The Will [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Reed Arvin (Author), James Daniels (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

Henry Matthews is a hotshot associate at at the most successful law firm in Chicago. His mentor at the firm likes the promise he sees in Henry and has decided to oversee his transformation from an ambitious young lawyer into an unscrupulous legal menace. Desperately wanting to shed his small-town past, Henry is only too willing to enlist in legal boot camp, working eighty hour weeks in the hopes of future rewards. This is a young man going places and only one thing mars his resume: he once studied for the ministry. Henry's presumed morals are an obstacle to be overcome in order to make it in the high-ticket legal world. When Henry is called back to Kansas to execute the will of the richest man in his small hometown, he discovers that Tyler Crandall left his considerable fortune not to his long-suffering wife, or to his children, but to a derelict madman known as the Birdman. Henry soon finds himself caught up in a web of secrets and lies dating back a quarter of a century, and involving some of the most powerful men in the state of Kansas. In trying to offer fair representation to the Birdman, he finds his life threatened, his career destroyed, and his ideals tested to the limit.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

On par with the early works of Grisham, this thriller is enlivened with sparkling dialogue and deft descriptions of place. When Henry Matthews is called home from his cutthroat Chicago law firm to execute a will, he comes face to face with all that he hoped he had left behind. Finding himself falling fast into old patterns and haunted by his past, Henry and his newly found allies dig into the generations-old deceptions controlling the fate of Council Grove, Kansas. As the will forces out longstanding secrets, it sets off a chain of events that has Henry and his cohorts fighting to save the life of the town's resident madman. Although this legal thriller, filled with stereotypical characters (honest lawyer, feisty female crusader, small-town bully, and crooked politician), offers little to surprise readers, it offers much to entertain them. Neal Wyatt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Reed Arvin is the real deal."

-- Harlan Coben

"Both a suspenseful mystery and a deeply feltexamination of truth and faith."

-- Library Journal

"Suspenseful from start to finish."

-- Publishers Weekly

Booklist On par with the early works of Grisham, this thriller is enlivened with sparkling dialogue and deft descriptions of place.

William Bernhardt Author of Double Jeopardy, Dark Justice, and Cruel Justice Fast-paced and full of moral complexities, this is a legal thriller no reader of courtroom drama will want to miss. Reed Arvin does a masterful job of examining the lawyer's struggles to retain his values while working in a system at odds with his own integrity.

Denver Post Arvin brings a freshness to the story that is compelling...[his] characters are not cookie-cutter; they are fully fleshed out and believable....The Will could be the beginning of an impressive career.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette In Reed Arvin's second novel, we are taken on a fast-paced, high-stakes ride....The Will is a thriller that moves swiftly and keeps the reader turning pages so quickly that we may not notice we are actually doing some pretty good thinking about what values we place first in our own lives and whether the present we believe is firm and solid is actually safe against the unfinished business of our lives and the past of our fathers.

Library Journal Both a suspenseful mystery and a deeply felt examination of truth and faith. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Nova Audio Books; Abridged edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567409326
• ISBN-13: 978-1567409321
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,291,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific!, December 10, 2000

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Will (Hardcover)

Henry Matthews--ambitious up-and-comer at a large, prestigious Chicago law firm--receives an unexpected call from his hometown of Council Grove, Kansas. The richest man in town, Tyler Crandall, has died, and Henry must go home and execute his will. The Crandalls pretty much own Council Grove, and all assume that the estate will pass to Roger, Tyler's son, and things will continue on as they always have. But to everyone's shock and surprise, Tyler Crandall leaves everything to the Birdman, a crazy, delusional homeless man who has lived in the town park for the last twenty-five years. Now, as the will is contested by the Crandall family, Henry is determined to find out what the connection is between Tyler and the Birdman and why he left him his fortune. And, as he digs into the past, Henry begins to uncover long-hidden secrets and truths that will change this small community forever. Reed Arvin has written a terrific mystery/legal thriller that will put you on the edge of your seat and keep you turning pages to the very end. This novel has it all: a suspenseful, compelling storyline, great characters with strong voices, riveting scenes, a climax that will knock your socks off, and a very satisfying ending. Mr Arvin's writing is true to life, crisp and spare, with a real ear for dialogue. So turn off the phone and lock the door, "The Will" is a winner and a book you will have to read in one sitting.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars like Grisham - only better, October 26, 2000

By 

Steve Baker (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Will (Hardcover)

I bought this basically because of seeing a bunch of reviews that said it was better than my favorite author, John Grisham. I have to agree it's true, and I have a new fave. It rocks along like Grisham but Arvin has some poetry in his writing that Grisham doesn't, and I liked that. I never read a Grisham and thought, wow, that's a beautiful line. But sometimes you think that with this book - like it's on a higher plane or something. Anyway, I thought it rocked and the characters were amazing. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great legal thriller, but not your father's Reed Arvin, January 14, 2001

By 

Brendt Waters (Kennesaw, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Will (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Wind in the Wheat" (Arvin's first novel) and I really like legal novels -- two of my favorite authors are John Grisham and early William Bernhardt (before he started ham-fisting his political viewpoints into his books). So this combination seemed like a sure bet for "The Will". And I was not disappointed. The characters are real and fleshed out, especially the main protagonist, Henry Matthews. The plot had some nice twists and some good mysteries that unfolded over the course of the book (beyond the main mystery that it is built around).

One word of caution: This would be a fairly coarse book at times to some folks -- language alone would merit it a PG-13 were it a movie, and there is a half-page (unnecessary, in my opinion) sex scene as well. If neither of those bug you, have at it.