• House of Reckoning

  • By: John Saul
  • Narrated by: Angela Dawe
  • Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (455 ratings)

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House of Reckoning  By  cover art

House of Reckoning

By: John Saul
Narrated by: Angela Dawe
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Publisher's summary

For more than three decades, John Saul has haunted the New York Times best seller list - and listeners imaginations - with his chilling tales of psychological suspense and supernatural horror. His instinct for striking the deepest chords of fear in our hearts and minds is unerring, and his gift for steering a tale from the light of day into the darkest depths of nightmare is at its harrowing best in House of Reckoning.

After the untimely death of her mother, 14-year-old Sarah Crane is forced to grow up quickly in order to help tend her family's Vermont farm and look after her grieving father, who's drowning his sorrow in alcohol. But their quiet life together is shattered when her father is jailed for killing another man in a barroom brawl and injuring Sarah in a drunken car crash.

Left in the cold care of a loveless foster family and alienated at school, Sarah finds a kindred spirit in classmate Nick Dunnigan, a former mental patient still plagued by voices and visions. And in eccentric art instructor Bettina Phillips, Sarah finds a mentor eager to nurture her talent for painting.

But within the walls of Bettina's ancestral home, the mansion called Shutters, Sarah finds something altogether different and disturbing. Monstrous images from the house's dark history seem to flow unbidden from Sarah's paintbrush - images echoed by Nick's chilling hallucinations.

Trapped for ages in the shadowy rooms of Shutters, the violence and fury of long-dead generations have finally found a gateway from the grave into the world of the living. And Sarah and Nick have found a power they never had: to take control, and take revenge.

©2009 John Saul (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about House of Reckoning

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    192
  • 4 Stars
    145
  • 3 Stars
    93
  • 2 Stars
    16
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    192
  • 4 Stars
    95
  • 3 Stars
    46
  • 2 Stars
    11
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    8
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    144
  • 4 Stars
    115
  • 3 Stars
    65
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    12

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent John Saul Book

Very exciting, and even though I have read many of John Sauls books, this was the first Audible book of his. The narration was excellent added greatly to the story.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Just Too Real it was spooky

The characters were so real and the problems faced by a children in foster care was so accurately depicted, it was spooky. Saul somehow manages to keep all the characters real to life while taking you down a journey to a dream like ending. A must read!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

An entertaining read, but that's about all

Just like the title says. It is entertaining, but very predictable, especially the ending. Some of Saul's novels that I have read have given me the shivers, but this doesn't even tickle.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

one person's opinion

I'm a fan of John Saul and have read almost all of his books. I found this story tedious, long, and anti climactic. Not his best work.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not the best Saul book

Most of Sauls books are real page turners that make you want to keep listening to see what happens next. This story was more of a slow burn and didn’t really focus on the house until toward the end. And the ending was spectacular!!! As usual, characters very well developed and narrated well. (This narrator seems to have limits on her male voices, but you get used to it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A good book

Where does House of Reckoning rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not high on the list but a decent story with a really good performance.

Would you recommend House of Reckoning to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really, the last few chapters seem to be just kind of thrown together.

Have you listened to any of Angela Dawe’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I would again in a heart beat, she make a 'okay' story really good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Too much to swallow

The book goes tries to blend horror, revenge, and fantasy ghost story. It doesn’t explain any of the themes or actions of how the house is connected to both half-siblings except the father did something that may have caused actions but not clearly how it led to the house or any other psychic powers.
It was a good book but try not look to deeply into a connected thread of how the house and kids work together.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I hated almost every character in this book

I have never listened to a book like this where I absolutely despised almost every character in it out of all the townspeople and everything I like three people the story was good but it felt like the ending was rushed

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Intense and captivating

Narrated well and kept you glued to the next chapter. Not to spoil the end but a little more detail in the beginning would help to understand the ending

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Kind of bland from start to finish

It's not really a bad book, I listening from start to finish. You expect this big spooky thing and it's just bland. A flash in the pan ending that doesn't really explain anything (even by supernatural or horror standards). Story sort of plods along but better than sitting in silence.

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