2026 Book Review #16:The Widow

 

I hadn't read one of this author's novels since around 2019 so when I saw this on the "new books" shelf at the town library, and read what it was about, I was intrigued enough to take it out. 

STORY SUMMARY

In the small town of Braxton, Virginia, the lawyer Simon Latch, makes just enough money to pay his bills and hold his family together. He's married to a woman named Paula and they have 3 children: Danny, Buck, and Janie. Paula and Simon are struggling in their marriage and at this point are more like roommates and Simon even stays many nights in his office on Main Street. 

One day an elderly woman, age 85 yrs old, named Eleanor Barnett comes into the office and wants  a will done. She regrets having it done with another lawyer in town, Wally Thackerman.  According to Eleanor, she is very wealthy due to her husband, now deceased, making a lot of money by putting stocks into Coca Cola and Walmart.

Simon thinks his luck has changed by Eleanor walking into his office. He works hard at keeping her wealth under the radar but after a few weeks, her story begins to raise doubts in his mind. For example: she can't seem to produce documents like bank statements with proof of her wealth. 

A few months later, Eleanor has a bad car accident due to drinking and driving and her friend Doris, who was a passenger in the car, was  hurt.  Both of them end up in the hospital and the family that Eleanor hit, is also in the hospital. 

When this happens, Simon learns that nothing is as it seems, and he soon finds himself faced with a murder charge! Eleanor has died from poisoning and everyone thinks Simon is the one who did this. 

But Simon knows he's innocent. However, he also knows that the prosecution has circumstantial evidence that can convict him of murder!  This conviction could send him to prison for life. As his trial progresses and the jury decides he's guilty, he knows there is only one way to save himself.  

So....he sets about to prove his innocence!  Will he and a few other people he comes to know and rely on, find the real killer of the widow? 

MY THOUGHTS

This was a good book and very fast paced.  I stayed up far too late some nights to read "just another chapter".  

The characters are diverse and interesting and very well developed.

The plot moves quickly and just when I thought I knew who the killer was, a twist happens.  

There were a few editing errors I noticed throughout the book but for the most part this book is just a quick, easy mystery and in my opinion, one of Grisham's better novels.  I still prefer The Reckoning though! 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.