The ReckoningThe Reckoning
Score Modern
What it's about
One October morning in 1946, Pete Banning, war hero and Clanton's favorite son, walks into his church and shoots the Reverend Dexter Bell. To everyone, from the sheriff to his own family, he says only: "I have nothing to say."
Why it's worth reading
It spent three weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of the ten best-selling books of 2018.
You'll love it if you liked
A Time for Mercy
The Confession
To Kill a MockingbirdGood to know
It's set in 1946.
By the numbers
- Readers5 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #551 of the 623 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #1480 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2777 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping, Dark, Moving
More by John Grisham
The Pelican Brief
The Widow
The Client
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Where the Crawdads Sing
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A Column of Fire
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The Pillars of the EarthExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 751 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is The Reckoning worth reading?
Yes. It spent three weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of the ten best-selling books of 2018. It ranks #2,777 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 57.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Reckoning about?
One October morning in 1946, Pete Banning, war hero and Clanton's favorite son, walks into his church and shoots the Reverend Dexter Bell. To everyone, from the sheriff to his own family, he says only: "I have nothing to say."
How long does it take to read The Reckoning?
About 10 hours (417 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Reckoning?
If you liked it, try A Time for Mercy by John Grisham, The Confession by John Grisham or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.