The Reckoning: A Novel

Pete Banning is a hero. Returning from WWII to his small hometown, he is recovering from the aftereffects of the Bataan Death March and of being a POW. Once home he takes up the management of the generational farm he, his children, and a sister live on. When the book begins his wife is living in a psychiatric hospital.

Banning's return to civilian life seems to be going okay until he drives to the church the family faithfully attends and shoots and kills the popular minister. When he is arrested he admits the crime but won't tell law enforcement or anyone else why he did it. The rest of the book concerns the why.

Grisham writes in graphic detail about Banning's experiences on Bataan and in prison. In general I think the book is too long and the "during the war" section could have been shorter. Still, I liked the book and found it to be interesting. Grisham dropped a few clues along the way that lead me to believe the murder was because of something that in the end turned out to be wrong. I liked that too.

"The Reckoning" is going to wrap up my John Grisham streak. Of the last six books five have been Grisham novels: "The Reckoning," "The Rooster Bar," "The Judge's List," "The Whistler," and "The Racketeer." "The Reckoning's" layout is not something I enjoy. It starts a few years after WW2. Then the story goes back in time, describing the lead characters life before, and then during WW2. The last section jumps ahead to where the start ended, but goes back in time again to reveal a twist. It does not impress me. If the story was told from start to finish, I think I would have enjoyed it more.
2,346 members, 3.45 average rating, 10/25/2024

It's fantastic, Grisham, excellent novel. In his style. (Translated from Spanish)

It's not the best book I've read; it doesn't have a beautiful story that makes you say, wow! What a wonder! But this book has something that makes me remember my childhood. Despite the distance of time, it takes place in 1952, where a boy narrates his life on a farm. It transports me directly to when I was a child, the same age as the protagonist, 7 years old, when my grandfather would tousle my hair and wake me up so we could go milk the cow, the smell of coffee that my grandmother made, who would put a small drop in the freshly boiled milk, the smell of the countryside, of nature, made me travel back and remember those moments when you are just a child who wants to ride a horse, stroll without any worries, there was no stress, there was nothing to concern us, just enjoying life and our childhood. For that alone, this book was worth it to me, from the first to the last page. (Translated from Spanish)

The author's description of struggles of Americans captured in the Philippines in WWII was well done, but its mix with the murder by the ex-soldier from this war just didn't add up. The main story - the murder in the small southern town - seemed to go nowhere and ended in whimper.

The Reckoning is set in fictional Ford County in the 1940s and relates the story of Pete Banning, a farmer and former soldier who right at the beginning murders the local preacher Dexter Bell. There is no doubt about the case, Pete Banning is arrested, freely admits the murder and awaits trial. It is obvious that he will be sentenced to death, but even then he does not reveal his motive for killing Dexter Bell. As he was well-respected in town, the people wonder just as much as Pete's children why he shot the preacher.

The novel is divided into three parts, the first of which relates the murder and the trial. The second part provides background on Pete's life as a soldier fighting in the Philippines in World War II. The third part gets back to the trial and its motive. The question right from the beginning is why Pete Banning murdered Dexter Bell and it is only answered at the end of the novel.

At first I found the structure of the novel odd as I wondered what else could possibly be told on the remaining 300 or so pages once the trial was over. The background story is very well told and I enjoyed reading the second part of the novel a lot. While the revelation of Banning's motive at the end is not too surprising given what we learn about him and his family before, I liked the novel overall. 3.5 stars.

This wasn’t as interesting a legal thriller as I remember Grisham books being.

Takes place in late 40's in the south. Story of a war vet who commits murder and admits it without giving a motive. The story tells his life story and his time in the war as a POW., Back story comes out at the end. Good story, but kind of dragged with recollection of his war time.

Pete Banning was Clanton, Mississippi's war hero. He was a from a prominent family and was a farmer, father, neighbor and member of the Methodist Church.
One morning, he walks into the Church and kills the Reverend Dexter Hill. He gives no explanation to anyone about his reasons for doing so. "I have nothing to say" was his only answer.
He goes to trial with really no way of winning the case. He will not answer to his attorney's, to his family, etc.
We are then brought through the history of the war that Pete went through before coming home. Pure horrendousness.
Then we are brought back to the family and all that they are dealing with.

This was well written. I am not a fan of warfare, so the lengthy discussion about the war in the Philipines was hard for me to get through.

Very much in his style, with a great interpretation and knowledge of American laws and the judicial system. Entertaining and with too many references to a previous book and case. (Translated from Spanish)

It is a literary masterpiece that I would recommend to anyone looking for a well-written and engaging read. (Translated from Spanish)

One of my favorite writers brings us a pretty good and entertaining story about the world of books, publishers, bookstores, booksellers, writers, and collectible books, all combined in one of his classic plots of great thefts and fortunes involved!!! (Translated from Spanish)

I liked it a lot, I had never read anything by him and it surprised me a lot!!! (Translated from Spanish)

It is the first book I read by this author famous for his bestsellers. The novel is entertaining, but it seems to me that it didn't require much effort from the author to publish or produce it. I imagine his fame is justified in better books. I think that if it weren't for the author's fame, it would go unnoticed. However, I acknowledge that I read it to the end and that entertaining with a story is an achievement. (Translated from Spanish)

It's a very engaging book, with plots that quickly hook you into reading. John Grisham is a master of thrillers, and it shows from afar.

