Reckoning is a mystery with a conspiracy thriller subgenre. It’s the 1970s and Portland, OR Detective Clark Wehr is found dead in a fishing cabin, hours from home. Everyone from Wehr’s partner to his commander wants the case closed quickly as a suicide. But Sheriff Ty Dawson has questions that the evidence isn’t satisfying and he’s going to keep digging until he gets the answers.
Bottom line: Reckoning is for you if you like cheering on the underdog and calling out injustices for the sleezy, dirty lies they are.
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Strengths of the story. Labeled as a Ty Dawson mystery, this story fits more accurately in a conspiracy thriller genre. A conspiracy thriller is one where the protagonist investigates a crime or anomaly to ultimately find it is a small part of a much bigger story. Reckoning does begin with the discovery of Wehr’s body, but storylines of the attempted cover over by the Portland PD and the woes of an elderly rancher who is being harassed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service get equal screen time. Each of the three storylines are interesting and compelling, leaving the reader wanting to know where it is going.
This is Ty Dawson’s third story. I have not read the previous two and did not have a problem with picking the story up. If there are Easter eggs, they are subtle gifts for fans of the series that do not detract for the new reader. Because this is an established character, Dawson and the Meriweather County cast are refined and well developed.
The pacing is strong and consistent. There wasn’t a section where the story dragged or my attention waned. Dawson is juggling so much, there isn’t time for the mundane.
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Where the story fell short of ideal: Having finished the book days ago, I continue to think through the storylines and their resolutions – a testament to how into the story I was. For the most part, I was satisfied with the solutions but as is often the case for me with thrillers, I have questions.
There you have Reckoning. Buy it, read it, post a review. If conspiracy thrillers aren’t for you, recommend it to a thriller loving friend.
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TG Wolff 