John Grisham is back and better than ever with The Widow, a taut legal thriller that grabs you from the first page. Known for classics like The Firm and The Pelican Brief, Grisham proves once again why he's a master of the genre. This time, he introduces a complex, emotionally layered protagonist whose search for justice turns into something far more dangerous. The plot unfolds with expert precision, balancing courtroom drama with personal stakes that feel all too real. Twists come fast and hard, keeping readers guessing at every turn. Grisham's pacing is razor-sharp, and the writing is as compelling as ever. Just when you think you have it figured out, The Widow delivers a gut-punch of a reveal. It’s an addictive, stay-up-late read that reminds us why Grisham remains at the top of his game.

The Widow by John Grisham, not your standard Grisham book, for me it felt like there were fewer twists and turns. Still enjoyed it.

John Grisham is a wonderful novelist, and definitely the best in the game when it comes to legal dramas. I enjoyed the story and the mystery that went with it for sure. The ending left a little more to be desired, but I had fun the entire time. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book for giving an honest review.

I received an ARC of this upcoming novel, due out in October (2025), through NetGalley.

This is a whodunnit, not what John Grisham usually does. It is about a small town lawyer who takes on an 85-year-old widow as a client. The lawyer ends up being accused, he maintains falsely, of killing the widow. While he had plenty of motives to do it, he sets out on his own investigation to find the real killer.

The build-up to the murder took a l-o-n-g time, about half the book. I wasn’t very satisfied with how this concluded. I won’t spoil things but I will say that I wish the true killer would have been someone with a motive.

Though the book was rather long, it held my interest throughout. An enjoyable read, hard to put down.

A client walks into your office and asks you to prepare a will. How much do you know about her and how much is she willing to tell you? What is going on at home? Do I live there or do I sleep in my office? These are some of the questions and situations that are a theme through this book. Another great book by this author!

My Thoughts

Rural Virginia lawyer Simon Latch has a practice that barely keeps its doors open.

One fine day a new client, an elderly Widow, comes in to draft her Will.

For Simon Ms. Eleonar/“Netty” Barnett is a once in a lifetime “wealthy” client, the kind for him to finally have the opportunity to make his life better.

The kind of client that brings to the table a solid foundation
for Simon to work with and also a person whom he develops a relationship with outside of lawyer and client over time.

I have always been very interested and very happy to read this author’s work over the years.

His courtroom-based tales are not only very well written but also very entertaining to me as well.

This time he has a lawyer as his “Innocent Man” accused of a murder he swears he didn’t commit.

A murder that everyone else is convinced that Simon had every motive for and nothing to prove he was not guilty of.

The burden of proof rests solely upon his finding the guilty person or persons responsible before his time runs out and he is imprisoned.

The evidence is stacked against Simon and his efforts to get the truth mean that he has to use every resource available, both legal and illegal.

I felt like the story bogged down in its early stages but once it hit the 3/4 mark I couldn’t stop reading to see what happened next.

A story that was both powerful and moving to me.

[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I haven’t read Grisham in ages, thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to jump back into his books!

It starts out strong with the MMC, lawyer Simon Latch, has a wealthy elderly lady come in to have him work on her estate planning.

Her estate has a chance to save him from his over extended life as his marriage is spiraling. And stick it to his rival across the street.

Great character development in painting Simon as a lawyer you don’t want to love. He’s greedy, he’s gambling, he lying but at the same time you can’t quite bring yourself to hate him. And Eleanor has just enough questions surrounding her that you can’t quite be certain her angle.

It got a bit dragged out in the middle with the ongoing back and forth with Simon and Eleanor, I think some of that could have been trimmed but once Simon is charged it ramps up and becomes fast paced, with a twist you don’t see coming! So it is a round up to 4 stars for me!

Generally liked this one but also kind of didn’t? Easy to read, interesting premise, but the main part of the synopsis didn’t happen until halfway through. All of the main characters are kind of horrible people, which was super interesting, but some readers may find it hard to connect. Will read Grisham’s next mystery if he continues, but definitely always enjoy his legal thrillers as well.

The Widow is a fantastic story that leaves you wondering what did I just read!?
Simon is a lawyer, husband, father and gambler.
His marriage is on the rocks, his gambling debt is out of control, and his kids are in their own world.
He mainly files bankruptcy and divorce cases, until an elderly woman seeks his services, announcing she is quite wealthy and has no one to leave her estate to, will he help her?
From there we go on a wild ride with Simon and his client, Netty. I couldn't put the book down, I had to read it until the very end.
This is a fabulous story and I loved every minute of it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

This next novel by the legendary author, John Grisham, that is being published October 21, 2025, is a page turner with Grisham’s signature legal writing. Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Simon Latch is a desperate attorney that has a broken family, lots of bills to pay and a gambling problem. When a little old lady comes into his office with no one to leave her fortune to, Simon sees a brighter future with a client that can bring him out of his misery. Simon begins to cater to his important client and begins to be her sole companion and overburdened by her every whim. When tragedy ensues, this leaves Simon fighting for his freedom.

I enjoyed this legal plot, but did not like any of the characters, especially Simon, but that did not stop me from still rooting for him in the end. There were parts that I felt were very unrealistic and I had to ask my husband who is in the legal field if certain aspects were even possible in court. But throwing all reality by the wayside, I kept turning the page.

I recommend this new novel by John Grisham along with most of his other novels. You can always depend on Grisham for an edge of your seat thriller. #NetGalley #TheWidow @DoubledayBooks

In John Grisham's The Widow, a small town lawyer, Simon, is struggling in both his personal life and in his law practice when a wealthy widow walks in and he thinks he's reached a turning point. He has, but not the way he wanted.

