The Widow: A Novel

John Grisham

Oct 2025 · Sold by Doubleday

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham is the acclaimed master of the legal thriller. Now, he’s back with his first-ever whodunit, even more suspenseful than his courtroom dramas, as a small-time lawyer accused of murder races to find the real killer to clear his name.

“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.”—Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colors of the Dark

Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune, and no one knows about it.

Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn’t commit: murder.

Simon knows he’s innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him, and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer….

Ratings and reviews

He's written many great books, some are classics, this is a classic!! There's only been a few books Grisham has written that were not good, mainly when he delved in stories not involving law. This book is right up there with his greatest, like The Firm, Time to Kill, Rainmaker.... You get the idea. I couldn't put this one down, and when I finished, I wished there was more because it was that good. Really a great story, you will be happy you read it.

Another fantastic read! I was on the edge of my seat flipping pages just as quickly as possible to see what happened next....keeping me up way too late in the night reading. Simon is a flawed man and mediocre lawyer, barely squeaking out a living, when his life imploded. He meets a lonley older lady with a big secret. Unfortunately, keeping her secret has a huge impact on his life and changes him forever. Despite his many flaws, Simon is a likable character. I found myself invested in his stor

THE WIDOW - What can I say. The Widow is another success story written by Mr. Grisham. Well written, interesting, intriguing, and immersing, and definitely a page turner and a one-sit read. I have not ever been disappointed with any book written by this talented author. I'm just excited to read his latest book as I was after I read his first all those many years ago. Source: Netgalley. 5*

About the author

JOHN GRISHAM is the author of more than fifty consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include Framed, Camino Ghosts and The Exchange: After the Firm.

Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.

When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.

John lives on a farm in central Virginia.