THE SUMMONS
John Grisham, , read by Michael Beck. . Random House Audio, $39.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-553-71463-0
Beck offers a fine performance in this no-frills production of Grisham's latest, despite its lack of overall narrative zip. University of Virginia law professor Ray Atlee stumbles upon more than $3 million in cash in the rural Mississippi house of his dead father, then tries to discover the source of the money and elude an increasingly persistent and menacing extortionist. Beck is a dynamic reader and excels at tackling the challenge of capturing the characters' Southern twang in the story's dialogue. Ray's voice is refined and authoritative, while that of his black sheep brother, Forrest, carries a slight crack that befits a person lacking in confidence and maturity. Family friend and local lawyer Harry Rex stands out the most, and Beck also deftly portrays a smarmy, boozing Delta attorney who calls himself the "King of the Torts." But even with these intriguing, well-rounded characters and a nice evocation of the legal system's more unsavory machinations, the plot won't move listeners to the edge of their seats. Beck, however, does well with what he has, which is a decently written but rather sluggish tale of suspense with a quirky cast and one good twist at the end.
Reviewed on: 04/01/2002
Genre: Audio
Analog Audio Cassette - 6 pages - 978-0-553-52891-6
Compact Disc - 978-0-7366-8450-7
Hardcover - 352 pages - 978-0-385-50382-2
Hardcover - 352 pages - 978-0-385-50383-9
Hardcover - 456 pages - 978-0-375-43148-7
Hardcover - 978-1-85686-915-7
Mass Market Paperbound - 384 pages - 978-0-345-53198-8
Mass Market Paperbound - 373 pages - 978-0-440-24107-2
Mass Market Paperbound - 384 pages - 978-0-440-24429-5
Open Ebook - 400 pages - 978-1-4070-5948-8
Paperback - 304 pages - 978-0-385-33959-9
Paperback - 464 pages - 978-0-375-43197-5
Paperback - 391 pages - 978-0-09-953833-2
Peanut Press/Palm Reader - 214 pages - 978-0-307-57609-5
Prebound-Glued - 373 pages - 978-0-7569-3129-2
