1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:11,693 Speaker 1: from News Talks at be. 3 00:00:12,733 --> 00:00:15,373 Speaker 2: Catherine Rain's, our book reviewer, has two great reads for 4 00:00:15,453 --> 00:00:18,533 Speaker 2: us all this weekend. Good morning Catherine, Good morning Jack. 5 00:00:18,733 --> 00:00:21,133 Speaker 2: Let's begin with the latest from John Grisham. Tell us 6 00:00:21,133 --> 00:00:21,933 Speaker 2: about the widow. 7 00:00:23,013 --> 00:00:26,373 Speaker 3: So this is find Yourselves in rural Virginia. And there's 8 00:00:26,373 --> 00:00:29,333 Speaker 3: this small law firm and it operates on the corner 9 00:00:29,373 --> 00:00:32,653 Speaker 3: of Maine and Maple, and it deals in everyday issues. 10 00:00:32,733 --> 00:00:35,973 Speaker 3: And it's been eighteen years of hard work for Simon 11 00:00:36,053 --> 00:00:39,013 Speaker 3: Latch who's the attorney and counselor at law. And to 12 00:00:39,053 --> 00:00:41,893 Speaker 3: be perfectly honest, he's kind of had enough of his life. 13 00:00:42,413 --> 00:00:46,053 Speaker 3: But actually he spends any money he has on sports gambling. 14 00:00:46,173 --> 00:00:48,293 Speaker 3: So he's in a lot of debt and struggling to 15 00:00:48,333 --> 00:00:52,093 Speaker 3: make ends meet. When all of a sudden, this elderly 16 00:00:52,093 --> 00:00:54,853 Speaker 3: widow named Eleanor comes into his office wanting to have 17 00:00:55,013 --> 00:01:01,053 Speaker 3: her will redone. She's no children, but her last husband 18 00:01:01,293 --> 00:01:05,133 Speaker 3: had a couple of young lads who she finds quite 19 00:01:05,173 --> 00:01:08,613 Speaker 3: awful doesn't want to have anything to do with. And 20 00:01:08,653 --> 00:01:12,973 Speaker 3: so it really transpires in as she starts talking that 21 00:01:13,053 --> 00:01:15,813 Speaker 3: her late husband had multiple shares in some very well 22 00:01:15,853 --> 00:01:18,413 Speaker 3: known companies, and of course she has no one to 23 00:01:18,533 --> 00:01:21,573 Speaker 3: leave her vast fortune too. And Simon sees this as 24 00:01:21,573 --> 00:01:25,093 Speaker 3: an opportunity to do what all awful lawyers do and 25 00:01:25,133 --> 00:01:27,773 Speaker 3: inflate his fees and make his life a little easier. 26 00:01:28,253 --> 00:01:32,253 Speaker 3: But things don't go to plan at all, and Alana's 27 00:01:32,293 --> 00:01:35,773 Speaker 3: story doesn't really make sense. Can she be trusted? She's 28 00:01:36,293 --> 00:01:40,293 Speaker 3: very cagy in details, and she's an incredibly elusive woman. 29 00:01:41,213 --> 00:01:44,013 Speaker 3: And then the story switches and Simon finds himself on 30 00:01:44,093 --> 00:01:46,813 Speaker 3: trial for a crime he says that he doesn't commit. 31 00:01:46,973 --> 00:01:49,373 Speaker 3: And that's where you head into the story that Grisham 32 00:01:49,493 --> 00:01:52,853 Speaker 3: is so good at. You get the trial and the 33 00:01:52,933 --> 00:01:57,093 Speaker 3: tension and the twists, and some really interesting characters and 34 00:01:57,133 --> 00:01:59,813 Speaker 3: the suspense and of course a town, small town full 35 00:01:59,853 --> 00:02:02,373 Speaker 3: of secrets and that court room tension which he is 36 00:02:02,853 --> 00:02:05,933 Speaker 3: an absolute master of. So without giving too much of 37 00:02:05,973 --> 00:02:08,093 Speaker 3: the story of about how Simon ends up there, it 38 00:02:08,173 --> 00:02:11,133 Speaker 3: is perfect John Grisham, really good story. 39 00:02:11,213 --> 00:02:14,213 Speaker 2: Oh so good? Okay, cool, that's The Widow by John Grisham. 40 00:02:14,373 --> 00:02:17,293 Speaker 2: You've also read Last One Out by Jane Harper. 