The Summons & The Brethren

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Frank Muller, Michael Beck

Length: 20 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Two from the master of the legal thriller:

The Summons:

Once Judge Atlee was a powerful figure in Clanton, Mississippi; a pillar of the community who towered over local law and politics for 40 years. Now the judge is a shadow of his former self, a sick, lonely old man who has withdrawn to his sprawling ancestral home. Knowing the end is near, Judge Atlee has issued a summons for his two sons to return to Clanton to discuss his estate.

The summons is typed by the judge himself, on his handsome old stationery, and gives the date and time for his sons, Ray and Forrest, to appear in his study. But the judge dies too soon, and in doing so leaves behind a shocking secret.

The Brethren:

They call themselves the Brethren: three disgraced former judges doing time in a Florida federal prison.

Meeting daily in the prison law library, taking exercise walks in their boxer shorts, these judges-turned-felons can reminisce about old court cases, dispense a little jailhouse justice, and contemplate where their lives went wrong.

Or they can use their time in prison to get very rich, very fast. And so they sit, sprawled in the prison library, furiously writing letters, fine-tuning a wickedly brilliant extortion scam...while events outside their prison walls begin to erupt.

©2002 The Summons, ©2000 The Brethren, John Grisham (P)2002 The Summons, ©2000 The Brethren, Random House Audio

Summons Outstanding Brethren Missing the Intrigue!

The Summons leads the reader on the guessing game with the surprise finish that one has come to expect of Grisham. There is plenty of excitement, and revisiting some beloved old characters just adds to the thrill. The Brethren is a decent enough story, but rather slow. It is tough to stay interested and involved at times. Not Grisham's best.

Excellent audiobook

I loved these two audio books. Even my GF enjoyed listening to the. The narration was excellent

Classic Grisham!

The Brethren is right with The Firm or Pelican Brief! Love the classic Grisham books.

Breathlessly delivered

The breathy narrative wore me out!! Great story, but please just read it. Impressions were somewhat discerning but tolerable. John Grisham never disappoints so I stayed with the story.

Two good stories that could have been better.

The Summons was good, but obvious. I could see the end midway through the book, but I still throughly enjoyed the story, it made we want more for story to end differently.

The Brethern is a really good story that is written very well. I enjoyed the story but I didn't like the ending though. I would have chosen for things to end differently all the way around. Not enough background as to why somethings operated the way they did.

Great!!!

What did you love best about The Summons & The Brethren?

I love the deepness of the story, the characters & that the stories aren't filled with fluff.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ray Atlee, he is a believable & complex character. He isn't a 1 dimensional & boring.

What does Frank Muller and Michael Beck bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I like the audible drama of listening to the book. Reading it wouldn't have given me the same feeling.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No & no crying

Any additional comments?

The only disappointment was how sterile the endings of both books are. The endings were just matter of fact BAM, the end. Other than that really great books.

Hard to review: 2 narrations couldn't differ more

First book, The Summons, had an excellent narrator. Micheal Beck pegs the various deep south accents and gives each character his or her own unique and discernible flavor. I grew up in Alabama, and it seems clear to me that Mr. Beck understands these people as well as John Grisham. His narration added dimension and depth to an already engaging story line.

The second book, The Brethren, suffered so badly under Frank Muller's horrible and distracting narration that I couldn't even get through the first three chapters. Mr. Muller has one voice for every character. No, I take that back-- he has two: a really flat accent-less voice that sounds like a voice-over for a used car ad, and a pathetic attempt at a "southern" accent that betrays this narrators complete lack of personal experience of southerners. I'm sad that I couldn't get into the novel itself-- I'm sure it's at least typical of John Grisham (which is to say, excellent); but I'll never know.

Both amazing reads that ends flatly.

The Summons was intriguing at first then there's 5 mundane chapters then it takes off again with a uneventful ending.. I will look for the sequel if any. The Brethren is now my favorite book by Grisham and it's my 9th by him and I've read the paperback also. Outstanding book until the very end...another boring ending..no frills, no surprises...I didn't need more story just a better ending.

Too Bad.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Sure. Excellent Narrator if it weren't for the Producer who allowed the Narrator to let his tone go to such a low level and the end of almost all sentences that you can't hear what he's saying unless you blast the volume of your ear buds. Shame.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Baldacci

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frank Muller and Michael Beck ?

There was no one belter than Frank. (RIP). Scott Brick or ----- sorry can't remember his name. Often, a girl reads with him.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

Shame on the Producer.

mediocre

muller is exhausting to listen to. beck is awesome as always. brethren was just a bad book.