Rating: 
Summary: not as great as other but still good
Review: well of course this book is not close to his real "legal" novels like "The Rainmaker" or "A time to Kill" but still it is great to read and the pages turn themselves. Once you get started you don't want to stop. And at the end you will be surprised because this is his first novel which has real turningpoints in his story.This is a book for everyone who likes Grisham as an author and not only his "law" books. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Guilty!
Review: I love Grisham books, however, after reading "The Summons", one has to wonder what has happened to the brilliant writer of John Grisham! I am guilty for staying up until 3am reading his book (over 2 nights), and am still wondering where the end of the book is! There are a lot of discrepancies, which seem to have been overlooked during the research and writing of the book. I enjoyed it, simply because of the author, but know that he has so much more in him. One upshot though, you can't beat the settings of his books. He describes them so thoroughly. Even though I know that some of the places are fictional, you can see the composite in Mississippi.
Rating: 
Summary: Good writer, but . . .
Review: What I don't understand is how a writer of Grisham's calibre could foist so many implausibilities on the reader. For example: Why wouldn't that lowlife brother, Forrest, have simply absconded with the money in the first place, or at least a box or two of it? Could an addict like him really have resisted? Why wouldn't the ex-con thugs Forrest got to follow Ray around simply have jimmied open the trunk of his car at some point? . . . if for no other reason than to spook him further. Hell, they tried everything else. And they seemed pretty knowledgable about his doings. Duh! And how in the world did Ray get away with telling that insurance investigator (for the plane arson) that he wasn't under investigation for the house arson? How did Ray beat that arson rap for the house anyway? The circumstantial evidence seemed overwhelming; a typical prosecutor would have been champing at the bit. And what was all that nonsense about estate taxes? Ray's lawyer told him the estate taxes would be half! What, on a house worth maybe $300-400,000 tops and the $90,000 cash Ray had admitted to finding at the time? The Federal estate tax doesn't kick in that low (the first $1,000,000 isn't taxed now!). But I did note the mini-rant against estate taxes that Grisham slipped in. Judging from the quality of The Summons, maybe he shouldn't be so concerned about estate taxes.
Rating:
Summary: Grisham's formula still works
Review: Grisham fans are already familiar with his standard storyline. Lawyer, usually Southern, usually broke, strikes it rich and risks everything he holds dear. This diverts just enough to make it interesting. Still a lawyer, still in the
South, still strikes it rich, but there are enough twists and turns to keep it all flowing and very interesting. Grisham also manages to throw in the occasional red herring to keep the reader in suspense. It seems to me he left the ending wide open for a follow up book, and frankly, I'm looking forward to it!
Rating: 
Summary: Huge Dissapointment
Review: This book was such a dissapointment compared to his others that I feel bad for him. I have always been a big Grisham fan, and this was his first book that I've been frustrated with. A major let down, don't spend the money.
Rating:
Summary: The worst one yet!
Review: I am a massive John Grisham fan and an avid reader but this book is one of the worst I ever read. I didn't get into it in any way shape or form.
Rating:
Summary: Great character development, but where was the story?
Review: John Grisham certainly knows how to draw you into a character's life. I could read about the main character, Ray Atlee, all day (and I did), but this story is lacking plot, details... I was very disappointed by the lack of mystery, thrill, and legal expertise usually found in a John Grisham book. The story has many holes, and the ending is (much)less than exciting. When I finished the book, I was actually upset that I had wasted so many hours reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Never-ending Story
Review: I am a Grisham fan in the highest sense of the word "fan." Nonetheless, I was terribly disappointed with his latest offering. The Summons started out as any Grisham legal drama would, with a catchy story line to grab and hold onto the reader. However, the story never developed. I waited and waited for a "twist" that never came. Who knows...maybe Mr. Grisham's publisher was pressuring him to complete this book. My advice: Take your time on the next one, Mr. Grisham. The Summons was a disappointment, but we (your fans) know your work and look forward to your next offering. (We will forgive you this time.)
Rating:
Summary: No excitement here, a disappointment.
Review: I am an avid reader, and enjoy reading just about any type of book. With an open mind I start a book, and most books I have read captivate me from the first page and hold it till the last page. The Summons did not do that. I was bored from the first paragraph onward. Keeping an open mind I made it past the first few chapters, I read where he went down to Mississippi, found his father dead and found the money, and through the scenes at the diner and some of the funeral or something to that effect. It never got my attention. This is the first book in a long time that I have not completed. And, to close my mind a little, it did not live up to the expectation of a good read from John Grisham which has been painted in my mind by other bookworm friends like myself and my sister.
Rating:
Summary: Not this time
Review: The last good Grisham book I read was Testement, which I loved. The best book I've read lately was "DRIVEN, by W. G. Griffiths, which I couldn't put down. I'd pass on the Summons, sorry to say, it's not his best work.
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