The Summons: Summary and book reviews of The Summons by John Grisham, plus links to an excerpt from The Summons and a biography of John Grisham.

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 No longer on the bench, the Judge has withdrawn to the Atlee mansion and become a recluse.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.

Media Reviews

USA Today - Deirdre Donahue Some of my happiest, most relaxing reading moments have been spent in the entertaining company of John Grisham. And his new novel, The Summons, ranks as my absolute favorite in many years. After taking a break from writing legal thrillers to write the more literary A Painted House and the holiday fable Skipping Christmas, the prolific Grisham appears more fresh. First, there is an ending too delicious and morally instructive to give away. Second, the novel, Grisham's 14th, skillfully tours the New South of gambling casinos, endless self-storage centers and ultra-rich lawyers who sue multinational corporations.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Caitlin
I would like a refund, please.
Not of the money I paid for the book, although that would be great too, but mostly of the completely wasted hours I spent reading it. It took about two chapters to figure out who the "bad guy" was, if that, and the side trails followed...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Kay
The Summons
What I liked best about this Grisham book was that Ray was SO human; scared, can't shoot a gun, not sure what to do. So many of Grisham's heros are so smart, physically fit, etc. that they feel like fiction, but Ray was someone I can relate to....   Read More

Rated of 5 by Chris
The Summons
I thought the book started out nicely. A bit slow as some other reviewers have pointed out, but it was not so slow as to be turn-off and probably had to be deliberate in order to describe just what kind of man the Judge was. The book told a...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Spencer
An exciting legal thriller
I really enjoyed this book and would strongly recommend it. It had a great plot and a great ending. Once again, excellent job Mr. Grisham!

Rated of 5 by Kapena
One good book
This is one good book, because it talks a lot about the judicial system, and it is easy to read.

Rated of 5 by Ashlee
This book was great I'm 17 and just love each and every one of Grisham's book however this one is among my favorites. The build up to the end was exciting, and suspenseful. The book was very well written and I would recommend it to anyone who...   Read More

...42 More Reader Reviews

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