The Widow - John Grisham

The Widow

By John Grisham

  • Release Date: 2025-10-21
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4
4
From 4,862 Ratings

Description

#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….

Reviews

  • A Great Read

    5
    By Eyerish21
    One of Grisham’s best! I couldn’t put it down!
  • Thrilling prose from one of the best

    5
    By Ccarickh
    What a great John grisham book! I love the pace of his stories, he takes his time to really build the scenery and the characters. All this while constructing a thought provoking and compelling thriller. Well done, can't wait for the next one!
  • Great book

    4
    By Linewife4
    The book started out slow at first but started to pick up and I couldn’t put it down. ❤️❤️ love love love
  • Predictable

    3
    By suhollan
    Tedious with no real likable characters. I read this for book club. Prefer Connelly and Crais crime novels, by far, which provide exciting action with more creative prose.
  • Great novel!

    5
    By Ahhhra3
    Excellent and thorough work by the legendary author, John Grisham!
  • Plot was a bit unusual

    3
    By Black Rancher
    Huge fan of JG but this wasn’t one of his best efforts. I didn’t like the plot as it seemed far reaching and the book ended with several loose ends. Fingers crossed for the next one.
  • Abrupt ending

    4
    By S4C4K4J4
    Good story but rather abrupt ending. I would have liked an epilogue with some more closure info.
  • Chore to finish

    1
    By arrjace
    Did an intern write this? The case and first two-thirds of the story have nothing to do with the ending.someone should have spent the money for a medical consultant as well. Not at all up to standard for this author!
  • Not his best

    3
    By akaPoppy
    Found it tedious and not a very good conclusion. Story was weak in several parts.
  • Wish I was smarter

    5
    By Patientbutfrustrated
    I can maybe understand some of the complaints, but I really can’t figure out how anyone could not be more positive than negative on this book. And I thought the ending was perfect for this excellent journey.