The Bannings have always been a prominent family in their small Mississippi town, and Pete Banning has done his family proud, making a success of their farm, marrying a beautiful woman, and becoming a hero during World War II. However, when the novel opens it becomes clear that he is going to commit a cold-blooded murder of the town's Methodist minister. Not only does he do it, but he absolutely refuses to tell anyone why, and he has resigned himself to be convicted and put to death without defending himself. His family and friends are completely in the dark, and so too is the reader. The first third or so of the book describes his actions before and after the murder and his subsequent trial, as well as the effect on his family. The second third of the book describes in detail his horrific war experience in the Philippines, his torture and hell of a POW camp, and then his heroism as a guerrilla fighter, and his eventual return home to his family who had thought him dead. The final section of the novel relates the painful aftereffects of Pete Banning's actions on his children, wife, and sister. Until the very end, none of us know the secret that motivated Banning. I was saved from throwing the book across the room by the final revelation. Nonetheless, this was a frustrating book to read because the characters seemed paralyzed. The middle portion about the war in the Philippines seemed belabored and overlong, probably in order to help us understand Banning's rationale. Although the term hadn't yet been invented at the time, this book could serve as a PTSD cautionary tale.

Not usually a Grisham fan but I loved this book. Historical and murder mystery all in one. I did not see the ending at all. Kudos, Mr. Grisham!. Have already started to recommend to my patrons at the library that I work.

As always Grisham does it again I couldn't put this book down.
All Grisham fans this is a must read.

"The Reckoning" by John Grisham takes us back to Ford County Mississppi where several of his other novels are set. This book aptly describes cotton farming, rural life, and the patriotism of farmers during WWII. The characters are complex, but very relatable to the time period. The description of the Bataan Death March sometimes was very hard to read, but gives a true picture of the horrors of war. That said, there is also a mystery included in the family dynamic and I was very surprised at the ending. This will be recommended for purchase as we get all of Grisham's books.

I had forgotten how many of Grisham's novels deal with straight narratives. I am a Grisham fan and have been for years, but I"m not sure what's happening now. I found this to be a tedious read and frankly, found myself skimming and skipping for more action and dialogue. I was disappointed with the conclusion of the story and felt very at odds. It wasn't a favorite of mine.

I hated this book. It was racist, sexist, and most damningly - boring. The way Grisham talked about the black characters was condescending and the way he talked about Mary Ann was both racist and sexist. The reasons behind the crime were obvious and boring. If Grisham wanted to write a book about the horrors of the Pacific theater during World War II he should've just written that book, but those chapters merely served to point out the lack in substance in the rest of the book. I don't have sympathy for a family losing their land because their patriarch committed murder and I don't have sympathy for someone who planned a murder and refuses to divulge a motive to help their family understand.

I've enjoyed Grisham in the past and this makes me think that I was wrong to have done so!

Thank you for the advance copy. I have mixed feelings about the Reckoning. The book is split into three parts. Part one was very suspenseful when Pete Banning , local hero, takes the life of the local preacher in cold blood, refuses to mount a defense, and you’re left to wonder why.

Part two tells of Pete’s horrific experiences fighting in the Philippines against the Japanese. Grisham ‘s research into this was brilliantly detailed, and although difficult to read, was fascinating, and I learned a great deal of information I’d never known about this time period. This was my favorite part of the book.

Part three seems to read slowly, and feels a little dragged out. It deals with the aftermath of Pete’s death on his family, and finally, at the very end, we learn why he killed the preacher.

This is a sad, sad story from start to finish. Pete Banning barely survived three horrific years in the Philippines, thoughts of suicide in his mind stopped only when he thought of his beloved wife and family, and then he was determined to live and return home. Although I understand his frame of mind when his return home was not all he dreamed, and why he felt he had to take a life, not only did he ruin his own life, but he vastly underestimated the ruin of his entire family, and the legacy of all his family stood for.
Still, a Grisham book that will not be easily forgotten.

Author John Grisham never fails to tell a story well, but in this instance, I question whether the story needed to be told at all. In a departure from his typical legal thriller, Grisham tells the story of Pete Banning, favorite son of Clanton Mississippi and a surviving WWII POW veteran. After being declared dead, yet somehow miraculously surviving the horrors of the Bataan death march and POW Camp O'Donnell, Pete Banning returns home for a joyous reunion with his family. But shortly thereafter, something goes horribly wrong: his wife ends up in a mental institution and Pete is charged and convicted with the cold-blooded murder of his pastor, Reverend Dexter Bell. In the drawn-out legal battle that ensues, Pete's only statement to the sheriff, to his lawyers, to the judge, to the jury, and to his family—was: "I have nothing to say." There is no happy ending here folks, my only satisfaction was to finish the book. I would not call it Southern Gothic, merely gruesome. #TheReckoning #NetGalley

The Reckoning by John Grisham. Grisham has done it again by writing a great story, leading you by the nose right till the end before he puts in his twist. An insightful story into that time and history and as always leads you thinking - What if the truth had just been told from the beginning.

In true Grisham form great legal thriller but not the best. I always love his books but this one just didn’t have the “pizazz”of all his other books.

As a bookseller and recommender I try to keep up with popular authors as well as less known ones. This is the first Grisham novel I've read in several years, but I found in it the typical deep-South characterizations and themes. Readers will either appreciate the combination of family drama/courtroom suspense and World War II narrative-- or they will find it unnecessarily drawn out. On the fence, I found it well written and a pleasant diversion, if a bit melodramatic.

Oh, wow! It’s been awhile since I was as mesmerized by a book as I was by this one. With realistic, likeable characters, The Reckoning drew me invand made me feel as if my own family faced the dilemmas of the Banning family.

I especially appreciated Mr. Grisham's treatment of Pete's experiences during World War II. The section provided an education on that time period.

I have already started pushing my family, friends, and library patrons to check out this novel.

Let me start by saying John Grisham is one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to get my hands on his new books. This novel was one part legal thriller and one part history lesson. I did find the historical piece interesting as I had just finished listening to an audio book of Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" and there were many similarities. The Reckoning was well written but just too drawn out for the story told...it could have really been a short story. While written in typical Grisham fashion, the story line was predictable. I'd rate it 3.5 stars. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it was engaging and suspenseful. On the other hand, about a third of the book was an unnecessary digression.



Review copy provided by publisher.