NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
John Grisham’s first-ever whodunnit, The Widow<\/a>, is on the way \nListen to an excerpt from ‘The Widow’ by John Grisham<\/p>\n Chapter\u00a0 1\n<\/p>\n The clients drawn to the quaint little law office at the corner of Main and Maple brought problems that Simon was tired of. Bankruptcies, drunk driving charges, delinquent child support, foreclosures, nickel-and-dime car wrecks, suspicious slip-and-falls, dubious claims of disabilities \u2014 the stock-in- trade of a run-of-the-mill street lawyer whose law school dreams of riches had faded so dim they were almost gone. Eighteen years into the grind and Simon F. Latch, Attorney and Counselor (both) at Law, was burning out. He was weary of other people\u2019s problems.\n<\/p>\n Occasionally there was a break in the misery when an aging client needed some estate work, like an updated last will and testament. These were almost always uncomplicated matters that any first-year law student could handle, regardless of how somber Simon tried to make them. For only $250, he could write, or \u201cdraft\u201d as he preferred to say, a three-page simple will, print it on heavy gold bond paper, get it notarized by his \u201cstaff,\u201d and convey the impression that the client was \u201cexecuting\u201d something profound.\n<\/p>\n The truth was half of them didn\u2019t even need a will, regardless of how simple, though no lawyer in the history of American jurisprudence had ever said so to a paying client. It was also true that the $250 fee was a rip-off because the internet was filled with free simple wills that were just as binding. It was also true that Mr. Latch would hardly touch the will. Matilda, his secretary, filled in the blanks and printed the important documents.\n<\/p>\n The current client was Ms. Eleanor Barnett, age 85, a widow who lived alone in a modest suburban home she and her late second husband had purchased 10 years earlier. She had no children, though Harry Korsak, her last husband, had two sons from a bad first marriage and had tried for years to convince Eleanor, his beloved second wife, to adopt the pair for various reasons, none of which appealed to her because, as she confided to Matilda during their lengthy second phone chat, she loathed the boys. They were nothing but trouble.\n<\/p>\n \u201cAnd do you have a mortgage on your home?\u201d Matilda had asked, politely interrupting the beginning of what promised to be a windy narrative about the two sorry sons.\n<\/p>\n Take PEOPLE with you!\u00a0Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine<\/a>\u00a0to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more \u2014 right to your mailbox.\n<\/p>\n No. The house was paid for, as was the car. There were no debts. Harry Korsak had been quite frugal, a child of Depression-era parents, you know, and simply hated the idea of debt. Between phone calls, Matilda did her usual internet checking and learned that the home, as assessed by the county for $280,000, was indeed free of liens, and the car, a 15-year-old Lincoln, was also unencumbered. Digging a bit deeper, she found a rap sheet for Clyde Korsak, the elder of the two un-adopted sons.\n<\/p>\n Decades earlier he had been caught peddling cocaine and spent four years in prison. Ms. Barnett would not discuss any more financial matters over the phone, said she\u2019d rather wait until her meeting with Mr. Latch. She arrived promptly at 2 p.m., dressed like a mildly affluent old lady on her way to church. Matilda had seen a thousand of them come and go, and she sized her up immediately as she poured coffee into a fine china cup she kept around for the old gals. Most clients got paper cups.\n<\/p>\n Ms. Barnett walked just fine, no cane, no tottering, a good stride and nice gait, and she sat properly in a reception chair and sipped her coffee, pinkie in the air, a clear sign of either good manners or a trace of snobbery. From all outward appearances, she was in good shape physically, probably had another decade to go before her new last will and testament would be called into action.\n<\/p>\n John Grisham.<\/p>\n Chris Gunn<\/p>\n After a few minutes, Matilda announced that Mr. Latch was finished with his \u201cjudicial conference call\u201d and would like to see her. She led Ms. Barnett down a short hallway and into the conference room where the dark walls were lined with thick law books Mr. Latch hadn\u2019t touched in years.\n<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s goal was to be rid of her in 30 minutes. Add another 30 next week when the new will was properly signed, and he would earn, in theory, his hourly rate of $250. A good friend from law school was currently billing four times that much in a Washington tax firm, but Simon tried not to think about such things. Over the years he had almost convinced himself that his quality of life in the small town of Braxton, Virginia, was far better, money be damned.\n<\/p>\n He turned on the charm, as he always did with the older women, and knew right away that she was smitten. \u201cThat\u2019s a lovely necklace,\u201d he said, fawning.