Rating: 
Summary: A suspenseful well-paced novel
Review: Henry Mathews left the seminary when his parents were killed in a head-on car crash with a drunk, who was also killed. His father had been a small-town Kansas lawyer. Henry left because he lost his faith, and entered law school instead, where he excelled, and eventually was hired by a prestigious Chicago law firm at a high salary, and became thoroughly involved with the highly competitive world of corporate mergers and take-overs, and was going with a beautiful stockbroker, Elaine, who was as upwardly mobile and ambitious as he, himself. He was swimming with the big sharks, and was good at what he did. Then, Henry's world was transformed by the death of his home-town's leading citizen who owned most of the local real estate and businesses, Tyler Crandall. His father had written Crandall's will, and Henry was called back to Council Grove, Kansas, to read the will, which was a bombshell because it had disinherited the logical heir. Henry had inherited the case from his father. In it he was named executor. The will left the bulk of the estate to the town madman, whom everyone called the "Birdman," because he was usually accompanied by a tame vulture whom he called simply "bird" when he preached fire and brimstone sermons in the park, which he did on a daily basis. The Crandall son, Roger, had expected to inherit the fortune and disputed the will This is a captivating story of political intrigue, skullduggery, avarice, hatred and of course, love. It held my interest to the end. It is Reed Arvin's second novel His first was "Wind in the Wheat." He is a polished writer, and the story maintains a good pace. Joseph Pierre
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent read, incredibly well crafted
Review: A departure from his first work "Wind in the Wheat" but a welcome one in proving Arvin's ability to craft an interesting and intelligent story and believeable characters. I understand movie rights have been purchased. An excellent movie for the making. I look forward to more books by this talented writer.
Rating: 
Summary: The Birdman
Review: Henry Mathews left the seminary the day his parents were killed in a car crash and never looked back. He followed his father's footsteps into the law, but practiced as a corporate raider at a high-priced firm rather than toiling through the small-town law his father practiced. Henry was surprised to get called back to his hometown to execute a will left by the town's wealthiest citizen, Ty Crandall.
The surprises don't stop for Henry. Crandall has used an all-but-obsolete clause in his will to leave the bulk of his estate not to his son Roger as expected, but to a homeless man, called the Birdman, who lives in the town park. Hnery soon realizes that his responsibility is to protect Birdman, but to do so he must uncover some of the town's darkest secrets which have laid buried for so long. In doing so, he will come face-to-face with his own past. The Will is fast-paced and a pleasure to read!
Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: Henry Matthews--ambitious up-and-comer at a large, prestigious Chicago law firm--receives an unexpected call from his hometown of Council Grove, Kansas. The richest man in town, Tyler Crandall, has died, and Henry must go home and execute his will. The Crandalls pretty much own Council Grove, and all assume that the estate will pass to Roger, Tyler's son, and things will continue on as they always have. But to everyone's shock and surprise, Tyler Crandall leaves everything to the Birdman, a crazy, delusional homeless man who has lived in the town park for the last twenty-five years. Now, as the will is contested by the Crandall family, Henry is determined to find out what the connection is between Tyler and the Birdman and why he left him his fortune. And, as he digs into the past, Henry begins to uncover long-hidden secrets and truths that will change this small community forever. Reed Arvin has written a terrific mystery/legal thriller that will put you on the edge of your seat and keep you turning pages to the very end. This novel has it all: a suspenseful, compelling storyline, great characters with strong voices, riveting scenes, a climax that will knock your socks off, and a very satisfying ending. Mr Arvin's writing is true to life, crisp and spare, with a real ear for dialogue. So turn off the phone and lock the door, "The Will" is a winner and a book you will have to read in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: Roaring Lamb Alert
Review: I am not a reader of legal/mystery/thrillers but I picked up The Will because of Arvin's association with the music of one of my favorite (late) Christian singer/songwriters, Rich Mullins. This is not a "Christian" book in the sense that most people would use the term. In fact, many Christian readers would be offended by Arvin's story. It is not "clean" enough for the Bible Book store crowd. But, in my opinion, it is a Christian book in the best and truest sense. Arvin accurately depicts how we human beings must wrestle our angels and our demons to finally embrace the truth. And sometimes we must be dragged through the gutter into the light.
