An eccentric, reclusive billionaire looking for a way to die, burnt-out Washington litigator just out of rehab for the fourth time, and a woman who left the modern world to live and work with a primitive tribe of Indians in the jungles of Brazil. They are all brought together by the startling secret of The Testament.
The Testament
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Amazon Review
Troy Phelan, a 78-year-old eccentric and the 10th-richest man in America, is about to read his last will and testament, divvying up an estate worth $11 billion. Phelan's three ex-wives, their grasping offspring, a legion of lawyers, several psychiatrists and a plethora of sound technicians wait breathlessly. However, the magnate shocks everyone with a bizarre, last-gasp attempt to redistribute the spoils, setting in motion a legal morality tale of a contested will, sin, and redemption.
Nate O'Riley--a washed-up, alcoholic lawyer with two ruined marriages in his wake and the taxman on his tail--is dispatched to the Brazilian wetlands in search of a mysterious heir named in the will. After a harrowing trip upriver, he encounters Rachel Lane, a pure-hearted missionary living with an indigenous tribe and carrying out "God's work." Rachel's grave dedication and kindness impress the jaded lawyer, so much so that a nasty bout of dengue fever leads him to a vision that could change his life.
Back in the States, the legal proceedings drag on and Grisham has a high time with Phelan's money-hungry descendents, a regrettable bunch who squandered millions, married stripers, got druggy, and befriended the Mob. The youngest son, Ramble, is a multi-pierced, tattoo-covered malcontent with big dreams for his rock band, the Demon Monkeys. Will Nate get straight with Rachel's aid? Do the greedy heirs get theirs? What's the real legacy of a lifetime's work? The Testament is classic Grisham: a down-and-out lawyer, a lot of money, an action-packed pursuit, and the highest issues at stake. It's not just about great characters; it's about the question of what character is. --Rebekah Warren
Review
Grisham is on top form with this legal blockbuster (Daily Mail )
A compulsory page-turner with a subterranean plot as old and potent as myth (Malcom Jones Newsweek )
His best novel in the past five ... brilliant... you have to go on reading (Mail on Sunday )
Grisham includes his trademark legal wrangling, zippy plot and engaging minor characters ... His hordes of fans won't be disappointed (USA Today )
Absorbing ... The pages fly by (Chicago Tribune ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
A compulsory page-turner with a subterranean plot as old and potent as myth (Malcom Jones Newsweek )
His best novel in the past five ... brilliant... you have to go on reading (Mail on Sunday )
Grisham includes his trademark legal wrangling, zippy plot and engaging minor characters ... His hordes of fans won't be disappointed (USA Today )
Absorbing ... The pages fly by (Chicago Tribune ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In THE TESTAMENT, we have an obscenely wealthy businessman committing suicide after devising the perfect plan to vengefully deprive a flock of vulture-like heirs from inheriting his $11 billion estate. Rather, he leaves it all to an illegitimate daughter working as a missionary to the Indians in the remote outback of Brazil. Our hero, Nate, is a burned-out lawyer just out of alcohol rehab sent to find the will's sole beneficiary. Even though she doesn't want the money, he returns to the States to defend her interests against those of the money-desperate ex-heirs and their just-as-greedy lawyers, probably the largest school of razor-toothed sharks ever encountered in a single volume.
Suffice it to say that Nate is one of the most appealing characters conjured by Grisham in a long time. By the end of the book, he finds professional, spiritual and emotional redemption stemming from his surprisingly brief encounter with Rachel, the elusive missionary daughter, and a somewhat longer bout with dengue fever. That, in itself, makes this story worth reading. The fact that the truly avaricious get their just desserts is frosting on the cake. A delicious read!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I was 14 and had gotten totally bored of all the Point Horror series, and the Christopher Pikes... I was about to leave Cape Town International on a 11 and a half hour journey to Spain and so decided i had to have something to read! Something clicked in my head and i thought of a book i had seen lying on the my friends bedside table, a book called The Firm, by John Grisham.. But, they didnt have that one and so recommended The Testament, which i dissapointedly accepted. Well, i cant tell you how happy i am i bought that book... I have never read something so excellent, thrilling, edgy, and capturing in my life... I mean the beginnig sentence had me crasped to the book for 6 hours of the flight... For anyone, this book is possibly one of the best ever...Trust me, you'll be happy you decided to buy it!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a good book & classic Grisham, but not his best (which is still "The Rainmaker" as far as I'm concerned). The difference here is that it's refreshing to see the main character - Nate - removed from the usual seedy surroundings of the law, and sent to deepest, darkest South America to find the mysterious heir to an $11bn fortune. A recovering alcoholic and drug addict fresh from his 4th stay in rehab, Grisham concentrates on exploring the reasons for Nate's habitual self-abuse and his struggles with getting - and staying - clean just one last time. Even so, I felt this darker side could have been delved into much more. His South American adventures make gripping and sometimes amusing stuff, but the downside is that you also have to put up with is "reawakened spirituality", a plot twist which after a while becomes thin and tries your patience. The final chapters where Nate is deposing the ghastly Phelan tribe bring us sharply back to what Grisham is best at - courtroom drama. The story has as poignant ending which peters out somewhat, but don't let this put you off. Still worth the effort.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Grisham is back with his most unputdownable book to date. He takes you on a trip through the amazon as a kind of metaphor for Nate O'Riley's, his central chracter, scramble back from alcohol and drug abuse (not to metion his failed marriages). Money, greed and amazing plot twist are all the best parts of Grisham's novels and this is no exception. Oh the last twist is the best one but your going to have to read it for yourself because I'm not going to tell you it!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is typical Grisham. We find ourselves in a legal tangle with an unknown fate awaiting us. Despite appearances the final act is quite surpising. Definitely worth a read in English and in French!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Nutty Billionaire, Hapless Heirs, Greedy Lawyers, a Brazilian Search for Livingstone, and Redemption
21 Jun 2008
Format:Paperback
Troy Phelan, worth $11 billion, loves his business and hates his ex-wives and children. Rumored to be suffering from terminal cancer, Phelan calls the family together to sign a new will. The heirs cooperate by providing psychiatrists to observe and verify that Phelan is in his right mind. That's the apparent game plan, but Phelan has a second and more shocking one. Thus opens The Testament.
