--- product_id: 119467612 title: "The Reckoning: A Novel" price: "₹ 814" currency: INR in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.in/products/119467612-the-reckoning-a-novel store_origin: IN region: India --- # The Reckoning: A Novel **Price:** ₹ 814 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Reckoning: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** ₹ 814 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.in](https://www.desertcart.in/products/119467612-the-reckoning-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: The Reckoning: A Novel (Audible Audio Edition): John Grisham, Michael Beck, Random House Audio: Audible Books & Originals Review: "You Keep Me Hanging On" (Vanilla Fudge 1967) - I haven't read a new Grisham novel for quite a long time, believing that he would continue to generate the same basic formula like a lot of authors are persuaded to by their editors in order to continue to sell more books to the same audience. That may work for the casual reader but there are people like me who demand original thought, varied plot lines, fleshed out characters along with easily visualized environments, and realistic actions taken by reasonable people based on the information they have available to them. Whew! That was a mouthful. Of course humor in all its forms is appreciated as well as following the main character stumble through the story as an imperfect -- but well-meaning -- hero. John Grisham includes all of this in "The Reckoning" as well as the somewhat unusual strategy of having the ending told before the backstory is revealed. Interesting reading from an extremely talented storyteller. Included in the backstory is a detailed synopsis of America's efforts in WWII concerning the battle for the Philippines, the ineffective leadership of General MacArthur ("I shall return" -- but only when it's safe), the Bataan Death March, and the guerilla warfare successfully waged against the Japanese invaders. It's not for the squeamish, but then again war never is. But the true story is about the Deep South during the 1940's: the cotton fields and black fieldhands, the big house and small shotgun shacks, the segregation that was accepted as a way of life, the role of the local churches, and the societal rules that still prevented and painfully punished those who chose to ignore what was considered proper southern etiquette. This novel takes you on a trip that seems to point unwaveringly to the final destination but ends up at a totally different place. The result is an interesting and surprising twist considering the social consciousness of the times. What makes it truly interesting is who was sacrificed and why it was done. This is one hell of a story that informs, entertains, and is a solid comment on relationships in the Deep South. You will enjoy it if you allow yourself to be pulled into the story. The ending will certainly get your attention. Not since Greg Iles has anyone written such a fascinating tale of Mississippi. "You Keep Me Hanging On" is an appropriate song for how this story plays out. You have to decide which version is better -- Vanilla Fudge or The Supremes. Review: An Unfortunate Departure for John Grisham - I have read every adult John Grisham novel since "A Time to Kill" and reviewed many on desertcart. I am at a loss to understand why Grisham published this book. My reaction is not due to the very minor amount of legal elements in the story, because Grisham has developed into a fine novelist over the last several decades. In addition to being gripping stories (or "page turners" as I call them), recently he has used them to educate his readers about different facets of the legal system, from mass tort lawyers to public interest lawyers to lawyers who oversee judges. And in fact each of the three capsules of the story is well written. What does bother me is the intense focus on violence and shocking human degradation, the absence of any page-turning suspense, and the fact that the three sections of the story don't fit together smoothly. The first section of the story is set in Mississippi 1946 and focuses upon the central character in the novel, cotton farmer Peter Banning freshly returned from being a pow and guerilla fighter against the Japanese invaders of the Philippines. Many had thought him dead during the several years of his absence, so he returns a hero. A West Pointer and upstanding citizen of the cotton-growing community, Pete one day walks into the local church and pumps three bullets into a local minister. He does not deny his crime, or even authorize any defense in court, and most puzzling he does not offer any explanation for his bizarre act. As a result, in this capital murder case, he suffers the ultimate penalty, leaving behind his wife and two teen age children. I though this skillful section kicked off the book nicely. My problems began with the middle section, which actually takes place prior to the first section, after Pete has rejoined the army and been sent to fight in the Philippines in 1941. After some initial fighting with Japanese troops, Pete is captured and launched into the infamous Bataan Death March. True to history, the Japanese soldiers treat the Americans during the long march to a prison in the most cruel and inhumane ways one can imagine--for about 100 pages, over and over again. Why is it necessary to go into the most intimate gory details repeatedly?--it turns the reader's stomach. Once again I do not criticize the author's substantial skills in capturing these horrid details, I only wonder why about 1/3 of the novel has to be devoted to this inhuman spectacle. The section also recounts Pete joining up with a guerilla organization and killing many Japanese troops, while suffering severe injuries himself. Yet more violence. The final section jumps back to 1946-49 andcovers the mess for his family resulting from the murder. The victim's family files a wrongful death action against Pete and his estate, and they seem determined to grab the family's farm land, home and other assets if they are victorious. Here we have a bit of legal activities, and nobody can handle this kind of material like Grisham, but there is little suspense or excitement since the case is open and shut. What does emerge as the finest writing in the book is the turmoil undergone by Pete's wife who is resident in an insane asylum, his sister who is in bad health, and the stress on his children trying to finish college without a mother or father. And in true Grisham fashion, we have a surprise ending and in fact do learn why he killed the minister. Grisham has already proved beyond refutation that he has become a fine novelist who can shape dialogue and plot skillfully to tell remarkable stories. He does not have to write about Bataan, bloody guerilla operations, a family's sorrow, or other non-legal subjects to demonstrate his versatility. On the other hand, he has developed by facing new challenges and perhaps this book was undertaken in that spirit. In any regard, Grisham