Excellent book, let's get another one from the great John ? (Translated from Spanish)

Impressive legal thriller. Here John Grisham closes a cycle initiated with "A Time to Kill" and continued with "The Testament." If you haven't visited Clanton and met Jake, Harry, Lucien, Ozzy, Judge Noose, and Carl Lee yet, you are missing out on some of the great popular fiction. A seamless story, written with the maturity of one of the most successful storytellers in the world. (Translated from Spanish)

Very good story, like most of the books by this author, gripping and realistic, and very good from a legal standpoint. I recommend reading it. (Translated from Spanish)

Disappointing. Until now, I was a great follower of this author, but this book is not worthy of his bibliography. Slow, soulless, late in its development, and sloppy and fleeting in its conclusion, it constitutes a blot on Grisham's career. Moreover, the edition by Plaza y Janés and the translation leave much to be desired. (Translated from Spanish)

The author deviates a bit from the usual, taking the reader instead into the daily life of a working-class family on a farm, where year after year the uncertainty of a good harvest looms. Luke, a 9-year-old boy, narrates his adventures on the farm alongside families of workers who come to harvest cotton, bringing regular disruptions to the family with intrigues, loves, and murders. At some point, the narrative becomes a bit tedious for the reader due to the excessive mention of baseball characters. (Translated from Spanish)

It is clear that the author has a lot of experience writing. Very easy to read, with a structured and dynamic plot. It's not a book that leaves a strong impression, but it is entertaining. (Translated from Spanish)

I usually don’t bother to finish a book this long and this boring, but I wanted to get to the end where the big secret is revealed. I should not have wasted my time.

The story starts off very well, but the last 200 pages are another level! It takes a tremendous turn that makes you wonder, can he solve this new problem? And as John Grisham does, he succeeds, without unnecessary details, with a lot of speed and coherence. It's nothing like his other novels, which are much more turbulent and intricate, but I loved it nonetheless. In short, another gem from John Grisham. (Translated from Spanish)

Many years ago I read my first Grisham, A time to kill and followed that with The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber and The Runaway Jury. I began to feel that later novels were losing the impact that those earlier thrillers so brilliantly portrayed. A Painted House proved somewhat of a disappointment and so my reading journey into the legal mind of John Grisham came to a close…...until now. By pure luck I picked up “The Reckoning” in a charity shop, liked the synopsis on the back cover and started reading, and could not stop! The Reckoning is nothing short of brilliant; it combines the qualities of a thriller with vivid courtroom scenes that Grisham is renowned for.
Pete Banning returns home to Clanton Mississippi, a war hero, a man respected and loved dearly in his community. One morning in October 1946 he rises early, drives into town, attends the local Methodist Church and shoots dead the popular Reverend Dexter Bell. He refuses to speak or comment on the killing and seems content to have a trial that will surely find him guilty and death by electrocution. The first part of the book deals with the murder followed by the trial and then the author tells the back story of Pete Manning his heroic war record, his capture, escape and fight back against the Japanese. In the final part we are observers to the repercussions that the murder has on Manning’s family; the children Joel and Stella and his wife Liza confined to a mental hospital. The writing is taut, the story brilliantly executed and I found it impossible to put down until completed, until the final question was answered….What happened on that October day that caused Pete Manning to act in the way he did and by doing so altered the lives and futures of so many. Welcome back Mr Grisham what a fantastic read...highly highly recommended.

The best part of the book is the literary references. The plot is somewhat superficial, I would say naive, and has a predictable ending. I have read much better novels by Grisham (the jury, the testament...). (Translated from Spanish)

I don’t recall ever being disappointed by John Grisham novel and once again that’s true. This one is different though in how it approaches the main story first and then the back story. I wasn’t quite sure I was going to be OK with the way it was laid out but I ended up thinking it worked out perfectly.

Amazing!!! Grisham never disappoints, couldn't put it down!!!

Pete Banning, war hero, cotton farmer and respected member of the Mississippi community he loves, commits a premeditated murder, shooting his own Methodist minister. Banning refuses to talk about his crime and actively discourages his lawyer from mounting any kind of defence.

The book starts with the crime, the trial and the immediate aftermath. The tension mounts because we have no insight to the crime or the motivation of Banning. A picture is slowly built to show that all is not well in the Banning family. We then move on to a long section describing Banning’s war exploits in the Pacific. The final section of the book shows how Banning’s children, Stella and Joel, try to unravel the mystery behind their father’s crime and to build new lives for themselves.

Ultimately, all the characters we see as ‘worthy’ fail or lose and all those we deem ‘unworthy’ come out as winners. This book is about misplaced trust, the faults that come from ‘honour’, but is mainly about the transfer from the Great Generation to the Baby Boomers and the impacts of war on the minds of those who fought.

This is well written and readable, as all Grisham novels are, but is ultimately aimless and too down beat for my taste.

This is the worst book by John Grisham that I've read, by a long shot.
Clearly, the author is a great writer of legal thrillers and a good writer of Southern Gothic. However, his foray into pure thriller with "The Manuscript" has proven to be a fiasco.
The novel feels like it was written by Grisham just to tick off the boxes because he ran out of time to deliver his new annual novel to his editor.
Its plot is not well constructed. It consists of a central idea around which the entire story revolves, a murder, into which the author fits a main protagonist and many other secondary characters, most of whom are perfectly dispensable and only contribute to muddling the story. Moreover, the resolution of the story is so far-fetched that it comes off as implausible and convoluted.
In summary, it is a novel to read and forget immediately, even though the author is the celebrated John Grisham. (Translated from Spanish)

Good judicial plot, Grisham's habitat, well-developed characters, tedious war section, and quite predictable ending. If you can get past that part in the Philippine jungles, which I think is just filler to reach 500 pages, it's a very entertaining novel. (Translated from Spanish)

It is solid in its construction, detailed to perfection regarding legal matters. What I like are the drastic changes that occur in the course of what happens to the protagonist, the sudden turns that, on the other hand, add more realism. The fact that the protagonist embodies certain values of honesty and commitment adds, in my view, appeal. (Translated from Spanish)