In The Will, Arvin demonstrates how the hand of God is at work in the events of our lives, invisibly weaving circumstances to bring about His "will". As I a Christian, I did not think the message was too heavy handed. The story was well written and engaging on may levels. But unbelievers should be forewarned of the explicit use and treatment of the "F" word: Faith
Rating:
Summary: Roaring Lamb Alert
Review: I am not a reader of legal/mystery/thrillers but I picked up The Will because of Arvin's association with the music of one of my favorite (late) Christian singer/songwriters, Rich Mullins. This is not a "Christian" book in the sense that most people would use the term. In fact, many Christian readers would be offended by Arvin's story. It is not "clean" enough for the Bible Book store crowd. But, in my opinion, it is a Christian book in the best and truest sense. Arvin accurately depicts how we human beings must wrestle our angels and our demons to finally embrace the truth. And sometimes we must be dragged through the gutter into the light.
In The Will, Arvin demonstrates how the hand of God is at work in the events of our lives, invisibly weaving circumstances to bring about His "will". As I a Christian, I did not think the message was too heavy handed. The story was well written and engaging on may levels. But unbelievers should be forewarned of the explicit use and treatment of the "F" word: Faith
Rating:
Summary: Reed Arvin Needs to Write More Books Fast
Review: I am not even done with this book and I'm already on line at Amazon.com looking for another of his books on tape, alas, to find that The Will is it! Dagerackafracs and balgerdash darn and gee whiz. We need Reed Arvin out there writing. As long as J. K. Rowling is in suspended animation for two years before another Harry Potter or Steven Pressfield with another Bagger Vance comes along, we need more Reed Arvin. What a master writer. My best to Reed -- Please write more, and fast. Be as prolific as Steven King. The world will love you for it. Dennis Niermann, Cleveland
Rating:
Summary: like Grisham - only better
Review: I bought this basically because of seeing a bunch of reviews that said it was better than my favorite author, John Grisham. I have to agree it's true, and I have a new fave. It rocks along like Grisham but Arvin has some poetry in his writing that Grisham doesn't, and I liked that. I never read a Grisham and thought, wow, that's a beautiful line. But sometimes you think that with this book - like it's on a higher plane or something. Anyway, I thought it rocked and the characters were amazing. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The Will is a Winner!!
Review: I found out about this author by being offered a preview edition of a book he will be coming out with after the first of the year. I liked it so much that I decided to read this work by him and I am so glad that I did. The Will is a tightly crafted mystery that keeps you wondering how it will unravel as you keep turning the pages. Henry Matthews is an up and coming associate in a prestigious Chicgo law firm which specializes in corporate takeovers and such. He is being groomed in the job by a wonderfully manipulative mentor when he takes a call from Roger Crandall, the only son of the richest man in Council Grove, Kansas, his home town. Tyler Crandall has died and Roger's father was the lawyer that drew his will. He is also deceased and Tyler Crandall has left written instructions that Henry is to be contacted concerning his will. The document is in an envelope which states it is only to be opened and read when all of the heirs are present. Henry heads back to Council Grove to attend to what he assumes is a rather mundane piece of tying up loose ends and walks into a life changing event. While the will contains bequests to his widow, daughter and son, they are minimal considering the size of his estate. He has left the bulk of it to the town nut case, referred to as The Birdman. Roger is beside himself as he had expected to step into his father's shoes and run the town as his daddy had. This is not a result he is willling to accept and he undertakes to contest the will. The defense of the will takes Henry into a fascinating maze of relationships which draw the reader deeper and deeper into the secrets that the town has been hiding for over twenty years. Arvin's characters are well drawn, his use of dialogue is powerful and as the mystery unravels like the peeling of an onion, the reader is treated to one of the best books of this type that I have read in some time. You will not regret buying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great effort from Arvin
Review: I love Reed Arvin's production work on albums from Rich Mullins and others, and I was frankly surprised that he was able to transition over to write quite a good novel. It's a fairly decent mystery/semi-courtroom drama. Good page-turner, very lively characters, and a bit of "feel-good" in the process. I can't wait for the movie!
|
