The Widow Audiobook By John Grisham cover art

The Widow

the unforgettable new courtroom drama from the master of the legal thriller!

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'A classic, compulsive, taut and thrilling novel from one of the great storytellers of our time. No one does it better' CHRIS WHITAKER

SHE NEEDS A LAWYER. HE NEEDS A PAYDAY.

Lawyer Simon Latch is struggling with debt, gambling issues and an impending divorce. But when Eleanor Barnett, an 85-year-old widow, visits his office to secure a new will, it seems his luck has finally changed: she claims she's sitting on a $20 million fortune and no one else knows about it.

Once he's hooked the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But it's a terrible mistake. Hidden secrets have a way of being found out, and when Eleanor is hospitalised after a car accident, Simon realises that nothing is as it seems.

As events spiral out of control, he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn't commit: murder.

The Widow is classic Grisham courtroom drama combined with a confounding murder mystery that will enthral his legion of fans.©2025 Belfry Holdings, Inc. Crime Crime Thrillers International Mystery & Crime Legal Murder Mystery Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting

Critic reviews

A classic, compulsive, taut and thrilling novel from one of the great storytellers of our time. The Widow is John Grisham at his irresistible, unforgettable best. No one does it better
The Widow is primarily a moral parable ... it's a murder mystery, too, and permeated by evidence of John Grisham's often overlooked skill as a social observer
A twist-laden tale of greed, deception and privilege from the master of courtroom suspense
This is classic Grisham; the story of a small-town lawyer caught in a fix
Grisham is adroit at dealing with moral ambiguities, and they are all over this novel ... when that Grisham grip takes hold, readers will be unable to switch off their bedside lamps
Another nerve-shredding tale of a flawed justice system from the prolific past master of the courtroom drama
All stars
Most relevant
At first, I thought I'd made a mistake and bought a book I'd already read because the setup in the first several chapters was so similar to another book I read a year or two earlier by a different author.

This one seemed interminable through, perhaps, the first third of the book and never really got out of 2nd gear at any point.

The lawyerly maneuverings in this book were nowhere near as slick or unexpected as most Grisham novels I've read before; in fact, the lawyers on both sides seemed to miss a lot of obvious arguments and lines of reasoning.

Had this been the first John Grisham novel I ever read, I doubt I'd've been back for a second one.

I've read every book John Grisham has published, and, of the ones that focus on lawyers and courtrooms, this is my least favorite.

Really slow start but a somewhar stronger finish

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Plot was open and kept us guessing. Good selection of voices for each person easy to visualise the characters.

Great book by a great author

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Usual John Grisham style, immediately hooked with a story that keeps you guessing. Loved it

Couldn’t put it down

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Not John Grisham at his best...
But still somewhat enjoyable and I stile like his writing style very much...

a Scary wrongful conviction

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Great story with lots of plot twists and a surprise at the end. I will add Grisham to my "to listen" library.

Authenticate Blue Ridge Mountains accent.

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