REVIEW OF THE WIDOW

BY

JOHN GRISHAM

4 stars out of 5 stars

Most of us have not sit through a murder trial, either as a Juror or as a spectator.  Indeed, not just a murder trial but any trial.  When summoned to serve as a juror, many of us would petition to be excused, citing various reasons.  I recently did just that, citing my age as well as all the health issues on record.  I was excused.

Nevertheless, serving as a juror in a murder trial can be a valuable experience.  Short of that, the books by John Grisham are informative in this regard.  Being a lawyer himself, with a JD degree from Ole Miss, Graham practiced law for many years before becoming a writer of best-selling books.  According to Wikipedia, he was one of the three English speaking authors who have sold more than  2 million copies on the first edition.  The other two being Tom Clancy and J. K. Rowling.

The latest book by Grisham is The Widow.  Within the 300 pages of griping narrative, the reader learns the order of rules in a criminal trial and the power of the judge.  It is astonishing to learn that, in the U.S., the unanimous verdicts of the jurors had convicted three thousand innocent people in thirty years.  Several examples of folks serving decades of years in prison for crimes they did not commit were given.  There is little comfort in learning that the Judge has the power to overturn the verdict of the jurors, if he/she believes there is not enough evidence.  Such power can save innocent folks but it can also let loose real criminals.

Lawyers did not come off well in this novel.  Although the main character, a lawyer suspected of murdering a widow because of greed, was exonerated at the end, there were deceitful deeds committed by lawyers in the narrative, whether in preparing a will or accepting a huge bribe from a hospital instead of revealing a suspect, leading the suspect to commit another murder. 

It is interesting, though not comforting, that divorces are prevalent in just about every household: from the main character, his mother, his in=laws, to his former girlfriend.  All were glad to be rid of their spouses.  Hopefully, society is better than this.

The second half of the book is a page turner.   However, as I stated In my review of “Inevitable”, when reading a book, I usually try to note down some memorable quotes which are either humorous, elegantly written, or wise and profound observations of the human condition.  I am afraid I am unable to find such quotes in this one.