Rating: 
Summary: Diet Grisham
Review: I've read and rated highly several Grisham novels - The Partner, Runaway Jury and A Painted House are amongst his best. The Summons kicks off well but fails to deliver - it's a "lite" version and reads as if Grisham himself got a bit weary at the word processor writing it.
Rating:
Summary: light, predictable, formulaic
Review: yes my friends it is typical grisham-if thats what you want you've got it; warning; its no "The firm" the tale is trying to be complex but its not.
on the positive side if you have a cold or are on the beach it is a light read.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing ending
Review: An intriguing beginning, however, plot-less, and very disappointing ending. Not recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't Stink but didn't Satisfy
Review: I have read several of Grisham's books. While there are some I would never recommend because they were so poor, such as The Brethern, there are others I think everyone should read at least once, such as A Time To Kill. The Summons is one to be read if your a Grisham fan that has already read at least one really, really good Grisham book. Don't pick this up until you've had a really good Grisham experience because this book doesn't stand up to the usual standards of page turning action/mystery/feeling.This book has an interesting idea and plot. A well respected judge dies leaving everything to his two sons. One, the dysfunctional forever addict named Forrest and the other a law professor named Ray. However, he doesn't mention in his will that he's leaving them over 3 million dollars. When his untimely death occurs, ray is left trying to find out where this cash came from and if it's illegal. Furthermore, he doesn't feel he should share it with his brother because it would just speed up his self destructiveness. What he doesn't take into account, as he starts counting the eggs before they hatch is that someone else might already know about the cash. The plot was interesting but it got to be a little wordy. The ending opens the readers eyes about a few things but there is not a clear resolution about the problem. Good for a rainy day but don't expect to get caught up in the story.
Rating: 
Summary: Second chances
Review: In the summer I started reading a painted house and I really lost interest. I thought I should give him(John Grisham) a second chance because he really is not known for that type of writing. So I decided to buy The Summons and I am glad I did, it was great and I think everyone should read it. This was an easy five stars for him.
Rating:
Summary: started out great...
Review: I must confess I was disappointed with The Summons. Initially, I was excited about reading another of John Grisham's books, but by the end, I have to say I did not think he was at his best at all. The story starts out exciting; a broken family, dead father, three millions dollars, and an addict brother. Grisham creates a web of intrigue and deceit. Ray Atlee must find what the money is doing in his late father's house, how it got there and for what reason? It becomes even more exciting when the reader learns Ray is not the only one who knows about the money. The Summons basically explores human nature and puts it to the test. Unfortunately for Ray Atlee, it is a test of three million dollars. He must endure painful guilt, extreme anxiety and fight the temptations the money throw in his way. However, once the basic plot has been exposed and all the characters have entered the picture, the ride seems to slow, though not quite to a halt. On the whole, I feel Grisham's characters were shallow and that they could have been emotionally and realistically developed much more. I found myself straining to stay awake between the thrilling beginning, dragging middle, and whirlwind ending. John Grisham is a great writer, and an author I always enjoy reading. However, the reader inside me tell me that he is capable of doing much greater.
Rating:
Summary: One of Grisham's best...
Review: Despite what the other reviews said, I went and bought the book. And believe me, it is without doubt one of John Grisham's best books. Though the book may seem boring for a few, but I enjoyed it a lot. It is different from other Grisham books, but it entertain, and thats the main point. It doesn't have to do much with courtroom battles or something, but its a nice, sweet and short story of this Law Professor Ray Atlee, who stumbles upon his father's secret. It's not the usual Grisham book, but I will recommend the book to those who like the simple, short, touching kind of a plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Fine Grishom Effort To Entertain You
Review: I found this Grishom book engaging and a page turner. That is not to say that some of the criticisms on this page are not correct -- this book is less dependent on plot than earlier Grishom novels. Rather, this book emphasizes characters and place setting descriptions. These the author handles well, turning once again a small southern town and its inhabitants into interesting components of an enjoyable escapist novel. The story: two brothers are summoned back by their stern father, a judge both hardly knew in any fatherly sense. Dad is dead by the time the sensible son (law professor) arrives. Sensible son finds $3 million in cash cached in dad's study. This he hides, due to: the startling amount (dad barely earned any money the last nine years and never more than $50 thousand a year on the bench); the fact that younger brother is a dysfunctional druggie and alcoholic who would surely kill himself if those types of resources were available, and the fact that younger brother is late, as usual. The book's "who dun-it" revolves around where the money came from and sensible brother's increasing entanglement his own secret. The pace is somewhat slow in terms of his other books, but I found the descriptions of the characters (there are many more than the main protagonists above) fascinating and the background stories well crafted. Although this book has plot twists driven largely by recently introduced facts and new characters (in other words, the twists and turns are not dependent upon information present at the start of the story), I found it held my attention. This may not be one of Grishom's most creative and tied together efforts, but I found it a fine book and just the thing to use to pleasantly wile away a rainy Saturday. Good escapism.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant read
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, an easy read and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: a great book!
Review: I really enjoyed this book for the most part. I liked the way the characters were portrayed, and the way the story unravels as you go along. I have to say that Ray Atlee was my favorite character. Throughout the book Ray's faced with numerous obsticles and he always makes the right decisions, only to lose at the end to his younger brother Forest. I found it disappointing that after all Ray went through, he was betrayed by his brother Forest.
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