The Will

by Reed Arvin

Paperback, 2001

Status

Available

Collection

Publication

Pocket Books (2001), 512 pages

Description

Henry Mathews is a young, ambitious associate at one of the top law firms in Chicago. Called back to his tiny hometown of Council Grove, Kansas, to execute the will of Tyler Crandall, the town's richest man, Henry becomes enmeshed in a web of long-hidden secrets. Tyler has chosen to leave his wealth to a homeless derelict called the Birdman. Soon it becomes clear that locked behind the Birdman's apparent madness is the key to the real history of Council Grove.As he is sucked into a maelstrom of money, politics, and a tragic love affair, Henry discovers that right and wrong are more complex than he imagined. Those secrets hold the power to ruin lives. As black and white become gray, what began as a legal battle becomes a spiritual journey stretching back to Henry's mysterious experience at a seminary years before. Far more than a thriller, "The Will" is absorbing and deeply satisfying.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member TerryWeyna
This John Grisham wannabe simply can’t compete. The plot is predictable, the courtroom scenes are risible in their inaccuracy, and the tantalizing promise of a subplot or two is left unfulfilled. Henry Mathews, Jr. is a former seminary student who is now a smart young lawyer working for a Chicago
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law firm, making the world safe for greedy and unethical corporations. When the richest man in his small Kansas hometown dies, Henry is called home as executor of his will. The will isn’t what anyone expected, and Henry soon finds himself representing the town madman, who is inexplicably the chief beneficiary of the will. The novel is poorly researched, from its minor misrepresentations of Chicago geography to the meager trial scenes where the lawyers do more off-topic questioning than any judge would ever allow. The characters are bad or good, no shadings, right down to the prostitute with a heart of gold. Of course, Henry suffers a crisis of conscience; of course, he falls in love. You can figure all this out by the time you’ve read to page 20. It’s perfect for a summer movie, but not much fun on the page.

Originally published in The Drood Review of Mystery, Volume 20, No. 5, p. 11 (Sept/Oct 2000)
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LibraryThing member gerleliz
Uninspiring and not good
LibraryThing member Bennyjon
The book is a thriller. Though the book starts very slowly after sometime it become a real page turner. Overall it is a nice book and it has got suspense.

Language

Original language

English

ISBN

0743410165 / 9780743410168
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