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The Reckoning

A Novel

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The Reckoning

Written by: John Grisham
Narrated by: Michael Beck
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About this listen

Number-one best-selling author John Grisham's The Reckoning is his most powerful, surprising, and suspenseful thriller yet.

"A murder mystery, a courtroom drama, a family saga…The Reckoning is Grisham's argument that he's not just a boilerplate thriller writer. Most jurors will think the counselor has made his case." (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, walked into the church, and calmly shot and killed his pastor and friend, the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the murder weren’t shocking enough, it was even more baffling that 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 every minute.

©2018 John Grisham (P)2018 Random House Audio
Crime Thrillers Legal Suspense Thriller Fiction Exciting Mystery Mississippi War
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What the critics say

“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.” (Jon Meacham, New York Times best-selling author of The Soul of America)

“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.” (David Grann, New York Times best-selling author of Killers of the Flower Moon)

“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.” (Jodi Picoult, number-one New York Times best-selling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things)

“The quest for justice is only the beginning in this Southern-family saga.... Grisham does so much more this time around.” (Associated Press)

What listeners say about The Reckoning

Average Customer Ratings
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another Masterpiece

A fantastic story, masterfully told - another great novel by John Grisham, didn't want it to end

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration, mediocre story

The narrator's storytelling was excellent - really engaging. The book itself started strong but got weaker and weaker as it progressed. I was hooked for roughly the first third to half of the story but it droned on too long to the point where I struggled to finish it.

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LOVED THIS STORY!!!

It was an amazing story! I appreciated listening to it through the Audible App, because I tend to skip over things when I read a story. The App let me get every detail!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A different take on a legal murder mystery

This was not what I was expecting at all but was well done. The mystery was not who did it at all. but instead why. the novel spends chapters upon chapters in the middle of the novel in the form of a flashback that provides context in a torturous adventure side story in the Phillipeans during one of the most Brutal Campaigns of WW2. It was riviting and well written and overall a welcome change from the typical legal drama. I dont know that I will ever listen to it again. But it was well worth the once through.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Slight let down

As an avid John Grisham reader for years, I was actually quite disappointed with this book. The first 1/3 was great, like every John Grisham book is. But the middle third was very, meh... Even the last few chapters were just okish. Don't know that I would actually recommend this book to anyone.

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    3 out of 5 stars

The Narrator was Amazing

There were times when I was getting slightly bored with the story line but the narrator kept me listening. He did all of the voices and accents impeccably well. His reading was 'engrossing'. All in all, the story was very good and the character development was excellent. I would say that this is a good example of a classic tragedy where the characters own fine qualities could not lead to anything but doom - no way out. Good book and an amazing narration.

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Excellent Read

The story is very good, although my wife found the part about guerilla warfare in the Philippines a little over-whelming. Personally, I found this historical section very interesting and it encouraged me to do more research on it.

I thought that Mr. Beck was an excellent reader, although I always find that men trying to do women's voices tend to lack a little in that department.

Overall, an interesting plot, if a little depressing.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful Writer

loved every minute of the book but the ending was a did or a disappointment and was hoping for a great explanation.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Well read. Highs and lows in the story

Micheal Beck did a superb job of reading this book. From fighting in the jungles of the Philippines to a Southern black women, he made it very real. Grisham doesn't disappoint and it is a good story. The middle part of the book dealing with Pete's time in the war was very exciting and kept the buds in my ears for hours at a time. I did find the last third of the book dragged and was hoping for a more climatic ending. Not his best, but a good read I world recommended.

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Nov 2019

liked it. definelty a JG novel. Was a good surprise twist at the end. Great characters.

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