The Summons had decent storyline and Grisham has a good bead on small southern town politics but it lacked the energy and sharp edge of his previous books.

I haven't read a novel by John Grisham in a long time. Gosh, I can't even remember the last novel.

Anyways, Ray Atlee is a recently divorced professor of law at the University of Virginia. His brother, Forrest, has been in and out of rehab. When's he's out, everyone is on eggshells, fearing he'll relapse or ask for money.

Their father is the esteemed Honorable Reuben V. Atlee. Even outside of the courtroom, his words, desires, choices are law among loved ones. Nearing death, Judge Atlee summons both sons to settle his affairs.

Ray arrives earlier...only to find his father dead...and only to discover that there's $3 million dollars hidden in his father's office. The problem is that Judge Atlee made no mention of this money...not even in the will.

Ray decides to keep this stash of money secret, even from his brother. The problem is that someone else knows about this stash and makes threats on Ray's life. Will Ray surrender the money or will he keep it by staying on the run?

*The Summons* isn't your typical legal thriller...that's for sure. This deviant break from legal thriller proved to be disastrious for Grisham because, based on other reviews here, it's just plain boring. The characters aren't well developed. The story plot is illogical and amateurish.

Ray Atlee is a UVA law professor in Charlottesville, VA and receives the news that his father, Judge Reuben Atlee, has died. The news takes him to Clanton, Mississippi to his father's house where he discovers boxes of cash totaling three million dollars. Rather than report the money he decides to take it and deprive his brother, Forrest, of this money as well. The plot accelerates when a mystery third person indicates knowledge of the money and initiates threats to get it. Charlottesville, a sophisticated, wealthy college town in Virginia provides a striking contrast to the more rural Clanton, Mississippi both in culture and setting. Grisham manages to keep the ending and resolution a surprise that intrigues and mostly satisfies. Grisham is good at developing his plot and characters but some of the plot walks close to the margins of plausibility.The Griffon Trilogy

Professor Ray Atlee and his brother Forrest are summoned back to their father's home. Their father is the imposing Judge Reuben Atlee and he's dying. Ray arrives to find the judge dead and to find several million dollars in cash. Should Ray share the money with his drug-abusing brother? Should Ray keep the money? Who knows the money is there and what are they willing to do to get their hands on it?

Unfortunately, finding the answers to these questions requires reading the book. And the book is not worth reading. While Grisham once again writes a highly readable, southern inflected legal drama, this one lacks enough plot to justify its 200 and some pages. Simply stated, very little happens and what does happen is belabored and not entirely convincing. It reads, quite frankly, like Grisham is fulfilling a legal obligation to produce a novel.

It may be worth noting that this book contains some connections to other Grisham novels, including A Time to Kill.

This book has produced a mixed bag of reviews, like any substantial work. I rarely read thrillers, although I loved the immersion of "workaholism" that drenches the first third of The Firm. The Summons is a good and serious read. It's depiction of the Deep South rings true and the characters are quite good (stock can equal universal and be satisfying). Its technical description of legal processes is straight on, as we expect from the author. It is also a very sly morality tale. The Oedipal dilemmas are timeless. This book actually reminded of Faulkner in these regards. One review referred to it as a Mystery Commedy ... like Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust. I believe that the literary reputation of this book will grow over time.