• The Testament

  • A Novel
  • By: John Grisham
  • Narrated by: Frank Muller
  • Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (12,937 ratings)

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The Testament  By  cover art

The Testament

By: John Grisham
Narrated by: Frank Muller
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Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

Nate O'Riley is a high-octane Washington litigator who's lived too hard, too fast, for too long. His second marriage in a shambles, and he is emerging from his fourth stay in rehab armed with little more than his fragile sobriety, good intentions, and resilient sense of humor. Returning to the real world is always difficult, but this time it's going to be murder.

Rachel Lane is a young woman who chose to give her life to God, who walked away from the modern world with all its strivings and trappings and encumbrances, and went to live and work with a primitive tribe of Indians in the deepest jungles of Brazil.

In a story that mixes legal suspense with a remarkable adventure, their lives are forever altered by the startling secret of The Testament.

Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

©1999 Belfry Holdings, Inc. (P)1999 Random House, Inc.; Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Grisham's smart use of the suspense novel to explore questions of being and faith puts him squarely in the footsteps of Dickens and Graham Greene." (Publishers Weekly)

Featured Article: The Essential John Grisham in Audio


John Grisham is best known for his fast-paced legal thrillers and mysteries, many of which have been adapted for television and film. Because he’s so prolific and has been writing for decades, it can be difficult to know where to begin when selecting a title from his impressive back catalog. And Grisham is definitely a jack-of-all-trades: he’s written not only legal thrillers, but nonfiction, a series for kids, some humorous novels, and recently, a new mystery series outside of the legal thriller genre. To help you decide which Grisham gem to download next, we’ve compiled a list of the very best.

What listeners say about The Testament

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    8,893
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Story!! Fantastic Narrative!!

Wonderfully written!! Love John Grisham, ever since my dad told me I would make a good lawyer. Now I know why!!
And, Frank Muller, great job of narrative! I think no one else could've done a better job. I wish it hadn't ended at all! But all good things must come to an end, just to make room for the next great read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Redemption

A beautifully written and narrated journey of spiritual redemption and renewal. My favorite John Grisham novel by far.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

long in the tooth

long winded but I'm one of those people that has to finish what I star

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

awesome story!

wonderful book, wonderfully read! I enjoyed every single minute of it... hated for it to end.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great but not awesome

There aren’t a lot of surprises or plot twists here... which I found a bit disappointing. But it is typical Grisham: strong, relate-able characters who don’t do much grow as subtly shift and grow over the course of the story — in a way that makes you feel they’re your friends. There’s no good or bad - just shades of grey with perspectives that vary. Awesome descriptions of the scenery make it come alive.

The narrator was well paced and varied tone to keep it interesting. Personal preference though meant I found the voice a bit gasping. Just my own take on it, not really an objective critique.

Overall a great and enthralling character study. But given that the ending was pretty clear well before the halfway mark, it did feel a bit long winded.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Grisham at his best

It was difficult to turn this off (put the book down). Anticipating the next twist wrecked my schedule and kept my attention throughout.
Rachel’s death was not an expected ending but Nate’s acceptance eased the shock and successfully closed the story.
The narrator was excellent

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Story is great, narrator is not

The narrator kept sounding like he was emphasizing the end of every other sentence for dramatic effect. However "and then they WENT TO THE GAS STATION " is a really stupid thing to emphasize.

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  • Overall
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Excellent!

I love The Testament! I have listened to it several times. Narrator is great.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • jd
  • 05-09-20

Awesome book

This was an excellent book. I didn't want to stop reading. I also didn't want it to end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a terrific journey of self discovery.

The journey to self discovery is one filled with pain , disappointment, and finally acceptance of self. being ok with your past and embracing God during those dark days. The main Character was complex and his pivotal moment was a beautiful moment. I truly enjoyed the experience.

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