it What a Racket.

[+drneal]

 

RAC...KET...E..

what do you mean that's not what he had in mind?

 

ILYK

Edited October 18, 2012 by drneal

[+Harlangroom]

I like Grisham's later works, i.e. once he actually got enough experience in the law to write plausible plots; his earlier ones, not so much. I will definitiely want to read the book. But I have some misgivings about this branded activity unless the book itself is about geocaching, which does not appear to be the case. It's more like the Ape caches which were pointless. Let some clever CO make a Racketeer cache - or better, let several do it in their own areas. There are plenty of geocaching novels out there, including mine. I tried to advertise Cached Out on GC.com and they refused on the grounds it was a murder mystery inconsistent with geocaching as a wholesome activity. What do you want to bet The Racketeer has a lot more violence and gore in it than mine? Mine's PG-13 at worst. Besides, gc.com would not be endorsing my book, just letting it be advertised, while Grisham's is being endorsed with an official gc.com product. I think Groundspeak should be promoting geocaching with their commercial activities. They claim they are but this example shows them to be rather hypocritical.

 

Hi!

I just ordered your book on Amazon. Will let you know how I like it. So glad you put in this post.

Mary Ann

[+drneal]

 

ILYK

[+BigAl437]

I received mine yesterday. I can't wait to drop it off and pray it goes far. Of course I'll take a picture of it first.

[+The Leprechauns]

I picked my package up from the Post Office on Friday, the only day that week when I could afford to be late for work. I had to pay 85 cents "postage due" because the publisher tried to use the flat envelope rate for a bubble wrap package. The post office said there should have been $1.95 in postage, not $1.10.

 

I don't use Facebook and don't plan on starting. Facebook seems an odd place to drive this promotion given that geocachers and geocaching groups cannot promote their own Facebook pages on Geocaching.com cache pages.

 

So, not happy with having to pay money so that Facebook users can have a chance to win a prize. That said, I'll be releasing the coin I received into a cache next weekend.

[+jellis]

Lookee what showed up in the mailbox today!

 

I've activated it (TB5CXDW), but now I don't know if I can bear to let it go!

You know you are suppose to put it in a cache within 10 days after receiving it right? I don't think it counts if you only dip it in the cache and hold on to it.

Edited October 23, 2012 by jellis

[+dprovan]

I don't use Facebook and don't plan on starting. Facebook seems an odd place to drive this promotion given that geocachers and geocaching groups cannot promote their own Facebook pages on Geocaching.com cache pages.

And although they clearly explain the requirement for a geocaching account, they don't mention the requirement for a facebook account. Worst, you have to like the page to submit an entry. It sounded like a fun contest, but, oh, well.

[+Harlangroom]

I like Grisham's later works, i.e. once he actually got enough experience in the law to write plausible plots; his earlier ones, not so much. I will definitiely want to read the book. But I have some misgivings about this branded activity unless the book itself is about geocaching, which does not appear to be the case. It's more like the Ape caches which were pointless. Let some clever CO make a Racketeer cache - or better, let several do it in their own areas. There are plenty of geocaching novels out there, including mine. I tried to advertise Cached Out on GC.com and they refused on the grounds it was a murder mystery inconsistent with geocaching as a wholesome activity. What do you want to bet The Racketeer has a lot more violence and gore in it than mine? Mine's PG-13 at worst. Besides, gc.com would not be endorsing my book, just letting it be advertised, while Grisham's is being endorsed with an official gc.com product. I think Groundspeak should be promoting geocaching with their commercial activities. They claim they are but this example shows them to be rather hypocritical.

 

Hi!

I just ordered your book on Amazon. Will let you know how I like it. So glad you put in this post.

Mary Ann

 

Really enjoyed your book. In addition to being a good mystery, it taught me even more about geocaching and those wicked puzzles! Thanks for the cache!!

[+broncobob9]

I like Grisham's later works, i.e. once he actually got enough experience in the law to write plausible plots; his earlier ones, not so much. I will definitiely want to read the book. But I have some misgivings about this branded activity unless the book itself is about geocaching, which does not appear to be the case. It's more like the Ape caches which were pointless. Let some clever CO make a Racketeer cache - or better, let several do it in their own areas. There are plenty of geocaching novels out there, including mine. I tried to advertise Cached Out on GC.com and they refused on the grounds it was a murder mystery inconsistent with geocaching as a wholesome activity. What do you want to bet The Racketeer has a lot more violence and gore in it than mine? Mine's PG-13 at worst. Besides, gc.com would not be endorsing my book, just letting it be advertised, while Grisham's is being endorsed with an official gc.com product. I think Groundspeak should be promoting geocaching with their commercial activities. They claim they are but this example shows them to be rather hypocritical.

 

Reading this post was perfect timing - I was in need of a new book to read. Downloading it now.

[Cataan144]

I don't use Facebook and don't plan on starting. Facebook seems an odd place to drive this promotion given that geocachers and geocaching groups cannot promote their own Facebook pages on Geocaching.com cache pages.

And although they clearly explain the requirement for a geocaching account, they don't mention the requirement for a facebook account. Worst, you have to like the page to submit an entry. It sounded like a fun contest, but, oh, well.

 

Yeah. I'm on Facebook, and I guess I could have bent my "only people" rule for the duration of the contest... but if I'm reading it right it's a photo contest and I didn't take a picture before I dropped it like it was hot. Maybe if I get to that side of town I can see if it's still in the cache and get a snap. Otherwise I'll jut have to be satisfied with having a coin out there, hopefully moving around!

[Cataan144]

 

 

I like this picture a lot.

[+The Rat]

Well, since I posted earlier, and now I've started reading The Racketeer, I might as well post a mini-review:

 

I generally like Grisham, but I do have a major quibble with his ridiculous portrayal of FBI agents, since I used to be one. Grisham was a criminal defense attorney, so it isn't surprising he portrays FBI and all law enforcement in a bad light. That's okay, since it's fiction. I poke fun at them in my books, too, but at least I stay close to reality.

 

These are not spoilers, since I'm near the beginning, but a couple of the stupid flaws in the early part of the book:

1) The FBI bursting in to a meeting to arrest a white collar defendant and pointing guns at him. White collar defendants are almost never arrested. Usually they have attorneys and the prosecutor makes a deal with that attorney for his client to surrender for photos and fingerprinting at a convenient time.

2) Same scenario - SWAT team conducting a white collar search (never happened in my 25 year career). You don't need SWAT to put papers in boxes.

3) After arrest the defendant tries to to talk to the FBI (they almost always clam up) and the FBI tells him to shut up (agents ALWAYS want the subject to talk at the time of arrest and are super nice, trying to encourage him to blather on).

 

I could go on, but hey it's just a story so go with the flow. As I said, I usually enjoy Grisham works. I especially liked The King of Torts and The Litigators.