The Will A Novel [Paperback]

Henry Mathews is a young, ambitious associate at one of the top law firms in Chicago. Called back to his tiny hometown of Council Grove, Kansas, to execute the will of Tyler Crandall, the town's richest man, Henry becomes enmeshed in a web of long-hidden secrets. Tyler has chosen to leave his wealth to a homeless derelict called the Birdman. Soon it becomes clear that locked behind the Birdman's apparent madness is the key to the real history of Council Grove.
As he is sucked into a maelstrom of money, politics, and a tragic love affair, Henry discovers that right and wrong are more complex than he imagined. Those secrets hold the power to ruin lives. As black and white become gray, what began as a legal battle becomes a spiritual journey stretching back to Henry's mysterious experience at a seminary years before. Far more than a thriller,The Willis absorbing and deeply satisfying.Chapter One

Margaret Crandall fluttered open her eyes at five-thirty and felt the warm sheets and covers around her. She hadn't needed an alarm clock in years; every day she awoke at the same time, her life a predictable routine of meals and laundry and sleep. She licked her lips, sighed into her pillow, and turned to wake her husband. He lay with his back to her, and she pushed him, her fingers spread against his cotton pajama top. Her hand pressed into his fleshy back, and he rotated forward slightly with the pressure. She pushed harder, and his arm fell suddenly, woodenly down over the edge of the bed. She lowered her hand and felt his skin; he was as cold and still as winter fields.

She did not move. For several minutes she lay silently, her breathing unanswered, hands balled up at her chin. Then she rose, put on a pale pink robe, and walked out of the room. She closed the door behind her quietly, carefully, as though not to disturb her husband. She walked down the hallway to the stairs, descending into the living room. Her balance began to disintegrate alF