Heather’s Bookshelf: The Reckoning
Author: Ann Nolder Heinz
Released: 11/10/24
Genre: Historical Fiction
“The daughter of parents who encouraged her to think critically for herself and look beyond the traditional role of females in the current culture, she had discovered several lady writers who not only championed the rights of women and the oppressed but also actually made their living by wielding their pen. Aspiring to the same outcome for herself, she had a particular interest in maintaining the integrity of the written word.”
“The Reckoning” is set in 1873 and introduces Harriet Mitchell, a young woman attending university at Vassar College when she receives terrible news- her father has been killed and her mother injured in what appears to be a home invasion.
Hurrying back to her Brooklyn home, her mother soon passes away, leaving Harriet to break the news to her siblings. When the local police appear unwilling to investigate, Harriet takes it upon herself to find her parent’s killer.
Andrew, a New York Times reporter, joins Harriet on her investigation as they make their way to South Carolina, through her parents’ pasts and the terrible events that brought them together all those years ago.
Will Harriet and Andrew find her parent’s killer? Will they be able to bring him to justice? Or will they succumb to the same end as her parents?
Trigger Warning: violence, slavery, racism, racist language, reference to rape, murder, assault, adult language, abuse,
Overall, I enjoyed this story. It’s a historical fiction wrapped in a murder investigation with a touch of romance. Told through two opposing POVs, the tale is pushed forward by the structure which also provided enhanced insight into each of the characters. The first POV is of the protagonist, Harriet Mitchell. She begins the tale with a sense of optimism and steadfast commitment to independence. As the story progresses, her hard shell weakens a bit as she learns her familial history and reluctantly begins to trust her co-investigator. The second POV is of her parent’s murderer, Robert Keller, who is an absolutely abhorrent person in every sense of the word. The only difficulty with the two POVs and the investigative design of the book is that there tends to be some redundancy. There were certain things that were told repetitively in order to fill in ancillary characters while inquiring about the whereabouts of Keller. A couple of times are expected but it became quite repetitive about 3/4 through the book. The author clearly did a lot of research into the time period and it came through clearly. The end of the book wraps everything up nicely with complete closure to the tale.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A historical fiction wrapped in a murder investigation with a touch of romance. Dueling POVs push the tale forward with investigative elements feeling a bit redundant.
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Check out my interview with Ann Nolder Heinz
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