I have read almost all of Mr. Grisham's books and have enjoyed them immensely, and this is no different, but it took me a bit longer to get into this book. The first part of the book is a long (long) introduction to the characters and the backstory. He is very "wordy" as my mom used to say, and a lot of it isn't necessary and I made myself keep reading and not give up. Once he got into the story, it was worth the wait.

After Eleanor dies, Simon is inexplicably charged with her murder and he then has to fight for his freedom and figure out who actually did kill her.

The unraveling of the murder was interesting, I finally got into the book and enjoyed it immensely. The plot was clever, the flawed characters likable, and I found myself rooting for Simon to get everything taken care of.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC of The Widow by John Grisham.

Simon Latch is a small town attorney struggling to make ends meet. When Eleanor Barnett walks through his door, Simon thinks his luck is about to change. Little does he know his problems are about to get worse.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it started off a little slow but it came together and I couldn't wait to find out what was going on.

I used to read John Grisham's books all the time but I hadn't read a book by him in many years. When I saw this was available on Netgalley I requested it as I enjoyed his books in the past. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I got through 17 chapters and it couldn't hold my attention. I skimmed through a lot of the rest of the book so I don't feel like I can give it a rating.

First of all, thank you Netgalley and DoubleDay Publishers for an ARC of this novel.

The Widow is the latest John Grisham's book and the first of his novels that focuses on finding who commits the crime.

This story has a slow beginning, the exposition takes its sweet time. The development of the characters is extremely thorough but none of them is particularly likable . There are a lot of paragraphs and lingo dedicated to gambling, which in my humble opinion could be cut in half and still be more than enough. There are multiple repetitive actions that almost reach the point of boredom. Before reaching the 50% mark I thought the book was not really living to expectations.

Then it happened, it became a novel on steroids. The second half of the book is the counterpoint of the first. It is packed with action and developments that happen quickly, turn around quicker. From that point on it was hard to put the book down and it stole a few hours of sleep.

#theWidow #NetGalley

A very engaging read that is hard to put down.
I was always wanting to know what happens next. A very rich widow approaches Simon, a small-town lawyer, to rewrite her will leaving nothing to her two estranged step-sons. Simon does that in anticipation of the hefty fees it will generate when it is probated. Simon is then accused of poisoning her when she passes. Was it one of the step-sons? Not knowing of the new will, could it be the lawyer of original will who wrote the first will to give himself total control of her estate? Who else would have a motive? How will Simon show that he did not have anything to do with her passing? And how can Simon find the person who did the act? A terrific story that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy. This is my review and all thoughts are my own.

The King of the Legal Thriller has written a mystery/suspense novel and I have a new mystery author!

I have long loved Grisham’s legal thrillers and this new offering does not disappoint. But don’t worry, there is a lawyer at the center of this one and he is quite the character.

Simon is a lawyer in Virginia. With his marriage failing and his work only managing to pay the bills and not much more. Then a very wealthy widow walks in and suddenly Simon is representing her. Needing a new will after being left a small fortune by her dead hubby.

However, a car accident exposes some very serious questions about the woman and her story. And soon Simon himself is on trial for murder!
And now Simon becomes a detective in his own case, hoping to find the truth before he goes to prison.

This was a really good story and I felt for poor Simon, on trial for murder when he was already so beaten down.

A pleasure to read.


NetGalley/ Doubleday October 21,2025

With The Widow, John Grisham follows his usual trademark style -- a long, detailed lead-up to a tense confrontation with a satisfactory conclusion. But with a twist. His last book was nonfiction, Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions, a collaboration with Jim McCloskey. So for the first time in his career, Grisham has written a whodunnit instead of a catch-em-that-dunnit or a whydunnit, with the added overlay of the possible conviction of an innocent man. Enough has been written in blurbs about the plotline, so I'll just add that Simon Latch, Grisham's creation, is a flawed but immediately sympathetic character, a worthy addition who loves his kids and tries to do the right thing even if it isn't always for the right reasons. Grisham also manages to sneak in his love for sports, most notably NCAA March Madness. Loved this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ARC Review – The Widow by John Grisham

While The Widow has the bones of a compelling legal thriller, the execution fell short for me. The pacing was slow throughout, with long stretches that felt more like filler than forward movement. I kept waiting for the tension to build, but the momentum never quite materialized.

The mystery itself had potential, but the breadcrumbs leading to the resolution were too sparse, making the ending feel both anticlimactic and unearned. It wrapped up without the punch I’ve come to expect from Grisham’s work.

Grisham’s writing is as readable as ever, and diehard fans may still find value here but overall, this one felt a bit too drawn out and lacking in payoff.

Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in rural Virginia, needed a new will. When she walked into attorney Simon Latch’s office seeking his help, he thought she was the answer to all of his financial problems. She claimed to have been left a substantial fortune by her recently deceased husband, which could solve all of his financial problems. He was barely able to cover his household financial responsibilities and his marriage was falling apart.
Simon soon finds out that Eleanor was not as wealthy as she claimed, and when he attempts to help her after she is hospitalized following a serious car accident, his efforts land him in jail after being charged with her murder. Desperate to prove his innocence of a crime he did not commit, Simon moves full speed ahead to find the killer who is framing him.

I enjoyed the journey that John Grisham took me on with this book. It's been a long while since I had read a John Grisham novel, and I forgot how he spins a tale. For me, John takes me for a long Sunday drive, we see sights and get to know the area, but we take our time. Up until the end of our journey, which comes with a great surprise and many twists. Would I recommend this book YES! I would say that don't expect an edge-of-your-seat kind of novel, but it is a great read with lots of interesting characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This review is my opinion.