The Summons

Rating:
Summary: Bad, Bad, Bad
Review: Although I have been reading 2-3 books per week (mostly mysteries) for the last 30 years, this is the first review I have ever written. Why has it taken me this long? Because I'm not sure I have read a book as bad as this one. Don't get me wrong, I really like John Grisham, and have read (and enjoyed!) almost everything he has written. In fact, I would have to say that he is one of my favorite writers. But this book is just plain bad. First, there is almost no story. Second, there are no real characters. Finally, the ending (if you can call it that) is just dumb. I actually turned the last page, looking for more, and I'm convinced that my copy of the book was defective. I addition, Grisham got the law wrong. He constantly indicated that the Government would get 1/2 the proceeds from the house, even though the value was under the amount subject to tax (O.K., I'm a tax lawyer- so sue me.) In short, as I told my wife, if someone asked me if they could borrow my copy of the book, and I liked them, I would not let them waste their time.

Rating:
Summary: Still Going Strong
Review: I have read almost all of John Grisham's legal thrillers and I think The Summons ranks among his best. The focus of his most memorable books have been his main character working through a maze of obstacles to get to the bottom of a case or problem. When I purchased this book I was expecting the same, and I got it and much more. I thought the plot offered many suprising and interesting twists that were sometimes out of the blue, yet they still factored in the story nicely. I only hesitated to give this novel 5 stars because I thought the ending was a bit rushed; that the plot could have been taken further. Overall, I think that this is Grisham at his best, don't miss this one.

Rating:
Summary: Don't summon "The Summons."
Review: As a Grisham fan, I have read all of his books. Unfortunatley,he seems to be running out of credible material, which is also indicative of his last several books. Although the story starts out well, he uses too many digressions during the story which almost made me put the book down. There is no real tension or drama unfolding. The ending is quite predictable. The book is a real letdown. I hope he starts producing the good drama of his earlier books. He has been on a slow slide downward. I would suggest that you not summon "The Summons."

Rating:
Summary: What a Letdown Mr. Grisham........
Review: After eagerly anticipating an evening reading the newest John Grisham novel, what a letdown. Slow reading, no plot and easily predictable pretty much sums up this book. I've read everything by him and this was quite a disappointment. Come on, Mr. Grisham lets have some more great writing like in your earlier novels!!

Rating:
Summary: Easy Read
Review: While still an easy read, this is not the typical Grisham. Not quite the usual twists and turns, and perhaps a bit disappointing in the end. But, I love to read John Grisham's books for the vivid pictures he paints of the south, if nothing else.

Rating:
Summary: Simple Plot and not exciting
Review: Not up to the usual plot that Grisham spins. Fast read (two sittings) but easy to figure out. Mr. Grisham is loosing it!

Rating:
Summary: The Summons
Review: This was by far one of the worst books I have read by Grisham. After two non lawyer books he returned to his usual format of a Lawyer keeping a large sum of money . He is really mailing his books in now and tthis will be the last one I read.

Rating:
Summary: Ignore the Summons
Review: Having been an avid reader of all of John Grisham's works (inlcuding the recent "Skipping Christmas", which I actually enjoyed and can fully picture as next years' made for TV or cable Christmas movie), I found "The Summons" to be the most disappointing yet.

The story show promise in the first 50 pages, leading up to Judge Atlee's death, Ray's discovery of a cashe of cash and the introduction of the cast of characters through the funeral arrangements and initiation of the probate process. The next 250 pages frankly drag to the point of exhaustion. As a small town lawyer myself, I would say that the "Summons" is the most realistic of all of Grisham's legal thrillers, as the law can be very dry and mundane, which is exactly what I found here.

As Grisham takes us through a potentially exhilirating quest on the source of the Judge's stash, we are presented with much possibility, only to be let down at the end. I found myself looking forward to a Grisham-esque explanation of everything near the end.

Instead, the payoff is not believable (even within the fictional boundaries of the book) and presents answers that involve information that Grisham usually buries somewhere in the story, even if only a sentence or two. In fairness, I figured out the "whodunnit" part with many pages to go, put the howdunnit and whydunnit explanations were a bit weak.

I think this is what happens when you are under contract to crank out a number of books of a certain genre for a publisher. This effort seemed forced to me and I was left with a bad taste in my mouth at the end.

I hope that Mr. Grisham is once again inspired in his next thriller, since I do enjoy his best efforts.

Rating:
Summary: Grisham back with Thriller
Review: John Grisham is back with a thriller but it is in a slower moving and non-threatening style compared with "The Firm" or "The Pelican Brief".

Interestingly I read a review that this was a court room drama, despite the title it is not! The chase is on when an estranged son finds his Dad may have been a crooked judge and has $3m stashed away.

Still well worth the time...

Rating:
Summary: Great Read !!!
Review: I'm surprised to see how many readers were disappointed with this book since I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe the plot was a bit thin and predictable, but Grisham's writing style is so smooth and easy to read that I was able to consume this book in two sittings. It was like I was able to sit down and visit with an old friend. Perhaps some other readers confused this familiarity with boredom.

It all starts when law professor Ray Atlee and his prodigal brother, Forrest, are summoned home by their ailing father to settle his estate. But, by the time Ray arrives, his father is already dead. The will is simple enough: the estate is to be divided equally between the two sons. However, Ray discovers something he hadn't planned on-- $3 million in cash stashed in the father's house. It turns out that Ray isn't the only one who knows about this fortune; someone else is after the money and won't hesitate to remove Ray from the picture. The remainder of the book is devoted to investigating the source of the cash and trying to discover who the other party is that wants it.

Some better proofreading would have made this an easier book to read since there are some glaring errors that should have been caught. But, all in all, an enjoyable, suspensful book. I will continue reading Grisham.