House of Reckoning: A Novel

Reread for me. But always a joy. I reread many of John Saul’s books. They are so were written it’s worth the time. Never disappoints. Would like some new material

Best-Selling suspense writer John Saul has written many scary novels, most recently "Faces of Fear", "The Devil's Labyrinth", and "In The Dark Of The Night". But, with his latest installment, he has managed to top his previous best-sellers.Sarah Crane and her father Ed live together on a farm in rural Vermont. Six months earlier, Sarah's mother passed away from cancer. Now, Sarah has been left to care for her father and the farm. Ed drowns his sorrows in alcohol while Sarah takes care of him and the house. One evening, things go too far as Ed accidentally kills a man in a barroom brawl. Sarah, unsure of where her father is, has set out looking for him. Unfortunately for her, Ed decided to drive home drunk and he runs into Sarah with his truck. Ed is arrested, convicted of manslaughter, and sent to prison. Sarah is placed in the home of Angie and Mitch Garvey.Once in the Garvey home, Sarah soon learns that she is nothing more than a slave. She's forced to serve all the meals, clean up afterward, and share a room with Tiffany, her foster sister. The Garvey family has no love for Sarah, seeing her as only a way to supplement their income. Things are no better for her at school. She is shunned and made fun of by classmates. Her only salvation is in her art class, and she comes to like her art teacher, Bettina Phillips. Bettina is accused of being a witch by members of the town because she lives in a run-down old house, reads tarot cards, and practices herbal healing. But, Bettina realizes Sarah's eye for art, and the two become friends.Sarah soon meets a boy named Nick Dunnigan at school. Nick, much like Sarah, is shunned by his classmates because they believe he's crazy. Nick hears strange voices in his head and he's not sure why. But, he and Sarah soon become friends.The relationship between Sarah and Bettina continues to grow, and Sarah finds herself going over to Bettina's home, called Shutters. Once there, however, Sarah begins to experience things altogether different and disturbing. She sees horrifying images conjured up from the house's past which she mysteriously paints exactly, despite never having seen them before. She soon finds out that Nick is having hallucinations about the same images that she paints. Now bound together, Bettina, Sarah, and Nick embark on a journey that is both revealing and disturbing at the same time.I've read several of John Saul's books, and all have been very good. I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical about this book, but once I started it, I could barely put it down. The story builds throughout, and then comes crashing together in an action-filled conclusion. Saul's style of building the story is clearly evident here. The characters are well-developed, and the story itself is chilling and exciting.I give this fine book my highest recommendation. Fans of horror and suspense will love this one.

'House of Reckoning' was an absolute page turner. I was pulled in from the beginning and had a very hard time putting it down. The storyline was full of thrilling scenarios, despicable characters and circumstances that blew away my emotions. I got so caught up in the story that I felt a part of it and even felt the anguish Sarah and Nick felt. They were great kids whom were dealt a bad hand. Sarah had already been through the ringer and then thrown into a whole new level of hell. I loved that she never lost her loving nature. She took the hits that kept coming, but while doing so, she always looked at the bright side. Nick was in a hell of his own, within himself. I admired the way he basically embraced his life when Sarah became his friend. They made great allies. The other characters were a mix of despicable personalities, hateful beliefs, the holier than thou attitudes and a few that were truly loving. As the story played out, the twists were unexpected and at the same time welcomed. I loved the ending that was quite ironic. A must add to your tbr list. Recommended read.

This was my first John Saul book, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The pacing is fast and had me afraid a few times to be ready g it in the middle of the night.

I have read at least one of John Saul's previous books, but it was many years ago, but I remember that I liked it, so I bought this one because it was a good deal. I started reading it, and after a bit, I started wondering if I had accidentally purchased a "young adult" book, because everything seemed so predictable and so cliche. That being said, I have to admit I was hooked, and I continued reading it at a fast clip, and I also have to admit that I enjoyed the heck out of it. Guilty pleasure, I guess. Nice escape from reality.

This was my first John Saul novel, but it won't be my last. I loved this book. I have to add one caveat. The main character (or one of the two main characters), Sarah, was treated so badly by her foster parents and schoolmates, that it upset me quite a bit. Though it was psychological abuse, and not physical abuse, that sort of thing upsets me. Nonetheless, I was hooked by this book from the beginning. I loved Sarah and Nick, really felt for them and couldn't stop reading until I found out what the reckoning was. I was not disappointed. Terrifically spooky with a great ending. I have already purchased Mr. Saul's first book, Suffer The Children.

I've Always loved John Saul and this story is a real treasure.This is the first time I've ever read one of his stories on a kindle though, and to (my own horror) my dismay, at Least every other chapter was missing at least a page. I'd be reading and then all the sudden, right in the middle of a sentence, I'd 'turn the page' and it'd be about something completely different!I finally broke down and bought this book because I live in the middle of nowhere and the nearest library never has most of his books in stock, so I can't even go borrow a paperback. Major letdown because he is one of my very most favorite authors.

This was such a creepy and cool story. I enjoyed how things came together. I’d give this 3.8 stars if I could. Pacing was great........Wasn’t crazy about the epilogue. The characters were a little one dimensional but not bad. Very good at setting the stage for scary scenes.

Great read with twists & turns. Couldn't help routing for Sarah & Nick. Couldn't believe Sarah's so called Christian foster parents could be so cruel & heartless. A must read for horror lovers

I have never read a bad John Saul ever .In this time of lock down a good book is worth it`s weight in gold

I am a big John Saul fan and have read all his books. This was by far the best he has written for a while. Kept me on my toes, I have grown up with these books and feel at times they are no longer meant for my age group!!! But I did enjoy this one.

There are a couple of things I didn't appreciate, such as anything graphic about animals and mixed up timing issues but those aside, it's a very good read.

Apart from the gore and the rape references, this reads like it was written for children. Not bad, but I'll stuck to Stephen King from now on.