Mr Todd's Reckoning

By: Iain Maitland

Narrated by: Michael Simkins

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Behind the normal door of a normal house, in a normal street, two men are slowly driving each other insane. One of them is a psychopath.

The father: Mr Todd is at his wits' end. He's been robbed of his job as a tax inspector and is now stuck at home...with him. Frustrated. Lonely. Angry. Really angry.

The son: Adrian has no job, no friends. He is at home all day, obsessively chopping vegetables and tap-tap-tapping on his computer. And he's getting worse, disappearing for hours at a time, sneaking off to who-knows-where.

The unholy spirit: In the safety of suburbia, one man has developed a taste for killing. And he'll kill again.

©2019 Iain Maitland (P)2021 Oakhill

DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK.

This is the best Audible book (out of hundreds)I have ever read/listened to. I have never written a review on Audible; however, Mr. Todd deserves recognition. He evokes every possible emotion: sympathy; amusement; fear; derision; contempt; revulsion; and horror. Mr. Maitland’s writing is akin to that of literary masters of psychological suspense wherein the most seemingly normal events build to a crescendo of dread and a denouement which leave the observer/reader aghast. If you are a fan of Ruth Rendell (aka Barbara Vine), Patricia Smith, and Val McDermid, you will love this book.
Mr. Simkins is the perfect choice as a narrator. He brings Mr. Todd to life and thoroughly enhances the experience of the story. I wish I could find more of his work. The pairing of Mr. Maitland and Mr. Simkins is simply brilliant.
My jaw literally dropped several times while I was listening; I gasped aloud on a regular basis; and I often said aloud, “Oh, Mr. Todd! No you did NOT!”.
I rationed my daily dose of Mr. Todd to make him last longer. I did not want it to be over! At the ending credits when the Audible host says, “Audible hopes you have enjoyed this book,” I announced ‘YES I DID.”
Mr. Todd will be a hard act to follow.

Absolutely loved it!!!

Kept my attention beginning to end. Loved his writing style. I felt like it was going in one direction and it would completely change.

Brilliant writing. Reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe

It is rare for me to use the words "blown away with writer's talent" in a review, however, this book is simply brilliant. I listened to it from Audible and, luckily, stayed with it even though it began quite normally. Okay, a guy describes his small house and odd, grown kid. Not much there, then, as the story unfolds, the humor starts and I was hooked. I laughed, even to the point of hooting. What a brilliant writer! Maitland's writing style reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe. I'm ordering his other books today. I think my ears began to perk up when the first child dies, then the second; both from SIDS. Made the hairs on the back of my neck raise up a little bit setting the tone of what was to follow.
I also enjoyed the narration by Michael Simkins; use him again. His British accent was perfect for the part.
When I listen to a book, I enjoy guessing what is going to happen next and I often find myself admiring the techniques used by the writer. This writer has the ability to introduce a character or a seemingly small and unrelated event (foreshadowing) and later use it as the most important fact in the story. Just fabulous work!!
I think we all know these characters. I'm certain I worked with the boyfriend. LOL The humor was such a shock it often made my head jerk around.
I'm wondering how they are going to make this into a movie and who will play the parts? Indeed they will, but it will be a challenge.
I'm left with the main idea that this man thinks he is a cool, calm, controlled, successful, smart person, yet he is a total opposite. As Robert Brown wrote, "Would some power the giftie give us, to see ourselves as others see us," right?
Enjoyed; brilliant; easy to give a 5 star. Want more from this writer. This book did what I love about books, it kept my attention, drew me away from my daily problems, and thoroughly entertained me.
THANK you Audible; great selection.