#1 bestselling author John Grisham’s The Reckoning is his most powerful, surprising, and suspenseful thriller yet. “A murder mystery, a courtroom drama, a family saga… 1946, Clanton, Mississippi
Pete Banning was Clanton, Mississippi’s favorite son—a decorated World War II hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning he rose early, drove into town, and committed a shocking crime. Pete’s only statement about it—to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge, to the jury, and to his family—was: “I have nothing to say.” He was not afraid of death and was willing to take his motive to the grave.
In a major novel unlike anything he has written before, John Grisham takes us on an incredible journey, from the Jim Crow South to the jungles of the Philippines during World War II; from an insane asylum filled with secrets to the Clanton courtroom where Pete’s defense attorney tries desperately to save him.
Reminiscent of the finest tradition of Southern Gothic storytelling, The Reckoning would not be complete without Grisham’s signature layers of legal suspense, and he delivers on every page.
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John Grisham is the master of legal fiction, and his latest starts with a literal bang — and then travels backward through the horrors of war to explore what makes a hero, what makes a villain, and how thin the line between the two might be.
In this saga of love and war, John Grisham has given us a sprawling and engrossing story about a southern family, a global conflict, and the kinds of secrets that can shape all of us. From the courtrooms and jails of rural Mississippi to the war-torn Pacific, Grisham spins a tale that is at once entertaining and illuminating.
When a master of storytelling and suspense takes on one of the most wrenching stories in history, the result is a book that will break your heart, set your blood pumping and your mind racing, and leave you gasping for breath by the final page. I’m still trying to recover from The Reckoning.
I usually don’t like to give a negative review, but I have to be honest and say that I was very disappointed for the first time reading one of John Grisham’s novels. Without giving away any of the details of the storyline, I kept waiting for a good explanation or reason for the events that came about but it just didn’t happen. I am a true fan and always have been but not this time. Sorry Mr. Grisham!
John Grisham is not only the master of suspense but also an acute observer of the human condition. And these remarkable skills converge in The Reckoning—an original, gripping, penetrating novel that may be his greatest work yet.
This Book was divided into three parts. The first part and last were great,but I felt the middle was over covered as it was mentioned a lot int the first part but not in so much detail. I found myself turning the pages and just scanning them until I reached the third part which had a surprising turn!
The Reckoning is one of the best books by John Grisham I’ve read in the last decade! It is a haunting story of the American WWII hero Pete Banning and his survival of unimaginable horrors of Japanese prison camps, the Bataan death March and guerrilla war in the Philippines, who in cold blood shoots and kills the Reverend Dexter Bell in his Methodist church. When facing the trial and death sentence he only repeats “I have nothing to say,” thus making it impossible for his lawyers to defend him and starting an avalanche of events that will make the lives of his family in their hometown Clanton in Mississippi miserable. It’s a classic enshrouded in a thick veil of mystery that shocks and grips your heart, curiosity and imagination, and doesn’t let you to put it down. Only the praise for this one!
I just finished the audio version of this book. Michael Beck did an outstanding job narrating, while Grisham told a twisted tale of murder, betrayal, love, revenge, greed, and the guilt that goes with it all. Pete Banning refuses to say why he murdered his pastor. You think you know throughout the story why he did it, but as the story gets deeper into the lawsuit by the pastor’s widow, who is trying to take the estate for every last shred of land left to the family, and who by the way I came to despise. The real victims, however, are Joel and Stella, who are left to fight for what is rightfully theirs, not having a clue what motivated their father. There were just a couple times near the end where I felt Grisham was dragging out the court battles, but despite that, I still highly recommend it.
The story opens in 1946, shortly after the end of WWII with the main character visiting the local Methodist Church and shooting and killing the minister. The main character, Pete, then goes home and waits for the sheriff to come and arrest him. When questioned about his actions Peter mere says “I have nothing to say.” For the rest of the first part of the story you witness Pete’s stay in jail, his trial, sentencing and appeal. Part Two of the story takes the reader back to Pete’s days and years spent on active duty in the Wartime South Pacific where he fights the Japanese as a guerilla warrior and in Part Three the reader is finally led to the solution of why Pete did what he did (killing the Methodist minister). The story is compelling in that as the reader you really don’t now what happened – why Pete did what he did. To say anything more specific would ruin the story for the next reader.
Fantastic story telling and a definite page turner
Grisham at his best
The end is very unsettling
I think this is a good read!
This book is about a man who kills a preacher and does not tell anyone why he did it. The man goes willingly to his death without a trial and no lawyer to defend him.
Excellent
Great book! Worth your time reading it.
This is not your typical Grisham book. It is not a legal thriller but rather a piece of historical fiction (with a murder and small trial thrown in). At the back of the book, he writes that he heard about a case when he was younger and he’s not sure if the story is true or not but he took the premise of that case and wrote this book.
This book is broken into 3 parts – The Killing, The Boneyard (the war) and The Betrayal. It focuses on Pete Banning and the rest of his family. His wife, Liza (who is in an asylum), and their kids, Joel and Stella. The Banning Family live in Clanton, Mississippi, located in Ford County (also in A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row). They own a cotton farm.
The Killing – one day, Pete goes into the church and kills the Reverend Dexter Bell, leaving behind his wife and 3 young children. Right before Pete kills him, the Reverend says “Is this about Liza”? Pete turns himself in to the police and all he says is “I have nothing to say”. He goes to trial but does not allow his attorneys to mount a defense on his behalf.
The Boneyard – this section details Pete’s involvement in the war. It begins in 1925 and continues until 1945 when he returns home. He was in the Philippines and then surrenders to the Japanese. He is involved in the march at Bataan and eventually hooks up with Filipino and American guerrillas fighting back against the Japanese.
The Betrayal – this talks about the Banning family after the trial and the reason behind Liza being put into the asylum. Prior to the killing, Pete had ordered the asylum to not allow the kids in to see their mother but after the trial, the lawyers arranged it so that the kids could visit their mom.
The book also focuses on the Joel and Stella’s lives in college as well as Jackie Bell, the Reverend’s widow, who files several lawsuits against the Banning family.
Great read! Holds attention till the end. Another Grisham successful story!
Thriller
As always with John Grisham, well done