is always worth reading--even here. ## Images ![The Reckoning: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ybMcSojSL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "You Keep Me Hanging On" (Vanilla Fudge 1967) *by S***H on November 1, 2018* I haven't read a new Grisham novel for quite a long time, believing that he would continue to generate the same basic formula like a lot of authors are persuaded to by their editors in order to continue to sell more books to the same audience. That may work for the casual reader but there are people like me who demand original thought, varied plot lines, fleshed out characters along with easily visualized environments, and realistic actions taken by reasonable people based on the information they have available to them. Whew! That was a mouthful. Of course humor in all its forms is appreciated as well as following the main character stumble through the story as an imperfect -- but well-meaning -- hero. John Grisham includes all of this in "The Reckoning" as well as the somewhat unusual strategy of having the ending told before the backstory is revealed. Interesting reading from an extremely talented storyteller. Included in the backstory is a detailed synopsis of America's efforts in WWII concerning the battle for the Philippines, the ineffective leadership of General MacArthur ("I shall return" -- but only when it's safe), the Bataan Death March, and the guerilla warfare successfully waged against the Japanese invaders. It's not for the squeamish, but then again war never is. But the true story is about the Deep South during the 1940's: the cotton fields and black fieldhands, the big house and small shotgun shacks, the segregation that was accepted as a way of life, the role of the local churches, and the societal rules that still prevented and painfully punished those who chose to ignore what was considered proper southern etiquette. This novel takes you on a trip that seems to point unwaveringly to the final destination but ends up at a totally different place. The result is an interesting and surprising twist considering the social consciousness of the times. What makes it truly interesting is who was sacrificed and why it was done. This is one hell of a story that informs, entertains, and is a solid comment on relationships in the Deep South. You will enjoy it if you allow yourself to be pulled into the story. The ending will certainly get your attention. Not since Greg Iles has anyone written such a fascinating tale of Mississippi. "You Keep Me Hanging On" is an appropriate song for how this story plays out. You have to decide which version is better -- Vanilla Fudge or The Supremes. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Unfortunate Departure for John Grisham *by R***K on October 27, 2018* I have read every adult John Grisham novel since "A Time to Kill" and reviewed many on Amazon. I am at a loss to understand why Grisham published this book. My reaction is not due to the very minor amount of legal elements in the story, because Grisham has developed into a fine novelist over the last several decades. In addition to being gripping stories (or "page turners" as I call them), recently he has used them to educate his readers about different facets of the legal system, from mass tort lawyers to public interest lawyers to lawyers who oversee judges. And in fact each of the three capsules of the story is well written. What does bother me is the intense focus on violence and shocking human degradation, the absence of any page-turning suspense, and the fact that the three sections of the story don't fit together smoothly. The first section of the story is set in Mississippi 1946 and focuses upon the central character in the novel, cotton farmer Peter Banning freshly returned from being a pow and guerilla fighter against the Japanese invaders of the Philippines. Many had thought him dead during the several years of his absence, so he returns a hero. A West Pointer and upstanding citizen of the cotton-growing community, Pete one day walks into the local church and pumps three bullets into a local minister. He does not deny his crime, or even authorize any defense in court, and most puzzling he does not offer any explanation for his bizarre act. As a result, in this capital murder case, he suffers the ultimate penalty, leaving behind his wife and two teen age children. I though this skillful section kicked off the book nicely. My problems began with the middle section, which actually takes place prior to the first section, after Pete has rejoined the army and been sent to fight in the Philippines in 1941. After some initial fighting with Japanese troops, Pete is captured and launched into the infamous Bataan Death March. True to history, the Japanese soldiers treat the Americans during the long march to a prison in the most cruel and inhumane ways one can imagine--for about 100 pages, over and over again. Why is it necessary to go into the most intimate gory details repeatedly?--it turns the reader's stomach. Once again I do not criticize the author's substantial skills in capturing these horrid details, I only wonder why about 1/3 of the novel has to be devoted to this inhuman spectacle. The section also recounts Pete joining up with a guerilla organization and killing many Japanese troops, while suffering severe injuries himself. Yet more violence. The final section jumps back to 1946-49 andcovers the mess for his family resulting from the murder. The victim's family files a wrongful death action against Pete and his estate, and they seem determined to grab the family's farm land, home and other assets if they are victorious. Here we have a bit of legal activities, and nobody can handle this kind of material like Grisham, but there is little suspense or excitement since the case is open and shut. What does emerge as the finest writing in the book is the turmoil undergone by Pete's wife who is resident in an insane asylum, his sister who is in bad health, and the stress on his children trying to finish college without a mother or father. And in true Grisham fashion, we have a surprise ending and in fact do learn why he killed the minister. Grisham has already proved beyond refutation that he has become a fine novelist who can shape dialogue and plot skillfully to tell remarkable stories. He does not have to write about Bataan, bloody guerilla operations, a family's sorrow, or other non-legal subjects to demonstrate his versatility. On the other hand, he has developed by facing new challenges and perhaps this book was undertaken in that spirit. In any regard, Grisham is always worth reading--even here. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by C***N on April 13, 2026* Great read --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.in/products/119467612-the-reckoning-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.in/products/119467612-the-reckoning-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart India* *Store origin: IN* *Last updated: 2026-05-23*