The Testament, John Grisham

Oh, I do love a good John Grisham book, and this one - well, it is exceptional.

ANOTHER REVIEW WITH SPOILERS (Seems to be my way):

The Testament is a simple story of greed complicated by the heirs of a multi-billionaire, eleven billion to be exact. Troy Phelan's six legitimate children are thrilled when their absentee, eccentric father signs his will after being deemed sane by three psychiatrists, hired, of course, by the children and their attorneys, to ensure and protect their inheritance, and then throws himself to his death. Sounds quite cut and dried until it is learned that moments before Phelan's swan dive, he pulls out a holographic will, scrawled in his hand, and signs it, nullifying all other wills. The hand-written testament is simple: All assets are bequeathed to one Rachel Lane, Phalen's previously unknown, illegitimate missionary child living in the depths of the Pantanal - somewhere unmapped between Brazil and Bolivia.

Enter newly sober, fresh out of his fourth rehab, flailing attorney (of course, this is a Grisham book!) Nate O'Riley. Hired to deliver the news to this unknown adult-child, obtain her signature and return to the states to finalize probate.

Twists and turns, tribes of Indians, seasonal typhoon-style weather, and deadly illness help shape this story and keep the reader turning pages quickly. But, as with any good Grisham, or other well-written mysterious, adventure-style book, the ending is not as one would expect and well worth the read.

The book is an older one of Grisham's, published in 1999, but it has stood the test of time, and if you haven't read it, I would suggest you step off the pulled from the headline style of books and pick up a tried and true with The Testament.