The Summons

One more Grisham and that is it, I swear, for the entire year! No more Grisham for a looooooong time!

The Summons by John Grisham

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It seems like lately I've been on these benders. So I pick an author, you see, and then I'm sort of stuck on that author for a while (i.e., the Stephanie Plum series, the Spellman series, Jodi Picolt, Kate Morton, John Grisham...obviously...and I could go on...). I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is an obsessive compulsive disorder where I feel I must read everything an author has written if I happen to like anything else by that particular author. Sort of like my OCD about reading series books in ORDER...which I haven't been doing with the Stephanie Plum series and it has sort of annoyed me. Have you ever noticed how much I can ramble? I know it. It's an issue.

But anyway, focusing now, I may need a break from Grisham for a while. This wasn't his best work, in my opinion.

It isn't that I didn't like the story, per se. It was an interesting premise. Two brothers come back home (one the wayward black sheep of the family, the other your typical saintly child) because their father is dying. But it turns out, when they get there, he's already dead. The "good" brother, Ray, has found something interesting in the house, however, and maybe he's not such a goody-goody after all. You'll have to read it if you want to know more.

The premise, then, was exciting enough, but the execution was slow. Too slow. Not enough action. I have said in previous reviews of Grisham's novels that I appreciate that he branches out. Not everything has to go as fast as books like The Runaway Jury (and man I've read far too many of this dude's novels, by the way). But still, I'd like to see a Runaway Jury again. Please Mr. Grisham, pretty please?!?!?

Oh, and by the way, so when did Grisham become Faulkner, anyway? He's creating this little Southern entourage in his novels, and characters keep reappearing in various books. Like Harry Rex. Grisham included him in A Time to Kill, I believe, and now he's shown up in this and The Last Juror...and maybe elsewhere. And like Patton French from King of Torts. I actually really like it/find it endearing and clever. I guess he is a Southern writer, after all.

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