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The Reckoning: A Novel by John Grisham
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The Reckoning: A Novel (original 2018; edition 2018)

by John Grisham (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,183867,252 (3.45)12
Pete Banning was Clanton's favorite son, a returning war hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning in 1946. he rose early, drove into town, walked into the church, and calmly shot and killed the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the murder wasn't shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete's only statement about it - to the sheriff, to his defense attorney, to the judge, to his family and friends, and to the people of Clanton - was 'I have nothing to say'. And so the murder of the esteemed Reverend Bell became the most mysterious and unforgettable crime Ford County had ever known.… (more)
Member:mvo62
Title:The Reckoning: A Novel
Authors:John Grisham (Author)
Info:Doubleday (2018), Edition: First Edition, 432 pages
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:****
Tags:Fiction, e-book, Kindle (via Amazon)

Work Information

The Reckoning by John Grisham (2018)

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English (82)  German (1)  Hungarian (1)  Spanish (1)  All languages (85)
Showing 1-5 of 82 (next | show all)
This is not your typical Grisham book. It is not a legal thriller but rather a piece of historical fiction (with a murder and small trial thrown in). At the back of the book, he writes that he heard about a case when he was younger and he's not sure if the story is true or not but he took the premise of that case and wrote this book.

This book is broken into 3 parts - The Killing, The Boneyard (the war) and The Betrayal. It focuses on Pete Banning and the rest of his family. His wife, Liza (who is in an asylum), and their kids, Joel and Stella. The Banning Family live in Clanton, Mississippi, located in Ford County (also in A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row). They own a cotton farm.

The Killing - one day, Pete goes into the church and kills the Reverend Dexter Bell, leaving behind his wife and 3 young children. Right before Pete kills him, the Reverend says "Is this about Liza"? Pete turns himself in to the police and all he says is "I have nothing to say". He goes to trial but does not allow his attorneys to mount a defense on his behalf.

The Boneyard - this section details Pete's involvement in the war. It begins in 1925 and continues until 1945 when he returns home. He was in the Philippines and then surrenders to the Japanese. He is involved in the march at Bataan and eventually hooks up with Filipino and American guerrillas fighting back against the Japanese.

The Betrayal - this talks about the Banning family after the trial and the reason behind Liza being put into the asylum. Prior to the killing, Pete had ordered the asylum to not allow the kids in to see their mother but after the trial, the lawyers arranged it so that the kids could visit their mom.

The book also focuses on the Joel and Stella's lives in college as well as Jackie Bell, the Reverend's widow, who files several lawsuits against the Banning family. ( )
  Cathie_Dyer | Feb 29, 2024 |
Crime
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
Philippines in WW2, Death Penalty ( )
  JBarringer | Dec 15, 2023 |
Very intriguing as the author switched in between settings. The description of the harsh realities of war was amazing. I did not like the ending though. ( )
  k.a.mulenga_writer | Mar 27, 2023 |
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. ( )
  addunn3 | Mar 3, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 82 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
John Grishamprimary authorall editionscalculated
Szulc, AndrzejTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Píše sa rok 1946. Vojnový hrdina a vážený farmár Pete Banning zastrelí rovnako rešpektovaného a obľúbeného metodistického kazateľa Dextera Bella. Napriek snahe rodinného právnika odmieta svoj čin vysvetliť. Naliehanie nezaberá, jeho reakcia je stále rovnaká: „Nemám čo povedať.“
Pete Banning patrí k veteránom, ktorí počas druhej svetovej vojny na Filipínach prežili neslávne známy Bataansky pochod smrti. Viac ako sedemdesiattisíc vojakov vtedy prinútili kráčať v horúčave celé dni bez jedla a vody, čo si vyžiadalo tisíce obetí. Ostatných čakalo niekoľkoročné peklo v japonskom zajateckom tábore.
Petov syn Joel sa s následkami otcovho mlčania nedokáže zmieriť a pátra po motíve nezmyselného činu. Napokon sa rozuzlenia dočká. A je viac než prekvapivé.
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On a cold morning in early October of 1946, Pete Banning awoke before sunrise and had no thoughts of going back to sleep.
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Pete Banning was Clanton's favorite son, a returning war hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbor, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning in 1946. he rose early, drove into town, walked into the church, and calmly shot and killed the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the murder wasn't shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete's only statement about it - to the sheriff, to his defense attorney, to the judge, to his family and friends, and to the people of Clanton - was 'I have nothing to say'. And so the murder of the esteemed Reverend Bell became the most mysterious and unforgettable crime Ford County had ever known.

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