This review is posted on behalf of Vijaya Gollamudi.
I have read all of John Grisham's novels and look forward to each release with anticipation, but none before have held my interest as much as The Reckoning.
I am a big admirer of World War stories, not a history buff, but this novel was spellbinding from start to finish.
The Reckoning is Grisham's latest legal thriller, this time bringing readers into a post-World War II environment where beloved farmer Pete Banning murders Dexter Bell, a Mississippi town's humble pastor, for unclear reasons.
Always a master storyteller, Grisham's plot lines fail to graft together into a cohesive thriller, though. The only suspense in the novel surrounds Pete Banning's motive, and that hook can only be stretched so far. We know he did it, we know he'll be tried for first-degree murder, and since his lawyer offers no defense, we know he'll be executed. The only thing left to wonder is "why?", and "why?" just won't keep readers engaged through 400 very uneven pages.
Although the idea of solving the mystery is intriguing, we don't get an answer about why Pete killed the pastor until the final three pages of the book. And even then, it's one of those surprising twists that you couldn't have guessed on your own.
The novel is three parts— The first part is great and suspenseful, the second part less so and the last part offers a smooth, yet unfulfilling ending.
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