The Reckoning: A Novel

John Grisham

Oct 2018 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Michael Beck

About this audiobook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • John Grisham's most powerful, surprising, and suspenseful thriller yet • “A murder mystery, a courtroom drama, a family saga.” —USA Today
 
October 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.

Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!

Ratings and reviews

I have read all of your books. I even called you my favorite author, until now. Waited the entire book to find out the clever way John Grisham would come to a happy ending and explain what Pete meant when he said " I know what I am doing", only to find out he did not know what he was doing. The gory Bataan section which had no connection to the main story was totally out of place unless you were trying to prove Pete loved killing and shooting people in the face. Most depressing story you have ever written. You said you had no qualms, must have lost them in the dirt.

Its a very long, detailed and elaborate build up to a very weak overall tale. I did appreciate some of the historical accuracy and the care Grisham takes in staying true to the era and bringing us into it. I remain disappointed in the story itself. Some of the characters make absurd decisions even given the setting and it stretches belief that they were made. It's almost like, with the opening paragraph we were told a lie and promised a payoff that never comes.

Really?? This huge build up all through this long, and often disturbing narrative only to fizzle out at the end with no huge revelation - only one that most of us had already guessed. What was the point? What was the redeeming issue? Nothing that's what.

About the author

John Grisham is the author of forty-seven consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include The Judge's List, Sooley, and his third Jake Brigance novel, A Time for Mercy, which is being developed by HBO as a limited series.
 
Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.
 
When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.
 
John lives on a farm in central Virginia.