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Grisham, John The Summons (John Grisham) ISBN 13: 9780553528916

The Summons (John Grisham)

  • 3.73 out of 5 stars
    80,188 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780553528916: The Summons (John Grisham)

Synopsis



Ray Atlee is a professor of law at the University of Virginia. He's forty-three, newly single, and still enduring the aftershocks of a surprise divorce. He has a younger brother, Forrest, who redefines the notion of a family's black sheep.

And he has a father, a very sick old man who lives alone in the ancestral home in Clanton, Mississippi. He is known to all as Judge Atlee, a beloved and powerful official who has towered over local law and politics for forty years. No longer on the bench, the Judge has withdrawn to the Atlee mansion and become a recluse.

With the end in sight, Judge Atlee issues a summons for both sons to return home to Clanton, to discuss the details of his estate. It is typed by the Judge himself, on his handsome old stationery, and gives the date and time for Ray and Forrest to appear in his study.

Ray reluctantly heads south, to his hometown, to the place where he grew up, which he prefers now to avoid. But the family meeting does not take place. The Judge dies too soon, and in doing so leaves behind a shocking secret known only to Ray.

And perhaps someone else.

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Review

Law professor Ray Atlee and his prodigal brother, Forrest, are summoned home to Clanton, Mississippi, by their ailing father to discuss his will. But when Ray arrives the judge is already dead, and the one-page document dividing his meager estate between the two sons seems crystal clear. What it doesn't mention, however, is the small fortune in cash Ray discovers hidden in the old man's house--$3 million he can't account for and doesn't mention to brother Forrest, either.

Ray's efforts to keep his find a secret, figure out where it came from, and hide it from a nameless extortioner, who seems to know more about it than he does, culminate in a denouement with an almost biblical twist. It's a slender plot to hang a thriller on, and in truth it's not John Grisham's best in terms of pacing, dramatic tension, and interesting characters (except for Harry Rex, a country lawyer who was the judge's closest friend and in many ways is the father Ray wishes he'd had. He's so vivid he jumps off the page). But Grisham's legions of fans are likely to enjoy The Summons even if it lacks the power of some of his classic earlier books, like The Firm, The Brethren, and The Testament. --Jane Adams

From the Back Cover

The Summons ranks as my absolute favorite in many years...[with] an ending too delicious and morally instructive to give away.”
--USA Today

“A pleasure to read...a good yarn.”
--The Washington Post

From the Paperback edition.

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  • PublisherRandom House Audio
  • Publication date2002
  • ISBN 10 0553528912
  • ISBN 13 9780553528916
  • BindingAudio Cassette
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Number of pages6
  • Rating
    • 3.73 out of 5 stars
      80,188 ratings by Goodreads

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Grisham, John
Published by Random House Audio, New York, 2002
ISBN 10: 0553528912 ISBN 13: 9780553528916
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Seller: Bookmarc's, Houston, TX, U.S.A.

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Audio Cassette. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. AK1 - 6 near fine cassettes in a very good cover/case that has some corners bumped and light shelf wear. All the tapes have been listened completely and all the tapes are good. Unabridged. Approx. 8.5 hours. Read by Michael Beck. Ray Atlee is a professor of law at the University of Virginia. He's forty-three, new single, and. Size: 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. Seller Inventory # EC6089BB

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