Book Bearings
Cover of The Testament by John Grisham

The Testament

  • 507 pages · about 8 hours
  • First published 1999
  • 62 editions

Bookshop.org links may earn us a commission. It supports independent bookstores and costs you nothing.

1 About this book

In a plush Virginia office, a rich, angry old man is furiously rewriting his will. With his death just hours away, Troy Phelan wants to send a message to his children, his ex-wives, and his minions, a message that will touch off a vicious legal battle and transform dozens of lives.

Because Troy Phelan's new will names a sole surprise heir to his eleven-billion-dollar fortune: a mysterious woman named Rachel Lane, a missionary living deep in the jungles of Brazil.

Enter the lawyers. Nate O'Riley is fresh out of rehab, a disgraced corporate attorney handpicked for his last job: to find Rachel Lane at any cost. As Phelan's family circles like vultures in D.C., Nate is crashing through the Brazilian jungle, entering a world where money means nothing, where death is just one misstep away, and where a woman - pursued by enemies and friends alike - holds a stunning surprise of her own.

Good for readers who want: spy fiction and a long read.

  • Thrillers
  • Family life
  • Thrillers, espionage
  • Will
  • People with disabilities
  • Billionaires
  • Recluses
  • Americans in fiction

2 About John Grisham

Born 1955

John Ray Grisham Jr. ( GRISH-əm; born February 8, 1955) is an American writer, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

3 More by John Grisham

4 Similar books

Find a book that fits your moment