41 00:02:18,333 --> 00:02:22,853 Speaker 3: This also focuses on our small town and it's a 42 00:02:22,893 --> 00:02:27,013 Speaker 3: town that's losing its heart and slowly dying and last 43 00:02:27,013 --> 00:02:29,253 Speaker 3: one out set in this place in use in rural 44 00:02:29,333 --> 00:02:34,213 Speaker 3: South Wales, New South Wales called Caroline Ridge, and it's 45 00:02:34,253 --> 00:02:37,053 Speaker 3: houses and buildings, once a thriving place, have been brought 46 00:02:37,133 --> 00:02:40,253 Speaker 3: up by this mining company that operates on its outskirts 47 00:02:40,293 --> 00:02:42,453 Speaker 3: and it's been really left to rot and it's almost 48 00:02:42,493 --> 00:02:45,733 Speaker 3: derilict and you hear this constant noise of the coal 49 00:02:45,773 --> 00:02:48,013 Speaker 3: mine and its operation. That's twenty four hours and it 50 00:02:48,133 --> 00:02:52,133 Speaker 3: echoes through this narrative, the noise, the dust, the trucks 51 00:02:52,173 --> 00:02:55,693 Speaker 3: and the landscape disappearing. But actually where the story starts 52 00:02:55,773 --> 00:02:58,093 Speaker 3: is with this young man Sam Crowley on his twenty 53 00:02:58,093 --> 00:03:02,293 Speaker 3: first birthday and he's visiting these three very different empty 54 00:03:02,333 --> 00:03:05,813 Speaker 3: houses on the outskirts of the town and you discover 55 00:03:05,933 --> 00:03:08,013 Speaker 3: that this is the day and the last day that 56 00:03:08,053 --> 00:03:11,293 Speaker 3: anyone saw Sam, and he's disappeared. And then the story 57 00:03:11,333 --> 00:03:14,493 Speaker 3: moves ahead five years later when Sam's mum, Row returns 58 00:03:14,493 --> 00:03:17,213 Speaker 3: to the town for the anniversary of his disappearance, and 59 00:03:17,253 --> 00:03:20,253 Speaker 3: we also meet her husband Griff, and her daughter Delia 60 00:03:20,453 --> 00:03:23,093 Speaker 3: and Delilah Sorry, and they're all dealing with their grief 61 00:03:23,133 --> 00:03:26,653 Speaker 3: and Sam's disappearance and this pressure of this town and 62 00:03:27,013 --> 00:03:30,973 Speaker 3: tearing families apart, and Roe really suspects some foul play 63 00:03:30,973 --> 00:03:33,413 Speaker 3: and you really left guessing as to what happened to Sam, 64 00:03:33,453 --> 00:03:35,733 Speaker 3: and you get these kind of slow moments in the 65 00:03:35,773 --> 00:03:39,013 Speaker 3: story that gives you some clues about what might happen. 66 00:03:39,693 --> 00:03:42,333 Speaker 3: And then there's these mine owners and people and this 67 00:03:42,453 --> 00:03:45,973 Speaker 3: misplaced nostalgia about what this town is and this unraveling 68 00:03:46,013 --> 00:03:48,533 Speaker 3: of this community and impact on the people. And it 69 00:03:48,613 --> 00:03:51,173 Speaker 3: is quite slow paced, but you're really drawn into the 70 00:03:51,213 --> 00:03:54,093 Speaker 3: slow unraveling of the Sam of the story and Sam 71 00:03:54,133 --> 00:03:57,853 Speaker 3: and his disappearance and the investigation by his mum and 72 00:03:57,853 --> 00:04:02,533 Speaker 3: that dry, dusty middle of Australia feel about it. 73 00:04:02,693 --> 00:04:05,413 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, very good. So that's last one out by 74 00:04:05,533 --> 00:04:08,093 Speaker 2: Jane Harpy. Sce book is The Widow, which is the 75 00:04:08,173 --> 00:04:11,133 Speaker 2: latest from John Grisham. Both of those are up on 76 00:04:11,213 --> 00:04:12,573 Speaker 2: the News talk'd. 77 00:04:12,053 --> 00:04:15,413 Speaker 1: B webs For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. 78 00:04:15,573 --> 00:04:18,773 Speaker 1: Listen live to News Talks ed B from nine am Saturday, 79 00:04:19,013 --> 00:04:21,013 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.