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“Please make arrangements to appear in my study on Sunday, May 7 at 5
p.m., to discuss the administration of my estate.
Sincerely,
Reuben V. Atlee”
Thus began the incredible saga of 47-year-old law professor, Ray Atlee. The
letter was from his father, 79-year-old Judge Reuben Atlee, proud descendent
of Confederate Generals, beloved and highly respected Chancellor of Ford County,
Mississippi for 32 years. It was addressed to both Ray and his black sheep brother,
Forrest. The Atlee brothers had been summoned home.
But the family meeting was not to be. Sickened with cancer, the honorable Judge,
as even his sons called him, died as Ray arrived at Maple Run, the family estate.
The Judge’s untimely death opened a shocking and terrifying secret, which made
Ray fear for and run for his life throughout the rest of the novel.
John Grisham’s 14th novel is another masterpiece thriller, which will keep
you on the edge of your seat throughout. While not as terrifying as A Time
to Kill or as legalistic as The Firm, Grisham’s newest release is
much more stylistically like them than his last two novels, The Painted House
and Skipping Christmas. While I enjoyed those two brief respites from
the typical Grisham style, I hungered for another legal blockbuster.
Unfortunately, a blockbuster it is not. The Summons does not pose the
courtroom scenarios or verbal showdowns between attorneys that have made John
Grisham one of the country’s best selling authors. But it does present several
legal questions many of us have pondered: “What would I do if…?”
“What is the legality of…?” “Do I have the right to…?”
Grisham fans looking for the nail-biting tension of The Client won’t
find that here. But the smooth language, the captivating story telling, and
the verbal swipes at our legal system are pure Grisham. While this is not one
of his best tales, the surprising twist at the end will keep John Grisham fans
lining up for his next best seller. Don’t miss reading The Summons by
John Grisham.
