Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed Grisham fan
Review: This book starts out as a classic Grisham novel, but the ending was too predictable and un-Grisham like. Do not expect any of the typical Grisham mind twisting surprises in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting plot , keep you hooked story Awesome read!
Review: This is a realy good book, perhaps as not depth as the other Grisham books but neverthless a really good book with a very interesting story.
Rating: 
Summary: Anemic Plot
Review: I'm trying to judge this book as just another novel, not a John Grisham Book. That said, this book was still disappointing. The plot was thin and uninteresting, the characters pretty character-less. It read like a short story that was stretched into a novel. A single story line, no twists, no tension, minimal character development. These same flaws also made the book read like someone's first novel. Asides: 1) I enjoyed Grisham's choices of surnames, wondering what he would come up with next (Atlee, Mirk, Magargel, Crum, Meave). 2) I hope Grisham's editor will learn which verb to use with the word "none". And 3) John, as hot as the Drifters were in the early 60s, you will not find their songs on any Motown albums! I hope this book is just an anomaly and not the beginning of a bottoming out (a la Cornwell).
Rating: 
Summary: Kept me coming back.
Review: I did not like the integrity or lack of with the characters. How do people come up with schemes like the ones in this book? The characters were believable. I would leave this book only to come back wondering where it was all going. I did not care for the ending as well as others of JG but all in all it is worth the read.
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Summary: The Summons by John Grisham
Review: Ray Atlee, an instructor of Law of at Virginia at a Virginia University, hails from a small town in Mississippi. His father, who as the story unfolds is a patriarchic figure to his two sons and a Judge of impeccable repute in his narrow world of rural Mississippi, has written him to make an appearance, with his brother, at the family home in Clayton, MS, the following Sunday. With outstanding narration, the reader learns summoning his sons home in this manner is not unusual for Judge Atlee, and the characterization of the judge is presented in a way that there is no doubt he is, to the extreme, a creature of habit. Ray arrives before his brother to find the Judge, who he knew was ailing with cancer and towards the end, dead in a chair, a morphine pack attached to his waist. He also finds $3,000,000 in cash, tucked away in small boxes, hidden in various nooks and crannies of the house. With an impeccably related sense of plausible calculation, Grisham explains to the reader how Ray determines, considering the Judge's income over the course of his lifetime, could not have legitimately accumulated such a stash. In a way any mid-life child of a parent can appreciate, Ray, overwhelmed with the incongruous concept his father violated the law, sets out to establish the origination of the money. As in all his books, Grisham's knowledge of the law is the supportive backbone of plot. It is rich in the ways of Mississippi culture with excellent comparisons of times present and past. Where Grisham supersedes many of his others novels, however, is the character development and lifelong interaction of this formidable father and his two sons. This is carried over to the support people as well, the judge's best friend and his long-time mistress. Even the minor players are portrayed with a skill that cause them too, to dance on a page. Something else not always seen in Grishams prior novels, is the impeccable timing of all the suspenseful occurrence that winds throughout. This can't-put-down mystery legal drama, enhanced by absolutely believable and well-developed characterizations, places, and events, dispels all rumor that the prolific John Grisham has run out of juice. Although the end may fall just a bit short for those focused mainly on mystery, they will not be able to deny how skillfully Grisham ties together all the dangling details. The more sophisticated reader will see that Grisham went a step further and will have no choice but to embrace the main theme-when tested by those we love the most to whom are linked by blood, the human spirit will prevail over any illusion or reality of evil, and our roots, both geographic and genetic, play a powerful role in determining who we are.
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Summary: Good Plot, Bad Characters
Review: The Summons by John Grisham was a disappointing book. Having such a wonderful reputation as a writer, I assumed that any Grisham book would be worth readiing. I was wrong.
The Summons is about a law professor from Charlottesville, Virginia named Ray Atlee. When he is summoned by his sick father to come home to Mississippi, Ray is more than annoyed. Why does his father always demand everything? They have never gotten along, in fact, Ray and his brother have been scarred deeply by their father's brusque ways and uncaring manner. Everything changes however when Ray discovers his father's dead body and a fortune in cash on the same day. Immediately, questions arise in Ray's mind. Where did the money come from and why did his father have it? As Ray tries to unscramble the mystery, he is astounded when he is the victim of a series of crimes. Does someone else know about the money? And if they do, how far are they willing to go to get it?
Although the overall plot is not bad, the main character is incredibly lacking in his ability to gain the support of the reader. At times I found myself extremely put-off by his behavior. He is a wealthy professor, so caught up in his own life that he doesn't see the problems others have. He was rather spineless and had no real gumption. I'd give this book two stars because it had a good plot, but the characters were lacking in human qualities.
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Summary: OK if this was his first book
Review: I love John Grisham and will read practically everything he writes (please not another The Chamber). If you have liked everything else he has written you will probably enjoy this; however, it must be said that this book seems tired. Nothing new, nothing that really grabs you and say this is the man who started the run on legal thrillers. I miss the depth of character from books like A Time to Kill, the surprise per page of The Firm and the audacity of The Runaway Jury, and yet this book is not bad. People warned me of an ending that would leave me disappointed. I found it predictable, but less unrealistic than many earlier books and it's nice to not end on a tropical island. Like other Grisham books, this reads well on an airplane or at the beach.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, and a quick read.
Review: A very interesting read; different from the everyday Grisham courtroom drama. The main character? Ray Atlee, a law professor at the University of Virginia. He gets a letter from his father, a legendary judge from a Mississippi small town who is in his last days. Ray and his black-sheep brother Forrest are summoned down to Mississippi to square the will. But Judge Atlee dies before the meeting takes place, and Ray is gradually dragged into a mystery involving millions of dollars. The book starts slow, but the tension and intrigue build with every page. I say take the plunge.
Rating:
Summary: Master Story Teller
Review: Grisham is the most masterful story teller I have discovered in the past five years. I'm going down the list of his titles and looking forward to enjoying them all. So far The Summons is the best of the four Grisham books I've read.
Rating:
Summary: hits the mark, but more mysteries than courtrooms
Review: After a foray into traditional fiction, Grisham returns to the legal genre. Despite the cover, this really isn't a courtroom suspense novel, and bears marks of the movement towards the touch of morality plays started with The Testament. While it's more of a mystery with a twist, it's a mystery with a distanctly Grisham touch, and elements of self-plaigerism are less evident here than in his early string of courtroom novels. The ending is enough of a surprise to be pleasing, and abrupt enough to elicit a wry smile. A pleasant, breezy read
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