\n<\/p>\n She smiled and flashed a mouth full of natural, yellow teeth. \u201cWhy, thank you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cI see from the notes that you are single, live alone and have no children or grandchildren. Two husbands, both deceased.\u201d He scanned Matilda\u2019s report as if reading the Magna Carta.\n<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you kept the name Barnett after you married Mr. Korsak.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cWell, not exactly. After Harry died I decided to go back to \u2018Barnett.\u2019 I never really liked the name Korsak, you know? Between the two of us, I enjoyed Vince Barnett a lot more than Harry Korsak. Vince and I were childhood sweethearts, you know, married young and sort of grew up together. We were younger and more romantically active, know what I mean?\u201d\n<\/p>\n Simon knew exactly what she meant and had no desire to explore further. \u201cDo you have a current will?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t expire, do they?\u201d \u201cWell, no, they don\u2019t.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cYes, but I have doubts about it. I\u2019d like to do a new one, and I want to hire you as my attorney for other matters. On a retainer.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat other matters concern you?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cOh, well, one never knows, especially nowadays with so much fraud and scamming out there. Senior citizens are the favorite targets. It\u2019s just awful how many of them lose everything. I want to be protected, and I want you kept on retainer to review things for me. My friend Doris always keeps a lawyer on retainer.\u201d At the moment, Simon could think of nothing worse than being at the beck and call of an elderly client who thought she was being scammed. But if she insisted, then $1,000 might be a fair arrangement.\n<\/p>\n \u201cHow much is her retainer?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cOh, not much. She says you can get one pretty cheap.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Simon took a deep breath and tried to get the consultation on track. \u201cLet\u2019s get back to your will. It\u2019s important that I take a look at your previous one.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I know. Matilda out there mentioned it over the phone but I forgot to bring it. Seems like I\u2019m forgetting more and more these days.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Goes with the territory. If they were over 80, he assumed a few marbles were missing. He and Matilda would confer later and decide if Ms. Barnett had sufficient mental capacity to understand what she was doing. But the first impression was good, and for $250, he was willing to worry only so much.\n<\/p>\n \u201cCould you possibly drop it off in a day or so?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cYes, no problem. Sorry to be a pain.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cQuite all right. We need to talk about your assets and liabilities.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now<\/a>!\n<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no liabilities. Not one penny of debt. Harry, my late husband, despised debt. Wouldn\u2019t even use a credit card. We lived free and clear.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Simon loved the sound of those words and could only dream of one day clawing his way out of debt. \u201cThat\u2019s admirable,\u201d he said piously, as if she needed his blessings. Everything he owned was heavily mortgaged.\n<\/p>\n \u201cBut I got one after he died. A Visa card.\u201d\n<\/p>\n He scribbled something meaningless and said, \u201cOkay, what about assets? Do you own your home?\u201d He knew she did but most older clients enjoyed bragging about the things they had accumulated. They were proud of their frugal lifestyles and that after decades of pinching pennies they were financially secure.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly do.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cAny idea of its market value these days?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cWell, not really, but the county has it assessed for 280,000, I think. Something like that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, that\u2019s close enough. The home is usually the biggest asset in a person\u2019s estate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cNot in my case,\u201d she said sharply, as if mildly offended.\n<\/p>\n He kept scribbling and absorbed the first hint that this little will might not be so simple. \u201cDo you own other real estate? A vacation home? Rental properties?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cOh no. Harry didn\u2019t like real estate. Said it was too much trouble.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Then what, please, did Harry like? \u201cI see. Do you have other investments?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\nThe book follows a small-town lawyer, Simon, who takes on the wealthy widow Eleanor as his client. But soon, her story begins to fall apart and Simon finds himself on trial
\nBelow, read and listen to an exclusive excerpt from the first chapter of The Widow <\/p>\n