THE WIDOW by John Grisham

4 stars

Grisham delivers a slow burn murder mystery that turns into a consuming, intense courtroom thriller.

It all starts with an elderly widow, Eleanor Barnett, seeking to create a new will. She lives in small town Braxton, Virginia and has already gone to one lawyer in town, Wally Thackerman, who created a will for her but basically gave himself the ability to control her estate and pay himself exorbitant fees. Saying that she’s unhappy with that will, Eleanor shows up at the doorstep of Simon Latch asking for a new will.

Eleanor, who asks to be called Netty, tells Simon that her second husband Harry left her a large multi-million-dollar estate – though she’s elusive about just how big that estate is. Under pressure, she shares with Simon the firm managing her assets – a large outfit on the East Coast that’s willing to share little. Netty has two stepsons from her marriage to Harry, Clyde and Jerry, both of whom she deeply dislikes and is determined to disinherit.

Simon has been treading water professionally, doing small cases for the past two decades, with not much to show for it financially. He’s estranged from his wife, has been living in his law office, and has mounting gambling debts. Eleanor’s arrival seems like a windfall in terms of down the road estate fees. Simon decides to craft the will himself, cutting his long-time legal assistant out of the process.

He then though finds himself catering to Netty’s whims and need for company, while simultaneously trying to keep the other lawyer Wally and the stepsons from knowing he’s created a new will for her.

When Netty gets murdered, all the action ratchets up and evolves into an edge-of-your-seat courtroom murder trial.

The trial itself is a 5-star read, but it takes a long, winding time to get there- hence the 4 stars. But kudos to Grisham for trying out an who-dun-it mystery, and no doubt he’ll nail the next one!

Thanks to DoubleDay Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.