Is there such a thing as the “perfect victim”? Is it an old lady who is suddenly mugged on the street? And where does a greedy lawyer, eager to profit from an elderly widow’s demise, fit in? Would we have sympathy if he was manipulated and wrongly accused of her murder?

Such questions of victimhood lie at the heart of John Grisham’s new novel, The Widow . The book is marketed as a classic Grisham courtroom drama with the addition of a whodunnit-style mystery – the writer’s first foray into this genre.

Our protagonist is Simon F Latch, a working-class lawyer who covers routine legal matters such as bankruptcy and wills. Simon struggles with illegal gambling and a fondness for alcohol, which worsens his already struggling marriage and barely profitable legal practice.

Potential for chan

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