If you’re the type of person who enjoys any kind of legal thriller, murder mystery type story, then chances are you’ve either read Grisham novel or have seen a movie featuring his stories.
This upcoming release is a perfect example of a courtroom mystery with some good twists. Check out my review and thoughts below.
The Widow by John Grisham
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication date: October 21, 2025
ISBN-13: 978-0385548984
OVERVIEW:
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….
The Widow by John Grisham Review
Police procedural stories are one of the genres that I really do enjoy reading. They’re definitely a niche within the crime/thriller/Suspense category.
Courtroom drama stories are also in that category, and it’s not usually one that I read because I do enjoy the suspense in the action within the story.
But I made an exception with this book because it sounded interesting. The author tells a story that we would probably see in a courtroom today. Senior citizens and wills and greed that happens when people pass away. Let’s not forget the money grab.
What I didn’t see coming were the twists that Grisham put into the story. But I shouldn’t have been surprised. People act poorly because of who someone is or what they perceive them to be. Judging people because of the profession that they happen to be in. Making assumptions about people.
What I definitely wasn’t surprised about was the whodunit… Grisham is a best-selling author because of the storytelling abilities that he has, and he leads us down the garden path.
With that said, I really wanted a bit more suspense than what we were given. The story is solid, interesting, although it lagged a little bit in the middle for me.
But I wouldn’t be surprised to read about this type of thing in white crime court docs. The Widow is entertaining with a few surprising twists along the way, Grisham style. Check it out.
4 STARS!!
Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.
Hi! I’m Chris! Just a Midlife Wife sharing about life’s journey; screaming and kicking through it while supposedly aging gracefully…
Focusing on healthy living, low carb & keto, things I am loving right now, and life in general.