The Widow by John Grisham @johngrisham #MichaelBeck @prhaudio @prhaudio.bsky.social #TheWidow

the setup…
Simon Latch is a small town lawyer with a modest practice in Braxton, Virginia. He specializes in the simple stuff like bankruptcies and wills, barely enough to pay the bills. Simon’s marriage is crumbling and he has a slight gambling habit. Everything changes when Eleanor Barnett walks into his office. She’s an elderly widow with a stunning investment portfolio no one is aware of and wants to redo her will. Seeing the possibility of his fortunes changing, Simon stealthily goes about doing what he needs to do until Eleanor has a car accident and lands in the hospital. Her story starts to fall apart and suddenly Simon finds himself on trial for a murder he didn’t commit.

the heart of the story…
The thing about Simon is even though his greed drove his agenda with Eleanor, he wasn’t a bad guy, just someone who isn’t shy about operating in the gray. He was kindly towards Eleanor, even when he began to suspect her portfolio might not be what she claimed. Simon might be small town but he’s highly resourceful and smart, despite being possibly duped.

the narration…
Michael Beck delivered the most brilliant performance on every level. Bravo!

the bottom line…
This is classic Grisham, the one who set me on my path to loving legal thrillers, starting with The Firm. The pacing is perfect, the setting is a vital element and the characters so well developed you can visualize all of them. The courtroom drama is superb. Almost 15 hours of serious book love.

Book Info

• Release Date: October 21, 2025
• Narrator: Michael Beck
• Audio Length: 14 hours, 23 minutes
• Publisher: Random House Audio

Listen to a Sample!

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(Thanks to Random House Audio and Libro.fm for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)