The Summons

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Michael Beck

Ray Atlee is a professor of law at the University of Virginia. He's 43, 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 40 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 No longer on the bench, the Judge has withdrawn to the Atlee mansion and become a recluse.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.

©2002 Belfry Holdings, Inc. (P)2002 Random House, Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House, Inc.

2 Aholes and a bag of money

sometimes his twists are annoying..... and put the money in a Fng safety deposit box lol

Third time reading

The best. So captivating!! I’m sure I will read it again one day. One of his best.

Great moral, Best Grisham book

Loved it. Great story, great moral. What would I do iif I were in Raiy's situation?

Surprisingly good

I didn't think an audio book would be as good as reading Grisham but I was wrong. I read half the book and left it on the beach (with my glasses) when rushing to the airport at the end of vacation. A friend let me listen to the last half of her audio book and I really enjoyed it.

One of the best

I thought this was a great story. Had classic Grisham elements and kept my attention throughout.

just ok

i love this author but found the story a little boring. worth listening too if you are out of books but if not put this on the back burner

Excellent book. Another hit by Gresham.

good good good book book book I really really love it. I loved this very good book.

Not his best, but still enjoyable

This book is not John Grisham's best, I did not get into the characters as much as with The Client, The Pelican Brief, or A Time to Kill (which I regard as his finest work). Still, the plot development was easy to follow, and the narrator does a good job of taking on the various characters. And, it has a surprise ending that kept me going until the last 30 minutes.

Grisham marches on

With Michael Beck's charming southern accent and Grisham's wonderful story telling technique, this book was impossible to put down. Fact is, I purchased the audio version, and have listened three times. If you like Grisham and Beck, immediately get your hands on this one.

A wonderful book

I really enjoyed the book. The characters were all three-dimensional, and the narrator was truly excellent. The ending of the book took me completely by surprise. I was left wanting to hear more.