Doubtful any book by John Grisham is unworthy of review. He has earned praise as the master of the legal thriller. And Grisham is back and better than ever with “The Widow,” a murder case in which the attorney is the defendant.
Simon Latch is a small town lawyer whose practice is made up of bankruptcies and wills. He is a father of three and in a marriage on the rocks. His circumstances aren’t helped by a drinking problem and a gambling habit. But like many a struggling attorney, Latch stumbles on a case with the potential to improve his fortunes.
Eleanor Barnett is a local octogenarian twice widowed whose second husband is reported to have left her in extreme wealth by way of stock in Coca-Cola. She has no heirs and seeks legal help from Latch to write her will. In the course of his representation, she further enlists Latch to handle all her financial affairs.
There is an inconvenient twist to this arrangement. Ms. Barnett already sought another attorney who had prepared a will for her. This attorney also carved out in the will an unethical clause of a hefty fee for himself. Latch reviews the earlier will and spotting this ethical lapse, insists that his client not reveal the current will he has drafted, as there is no legal duty to inform the previous lawyer.
The problem is that Latch isn’t much different from the first attorney. While talking to himself, he acknowledges his own greed and can really differentiate himself from the first attorney only by the fact that he is careful not to make his greed explicit. To further complicate the matter are Ms. Barnett’s two step-sons whom she is determined to disinherit and who are equally determined to wrest their late father’s estate from her to reward themselves.
But ethical concerns are eclipsed when the matter turns into a case of murder. Ms. Barnett is involved in a drunk driving accident with her as the impaired operator. She suffers injuries requiring hospitalization. Latch pays close attention, paying daily visits and garnering from her the power of attorney.
Though Ms. Barnett’s condition is at first stable, she begins to deteriorate to the point where her brain function is diminishing. Latch is pursued by hospital authorities to make a decision as to Ms. Barnett’s vital status. He defers by insisting the situation calls for a medical decision but is advised by medical personnel that Ms. Barnett’s situation is hopeless, thus his decision that she be taken off life support.
This prompts an anonymous tip to local police to block cremation of the body until an autopsy is performed. That being done, it’s revealed by autopsy that Ms. Barnett died not from pneumonia (as first thought by the physicians), but from a deliberate case of poison known as thallium which has neither taste nor smell. It’s also worth mentioning that Ms. Barnett herself is revealed after her death to have been not as wealthy as she had represented.
Latch is soon arrested and is the target of a prosecutor who cares more about a conviction than the truth. Despite a complete lack of proof and evidence no more than circumstantial, Latch is convicted. In real life, a prosecution so lacking would provoke defense counsel to seek a directed verdict. But this slight variation from real life criminal litigation is forgivable when considering so original a plot.
Latch is allowed to remain free on bail pending sentence, which is scheduled several weeks after the conclusion of trial. During which time Latch and his attorneys search for the real killer (whom they learn is a party within the hospital).
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that all of John Grisham’s books have the potential for movies. “The Widow” is no exception. It’s a book hard to put down and easy to imagine on the big screen. It will be a privilege to review the movie if there is one.
John O’Neill is an Allen Park freelance writer.
