Troy Phelan has had it all, the fast cars, the yachts, the women and
the success. Billions of dollars worth of success.
But all of that
comes crashing down as Troy himself takes a swan dive from the
fourteenth floor of his swanky Washington office building. Troy''s death
leaves many unanswered questions, like why the man would would attend
an assessment of his mental condition before signing a will, only to
jump to his death? Why was it so important to him that he be pronounced
of sound mind if he was only signing the will that his lawyer had
drafted for him, one that gave most of his estate to his ex-wives and
children, his
heirs?
These are the questions that the reader is faced with in the opening to
John Grisham''s novel, The
Testament. Upon hearing of the death,
Phelan''s would-be heirs can smell the money in the air and begin
circling, arguing with their lawyers as they fight over who will get a
slice of the pie and just how big will it be. But Troy Phelan has some
surprises still and his greatest one yet is named Rachel Lane. With the
last will and testament yet to be read, Phelan''s heirs begin spending
like there''s no tomorrow.
Enter Nate O''Riley, the man assigned the unenviable task of tracking
down the mysterious Rachel Lane, her exact location is unknown, all
Nate knows is that she is a missionary working in Brazil and that the
outcome of the last will and testament might change her life as well as
a few others, forever. As the Phelan clan join forces to fight for the
old man''s money, Nate begins his desperate search. The Testament is
something of a departure from Grisham''s usual Modus Operandi (M.O.)
insofar as the action is not located in a courtroom but rather travels
with world with Nate O''Riley in his search of Rachel Lane. But, true to
form, Grisham tells a story of betrayal and redemption with flawed and
believable characters and The Testament is as good as his usual fare.
And that''s very good to say the least.