After recently reading The Broker by John Grisham my appetite was whet for more by this author, so I jumped into my car, scoured the local charity shops, and snaffled up a handful of his books – eager to read more.

The Summons was an ordinary experience. Forgettable.

Professor of Law at Virginia University, Ray Atlee returns to his childhood home in Clanton Mississippi following the death of his father – a curmudgeonly, but well-respected Judge. Ray hadn’t visited his father for years due to a falling out many years ago. Ray encountered a run down home, as his miserly Old Man, was not big on spending money.

Whilst cleaning the house for sale Ray found three million dollars hidden away in cupboards. This was a startling discovery, as the Judge was known for his unfailing honestly, and this money was far more than what he would have earned as a Judge.

So, what does Ray do - declare it? Share it? Take it? Is it clean or is it dirty money?

This discovery is followed by a train of events leading Ray into situations he would never have imagined, including threats to his life and safety. During all this, Ray is required to deal with his younger brother – a professional addict (drugs and booze) called Forrest.

Ultimately, this was a disappointing effort. It started off interesting, but it lost its head of steam midway, and it didn’t recover. The mediocrity of the middle section was only exceeded by the disappointment of the ending. I know these stories are all about plot, but a tipple of character development does help – I thought this story was short on this, I didn’t really care for Ray, or the other cast members for that matter. A big shame as I thoroughly enjoyed The Broker.

Listen here Johnny Gee – once I have a great experience with something or someone (as with The Broker), I become a very sticky type, so you can’t shake me off this easily!!

I will continue ploughing through my other Grisham Booty – but not yet.

2 Stars

This was quite a boring book. He still managed to make a dry story interesting, but this is definitely one of the worst Grisham books out there.

Ray a law professor, receives a summons from his ailing father, a retired judge. His brother Forrest has also been summoned. When Ray arrives, he finds his father dead and a new Will left on his desk. He also finds a large amount of money in the cabinets. He decides to take the money and deal with where it came from later, before Forest finds out. Forest is an addict so it's best he doesn't know. But, someone else knows and is after the money.

This was an ok read for me. I've loved Grisham's other books but this didn't grab me as much. I'll move on to the next one.

NUOTAIKA perskaičius knygą – filosofinė: kyla klausimai, kas yra teisinga, kokia sąžiningumo vertė, ar nusikaltimo motyvai gali pateisinti.

Romanas šiek tiek ištęstas, bet išlaiko įtampą: kai nusivili, kad viskas taip paprasta, pasirodo, dar čia ne pabaiga, o pabaigoje netgi pritrūkau taškų sudėliojimo ant „i“.

Kitoks detektyvas: nusikaltimas, jo tyrimas ir pats romanas labai gyvenimiškas, tiriama ne žmogžudystė, jo nenarplioja detektyvas. Įdomu buvo pažvelgti kaip Amerikoje advokatai daro verslą iš bylų prieš dideles kompanijas (tabako, vaistų).

Vienu sakiniu - gera pažintis su amerikietišku detektyvu, parašytu teisininko, pagal kurio knygas buvo kuriami filmai (pvz., Firma, Pelikano byla, Metas žudyti ir kt.).