The Widow: A Novel
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham is the acclaimed master of the legal thriller. Now, he’s back with his first-ever whodunit, even more suspenseful than his courtroom dramas, as a small-time lawyer accused of murder races to find the real killer to clear his name.
“A classic, compulsive, taut and thrilling novel from one of the great storytellers of our time. The Widow is John Grisham at his irresistible, unforgettable best.”—Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colors of the Dark
Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune, and no one knows about it.
Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder.
Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him, and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer….
“A classic, compulsive, taut and thrilling novel from one of the great storytellers of our time. The Widow is John Grisham at his irresistible, unforgettable best.”—Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colors of the Dark
Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune, and no one knows about it.
Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder.
Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him, and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer….
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Readers say John Grisham’s "The Widow" offers a thoughtful legal thriller focused on moral ambiguity and the flaws of the justice system, anchored by ...
Simon Latch is a struggling lawyer whose unraveling marriage mirrors his stagnant career, until Eleanor Barnett, a quiet elderly widow, walks into his office with a secret fortune and a request for a new will. When Simon agrees to keep her wealth hidden, cracks begin to form in her story, and everything spirals after Eleanor is hospitalized and suddenly dies. Simon finds himself charged with her murder and to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison, he must prove his innocence by uncovering the truth.
Inspired by my current jury duty service, I opted to read The Widow, which had previously caught my attention. I’m not typically a fan of legal thrillers, but now that I have a better understanding of the criminal trial process, I think it’s a new favorite sub-genre!!
Simon is morally gray, deeply flawed, and constantly toeing the line between survival and self-destruction, which made him impossible to look away from and oddly relatable. This was one of those reads that had me questioning the lengths I would go to, in order to save my butt. While not my typical level of thrill, I genuinely enjoyed the slow-burn suspense. The tension comes less from shock value and more from watching the walls close in.
Didn't like the main character, which affected my appreciation of the book. Well written. I would recommend it - interesting story.
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