About:
The Summons by John Grisham follows a young lawyer who found millions of dollars in cash in his father’s estate. Mr. Grisham is a best-selling author who is known for his legal thriller.
- 384 pages
- Publisher : Vintage
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0345531981
My rating for The Summons – 4
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More books by John Grisham*
Thoughts:
This book is short on story, but the writing and interesting questions it asks make up for it. The legal aspects, personal considerations, taxation, and ethics of finding millions of cash you’re not really supposed to have, are all examined and makes a fascinating read.
The characters in The Summons by John Grisham are all fleshed out and well-written. Everyone from the main character, to those who appear for a few pages are well drawn and have their own personality, staying away from caricatures.
I kept waiting for some courtroom drama, but that didn’t happen. While some of the book takes place in the courtroom, after all it’s about a lawyer’s inheritance from a judge, it’s mostly procedural. The real story takes place when in Ray counts the money, attempts attempting to figure out how to launder the money, counts the money, and tries to find out who else knows about the cash, and finally, counts the money.
This is a good book, not one of Grisham’s best but certainly far from his worst. While there aren’t many twists in the traditional sense, there is some suspense. However, as I mentioned, I enjoyed that the author didn’t shy away from the moral and legal aspects of finding all that money.
The story itself is not very exciting, mostly a turmoil about an estate, besides the obvious of hiding the cash. If anyone ever had to deal with an estate of a deceased person, you’d know that it’s drama and headache.
What I found peculiar is that no character does anything remotely sensible. From Forrest, the addict, giving up an opportunity to steal $3 million to get half in a complex scheme, a Ray tells a bunch of strangers or almost strangers about the money, an incorruptible judge keeping the cash, and some more.
But good stories are sometimes (mostly?) not sensible.
Synopsis:
Ray Atlee, a lawyer from Alexandria, VA receives a summons from his father, a judge in Clanton, MI to come home. When Ray arrives he finds his father dead and millions in cash hidden in the old house.
Trying to figure out where the cash came from, and attempting to hide from his addicted brother Forrest, puts Ray in a dangerous, and maybe illegal, situation.
Buy The Summonsfrom Amazon.com*
More books by John Grisham*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer:I bought this book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
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