Have you ever wondered what a "holographic will" is? Well in The Testament by John Grisham, you will find out what it means and what problems it can create.
When Troy Phelan decides to have a new will drawn up, his children, ex-wives and their current paramours are all curious and skeptical. Troy is in his 80's and he is sure that this will be has last will.
His six children (all of them spoiled rotten), and the ex-wives are really curious about what the old guy is up to. After all he is worth 11 or more BILLION dollars, give or take a few million. How is he going to divide up his assets and how much are each of them going to get? They are already counting on being filthy rich beyond their wildest dreams.
But Troy Phelan hates his children who have never done anything to gain his respect and have made it plain that they don't care much for him either.
Calling a family meeting with his long time lawyer in attendance, he wants to sign the new will with all his children witnessing this signature. The children (I should say adult children) want to make sure this will cannot be contested in any way. They agree to have 3 psychiatrists ensure that he is still of sound mind and body before they witness this latest will signing.
After enduring a barrage of questions from the group of doctors, even having his interrogation videotaped, Troy has them (the doctors) sign an affidavit stating that he is competent to complete his will in their presence.
All is going well and the kids are convinced that their future is secure. The will before him is long and took his lawyer months to put together. It sits like an elephant on the table before him. His greedy kids are eyeing the document and having heart palpitations at what their future will be like. They should all be millionaires at least and billionaires at best.
Troy Phelan, has one more "Ace Up His Sleeve"! Once all the doctors and kids are satisfied that everything is up to snuff, that he has passed any mental illness questions, he signs the will. Kids, doctors and kids' lawyers exit and wait now for the day when good old dad passes away. And they hope it's soon, because he made them believe that he was dying before calling them all together.
When they are leaving the building, Troy pulls out a hand-written will, only 3 pages long, and signs it with his personal lawyer and his manservant present.
Needless to say, the lawyer is stunned, his manservant is speechless and yet it is a perfectly legal will. Neither one of them thought that he would do this because they were always involved with anything he did. Surprise! Once it is signed by his witnesses (and they don't dare to cross him), Troy Phelan takes a flying leap off the 14 floor of his downtown offices, landing on the road below. He planned it perfectly.
Now the "fun" really begins.
I read The Testament in three days. I could not put it down and it really is a great page turner. John Grisham does an amazing job of telling the story to the point where you can almost feel like you are the one on final mission, to find his daughter (who knows little about him or his wealth) who is now one of the richest women in the world.
Grab The Testament and get ready for a ride up the Amazon River where fighting off alligators and snakes is an everyday occurrence. Just don't get too comfortable because there are many perils along the way.
It's free on Audible with your subscription or as low as 6.99 for Kindle. Or if you are a real penny pincher like myself you can get it from the Library through the Libby app.
Whichever way you choose to read or listen to the book, you will be entertained for sure.
