An intelligent, low-key thriller, The Summons continues John Grisham's exploration of the common decencies of a strain of American commercial story-telling in literature and film that we often link to the work of Frank Capra or O Henry. He is not afraid of parable or of setting up situations that are at once archetypal and attractively specific. This is a tale of two brothers--one is righteous, more or less, and one is not--and a question of their inheritance. Ancient Mississippi judge Atlee summons his two sons to his deathbed, but dies before he can explain himself, leaving Ray, who arrives on time unlike his drunkard brother Forest with the difficult problem of the three million dollars in used notes which are lying around the house in shoe-boxes. Ray worries about his father's posthumous reputation, about the Inland Revenue Service and about how quickly Forrest could drink himself to death with unlimited funds.

Grisham is very acute indeed on how the best of intentions lead Ray not to any significant crime or atrocity but to quietly unconscionable behaviour. And then he realises he is being followed... Grisham can build suspense out of remarkably little and has a real gift for understanding the quiet anxieties of an ordinary man. --Roz Kaveney

2008-07-11 My First Grisham will not be the last....

I'm unsure why this book has gotten such terrible previous reviews - OK, I have no Grisham comparison (as this was my time time reading him) but I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

The story carried me along and kept me guessing, while the characters were engaging and uncomplecated (which can often be the bookfall of so many books - too many characters and not enough story to support them all). I personally found the leisurely pace pleasant and found the ending quite interesting and alittle unexpected.

I admit that there wasn't huge amounts to the story, it was very one-themed, but the overall concept was fun and twisted and turned nicely throughout. My only single complaint would be that it was written like a movie script - you could almost imagine it on the 'big screen', it would translate perfectly, which is perhaps why it wasn't too challenging on the whole.

This was my first Grisham and won't be my last, however that said I won't be going out of my way to purchase his latest read but will grab an earlier book if I see one in my local charity shop!!