The Reckoning (First in a Series of Jess Williams Novels) (Volume 1)

I really liked this book. To find your whole family murdered is bad enough. Then taking 2 years to learn how to draw and shoot before taking the trail of vengeance and how he found them one by one is really a story. I plan on purchasing books 2 and 3 soon.

The story was good, a bit predictable, but overall good western. I liked that Jess was always polite, never looking for a fight, but not one to run. His character definitely came across as more than 16.
I look forward to the other books in the series to see how Jess develops.

Very interesting book, goes from one gun fight to another in just a a few minutes. Not just jumping around but carrying the story forward building a character out of a young boy , this was the one thing that I would change in the book the age of Jess but this was a book that had an element of mystery entwined throughout the entire book. Want to read the entire series.

Another revenge story with a super hero and perverted bad guy. Anyone who's shot real .45 loads, not the wax bullet primer charges, will realize that the amazing feats of gunplay of our protagonist are a bit overstated. Why can't the good guy just be authentic? And in several Ebooks I've read the bad guys are not only thieves and murderers, but sexual deviants as well. It's unnecessary and doesn't help the story. The twists are few, the killing prodigious, and the story predictable. With apologies to the author, I didn't enjoy it other than the fact that it's a western.

A pretty good read. This is my first Jess Williams; a little overdoing in killing everyone he comes across. Lots of cliche situations and respponses. Not a particularly sophisticated writer in my opinion.

This time-travel Western centers around gun and holster. This is the best story I've read in a long time that was not a "romance." A young man (age14) sets out to seek revenge for the killings of his family by learning to shoot fast draw with his father's gun and a strange gun he found in his barn. By the time he is sixteen, he leaves his farm and begins his search for the three killers. This is the first in a series of books about this character.

Wow! Help from the future for the hurting in the past. Can a 14 year old boy deliver on his promise to his murdered family? If so, how does he go about it and what trials does he encounter and friends does he find while fulfilling his promise? Very strong language and graphic details or it would have been five stars.

While the story was fiction, I was bothered by facts that 16 years old boy could handle all of the beer and rye whiskey and not be slowed down a little bit to multiple gun fights in a day. The morals of revenge were okay but some seem carried too far!

Yet another western novel that proved to be a fantastic read. Hard to put down with new thoughts coming in each section. I usually read World War 2 historical books, butt lately western books have seemingly taken my reading fancy. Can't say why just have. This is another good one. Glad I spent the time with it.

This book is the best written western book that I have read in a long time. It grabs your interest right from the start and you can't put it down. The ending is a real surprise and I would definitely recommend reading this book just for the ending. Be sure to read this book.

Most people enjoy a good western. THE RECKONING has all the ingredients of a good story with themes of murder, revenge and a gunslinger who can shoot the eye out of a squirrel at one hundred paces. It’s all there and yet somehow it misses the mark.
The parents and seven year old sister of young Jess Williams are brutally murdered while he is in town getting supplies. He vows retribution and to exact vengeance, learns to become a gunslinger without equal using a gun that he ‘finds’ (another story all on its own).
The story of Jess’s hunt for the outlaws is the mainstay of the story. On the way however, he appears to wipe out a large percentage of the outlaws and evil doers this side of the Missouri. Inevitably they meet Jess in a saloon and not having the brains God gave them, despite his reputation having preceded him, they feel the need to goad him which leads to the inevitable conclusion. Usually they don’t even get to haul their guns from leather - all they experience is ‘a heavy feeling in their chest’, look down, see blood and that’s the end of that. I lost count of how many died from just one well placed bullet until eventually he despatched the three men who killed his kin.
My biggest criticism is that if ever a book needed a good editor, then this was it. There was so much to commend the story but the continual repetition of words (I counted the word ‘pa’ six times in three lines) was annoying. ‘A nice hot bath’ was another favourite and occasionally there was a lack of initial capitals for surnames of characters.
A story should read smoothly without any conscious thought that words you’ve just read are being repeated over and over again. It is an annoyance and makes the story stumble instead of flow.
However, all that being said, if you like gunfights and westerns (sans Indians) then this book is for you!

I purchased the first book, The Reckoning, about a month ago. I couldn't put it down. Now I am beginning the 10th book, Badge of Honor, and have already purchased through book 16. It is a great storyline and it tugs at your heart to see what Jess has gone through throughout the books.

This was a highly unusual book, mixing the old West with modern technology and a little mysticism. Its a typical Western with good guys and bad guys but there is a twist in here that really adds to the story. I won't tell what it is but if you enjoy westerns, this is the book for you.

I purchased the first book, The Reckoning, about a month ago. I couldn't put it down. Now I am beginning the 10th book, Badge of Honor, and have already purchased through book 16. It is a great storyline and it tugs at your heart to see what Jess has gone through throughout the books.

This was a highly unusual book, mixing the old West with modern technology and a little mysticism. Its a typical Western with good guys and bad guys but there is a twist in here that really adds to the story. I won't tell what it is but if you enjoy westerns, this is the book for you.

You sir have a knack for getting a person interested in your story and then keep holding on till the very end. Best book I have ever read. I only hope the rest in the series are as good, because I bought the entire series all at once.

The Reckoning brought back those "rainy Sunday afternoon" black and white or early technicolor Westerns - but with good acting and a underlying moral underpinning. Hmmmm - on second thought, maybe an early "Bonanza" episode, or "Rawhide" with the young Clint Eastwood. In any case, The Reckoning is a worthwhile, well characterized book and a very good read!

I have read many other Jess Williams westerns before this one. It was a great story that is the beginning of the series. One of those hard to put down stories. Anyone who loves westerns where the good guys win, will love this book.

Beginning and ending chapters could be eliminated without any damage to the story. It dragged in the middle with repeated story line in every town. Too much shooting for my taste. Would not read any more of this series

The book started out sorta different, suddenly wished I hadn't gotten it. But after a few pages everything changed. I haven't read any cowboy books but picked it for a change of pace. I was really impressed, there were some places I couldn't read fast enough. Jess Williams could handle anything thrown at him. I would recommend this book to men or women, there was lots of action, and compassion as well.