Probate law isn't very exciting, and John Grisham decides to dress it up with a cast of characters that are almost parodies of parodies, so much so that they didn't resonate with me. As a result, the "exciting" beginning bored me.
The bulk of the story eventually shifts to recovering alcoholic and drug addict, attorney Nate O'Riley, who is sent straight from rehab to Brazil to find a missing heir, Rachel Lane, who is a medical missionary to the indigenous people there. His journey is harrowing and tests his limited strength to the limits. But the journey also is a beginning of his personal redemption through receiving Salvation for the Lord, Jesus Christ. As soon as the redemption part of the story begins, the book vastly improves. Without that element, I would have rated this as a one- or two-star effort.
It's unusual for a secular writer to put a major Christian theme in a popular work of fiction. I applaud Mr. Grisham for doing so.
May God bless you, Mr. Grisham!
Probate law isn't very exciting, and John Grisham decides to dress it up with a cast of characters that are almost parodies of parodies, so much so that they didn't resonate with me. As a result, the "exciting" beginning bored me.
The bulk of the story eventually shifts to recovering alcoholic and drug addict, attorney Nate O'Riley, who is sent straight from rehab to Brazil to find a missing heir, Rachel Lane, who is a medical missionary to the indigenous people there. His journey is harrowing and tests his limited strength to the limits. But the journey also is a beginning of his personal redemption through receiving Salvation for the Lord, Jesus Christ. As soon as the redemption part of the story begins, the book vastly improves. Without that element, I would have rated this as a one- or two-star effort.
It's unusual for a secular writer to put a major Christian theme in a popular work of fiction. I applaud Mr. Grisham for doing so.
May God bless you, Mr. Grisham!
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read by a Great author
This was another great read by John Grisham - as are all of his books. I Can't put them down!
Published 16 hours ago by Mrs. B. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars
the Testament
Grisham does it again. This book is well worth a read. Not a page turner but enthralling from start to finish.
Published 1 month ago by Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars
Grisham at his best
A gripping, compulsive read, with all of the Grisham ingredients to make it great.
Just didn't put it down until it was finished.
Just didn't put it down until it was finished.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs Christine M Bearman. C M B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent story wonderful testimony
Well written with a good plot. The book also portray
God's wonderful love and forgiveness of sins and His healing power.
God's wonderful love and forgiveness of sins and His healing power.
Published 1 month ago by Happy in Ipswich
4.0 out of 5 stars
Idea good but ending was a bit soft
Keeps you going but the end was weak.
Shows you that money is the root of a lot of evil.
Shows you that money is the root of a lot of evil.
Published 3 months ago by Brian Kettle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling reading
The plot is really gripping and you feel great sympathy with Nate. You also feel that the Troy's relatives get what they deserve.
Published 4 months ago by Frank Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grisham
Was a huge fan, then found that all of his books were becoming a bit samey. This is different again and shows some different angles, but with a nice conclusion that is not so... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr R J Stokes
4.0 out of 5 stars
the testament
Enjoyable , read this on holiday, I would recommend this to anybody who likes John Grisham and even those that don't.
Published 4 months ago by HALK
5.0 out of 5 stars
another hit from grisham
John grishams latest book is tremendous read from start to finish,it involves suicide,greed,alcoholism,religion and 11 billion dollars. Read more
Published 5 months ago by oldginger ebbw vale
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
As usual John Grisham cracks along at a furious pace. Most entertaining. Couldn't put it down, unless it was time for bed.
Published 5 months ago by bonamy
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