The Reckoning

I had never heard of Sarah Pinborough until her books started popping up as recommended reads for me. Well, I checked two of her books out, 'The Reckoning", and "The Taken", and I am now a fan. In "The Reckoning", the author takes a familiar premise of a haunted house and turns it into a unique tale, peopled by complex characters and hidden secrets in the past that slowly unfold to reveal the truth. The story begins with a writer, Rob, who has been suffering from the excesses of his high-living lifestyle and who feels suddenly compelled to return to his old hometown. He has been having some horrific nightmares that have to do with a sinister incident that took place decades ago when he was 12. Well, Rob returns to Streatford and finds that the past has indeed returned to haunt him and his childhood friends - Carole Anne, Gina and Jason. The four friends had spent a strange summer when they were about 12 - all focussed on Gina's childhood home, Syracousse. Gina has some strange powers that keep the other three friends captivated but these powers turn out to be very dark indeed. When an unspeakable tragedy befalls Gina's family, the friendship unravels and all four go their separate ways. Decades later, they 'reunite' - well, one friend has already fallen victim to the sinister forces swirling about Syracousse, and the other three need to figure out what exactly is happening before it claims them next. The plot is well-woven - the characters have sufficient depth, and the suspense is gradually built-up, this is not a run-of-the mill, predictable horror story but a tale of insidious evil that slowly unfolds to reveal its secrets. All in all, I was riveted from beginning to end and would highly recommend this author to fans of atmospheric horror stories.

This may well be the first female horror writer that I have ever read - I don't consider Anne Rice to be horror, more gothic romance, but none-the-less, I was curious to see how a fellow female would approach the genera. First of all, she is a British writer, but seems to be very Americanized... if random words like "quid" didn't suddenly pop up I would have easily imagined this being an American tale. The lead character is a writer who has lived his life in excess and suddenly begins having terrible nightmares about his childhood. Realizing that he needs to come to terms with something terrible that has happened he leaves his exciting drug frenzied life in London to return to his small hometown in hopes of conquering his mental demons. Much of the story is told in flashback, to when Rob (the writer), Jason and Carrie-Anne were children. They met Gina, a well to do young lady that seemed to have "special" powers. Though her powers seemed benign at first, suddenly they take a much darker turn. When Rob returns to the small town he discovers that terrible things have been happening up at "Syracousse" - Gina's old house. The three friends had not spoken since their childhood, and suddenly they discover that they may have been wrong about Gina's powers and what they thought had happened in their childhood. The plot in this book is familiar, most haunted house tales all share similar traits. What was so intriguing about this book was the understated writing style. Though I never found myself "scared" or "covered in goose-bumps" I was truly intrigued with what was going on. I had a hard time putting the book down because it was interesting... the characters were fairly 3D and you find yourself waiting on the flashbacks to come so that you can find out more about what happened to them when they were children. I also loved that her horror was so low key, more brooding and dark than "in your face" which seems to be a rare occurrence. I will be picking up more titles by this author in the near future. She makes a refreshing read after plowing through several of the more gory authors.

This is the second novel by Ms. Pinborough and it's just as fantastic as the first. It reads differently then American Horror authors, but the characters are vivid and draw you into their Fears, Fights, and Passion.

The reckoning is one of those novels that you just don't want to put down. It's full of supernatural suspense, and the best of Sarah Pinborough's mind working overtime. A riveting tale. A joy to read. An all around great story with real-to-life characters and a breathtaking ending. --Joseph McGee, author of In the Wake of the Night, Phil's Place and Darkness Won't Rest: Phils Place II