The Reckoning [Paperback]

Robert J. Thomas (Author), Hile Illustrations/Barb Gunia (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0966830415 | ISBN-13: 978-0966830415 | Publication Date: December 25, 2003

Jess Williams is an ordinary young boy with a loving family growing up in Black Creek, Kansas. That all changes when he comes home and finds his family brutally murdered.

Forced to become a man overnight, he vows to avenge his family's savage deaths. He begins to practice with his Pa's Colt .45 and then a stroke of destiny arrives when he discovers a new pistol and holster that mysteriously appears. Jess practices with it relentlessly until he becomes so quick that he is unbeatable on the draw.

He leaves home transformed from a boy to a highly skilled shootist with no reason to live except to hunt down and kill each of the three men responsible for the murders. Along the way, he dispenses an unusually brutal brand of justice on he can dish out. As he begins his journey, he does so with a pistol and holster that no one has ever seen before-and won't again for almost one-hundred years. I don't care how many westerns you have read, you have never read one quite like this!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I love the Jess Williams character. Young, tough, deadly and compassionate, all rolled up into one personality. Wow!" -- James Elrod, a reader from Ohio.<br /><br />"I loved "The Reckoning" and the character. The Author has me waiting for book two! -- Keith Madden, a reader from Michigan<br /><br />"I loveded 'The Reckoning' and the character. The Author has me waiting for book two!" -- Keith Madden, a reader from Michigan<br /><br />"One raw tale of extreme revenge. I could feel the main character change as the story progressed. I'm a believer!" -- Eric Lockhart, a reader from Tennessee.<br /><br />"That's the way I like my westerns. No holds barred, anything goes! Four thumbs up for the Author." -- Mark Neal, a reader from Michigan<br /><br />"The Reckoning was excellent! The Author has me hooked and I can't wait to read 'Brother's Keeper.'" -- Michael Reddy, Publisher of "The Grateful Gadsby"<br /><br />"I love the Jess Williams character. Young, tough, deadly and compassionate, all rolled up into one personality. Wow!" -- James Elrod, a reader from Ohio.<br /><br />"I loved "The Reckoning" and the character. The Author has me waiting for book two! -- Keith Madden, a reader from Michigan<br /><br />"I loveded 'The Reckoning' and the character. The Author has me waiting for book two!" -- Keith Madden, a reader from Michigan<br /><br />"One raw tale of extreme revenge. I could feel the main character change as the story progressed. I'm a believer!" -- Eric Lockhart, a reader from Tennessee.<br /><br />"That's the way I like my westerns. No holds barred, anything goes! Four thumbs up for the Author." -- Mark Neal, a reader from Michigan<br /><br />"The Reckoning was excellent! The Author has me hooked and I can't wait to read 'Brother's Keeper.'" --Michael Reddy, Publisher of "The Grateful Gadsby"<br /><br />All I can say is WOW! I was a little reluctant when I read the fact about the main character in the story having a gun and holster that no one has seen before and wouldn't for almost one-hundred years but after I picked it up, I could not put it down! Talk about justice and action! If you are tired of reading the same old style of westerns, read this one. The author claimed that he wanted to create an exciting new twist to the old western novel and he accomplished it with this book and especially with this character, Jess Williams. I can't wait for book two, Brother's Keeper! --Tim Abramski, retired police officer.<br /><br />I love to read western novels with a lot of action. I've read a lot of westerns but I have to admit, I've never read one quite like this. I couldn't believe the raw and brutal justice this young man, Jess Williams, hands out. This is absolutely a different brand of western novels and if you like action, you'll love this one! --Adam Hammons, a reader from Michigan

What a rollicking tale of raw revenge and shoot-"em-up action. The idea of this young man in 1876 getting his hands on a gun and holster designed for fast-draw competition from the future threw me off a little. Once I got past that, it made for a great story packed with more action than the last ten westerns I've read. This one has got to be a hit! --A cowboy action competitor from the big state of Texas.

The book started a little slow to build the essence of the mindset of the main character, Jess Williams. Only 14 years old when his family is brutally murdered; You can actually feel and sense the character change in the beginning of the book and from then on, the book is one tale of deadly justice handed out by a character molded by a life-changing event. Once you pick this book up, you can't put it down! --Cindy, an avid western reader from New Mexico.

From the Publisher

"The Reckoning is just the first in the series of Jess Williams western novels. Book two, 'Brother's Keeper,' will be out in 2004 and book three, 'Sins of The Father,' should be available in late 2004 or early 2005. The Author plans on at least ten novels based on the exciting new character, Jess Williams.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: R & T Enterprises, Incorporated (December 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966830415
• ISBN-13: 978-0966830415
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,107,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert J. Thomas began working as a meter reader at the City of Westland, Michigan, in September of 1970. He continued working there for 20 years literally holding every position possible from being the dog warden to cleaning sanitary sewers. He was heavily involved in the union for the Department of Public Service. He started out as a Union Stewart and worked his way up to being President of A.F.S.C.M.E. Local 1602.

Robert represented employees in binding arbitration and negotiated contracts with the city administration. The employees that Robert represented were virtually located in every department within the city, which gave Robert an insight into every operation of the city. He steadily became disenchanted with the city and how it operated. That is when he began to think the impossible.

He decided that the only way to really make a change in the city's direction was to be at the top and that meant only one thing, he would have to run for the Office of Mayor. The day he announced his intentions to run for Mayor, he was a sanitary sewer worker with absolutely no political background or experience and no money or support from any group or organization in the city. Yet, there he was, standing in front of a few local news reporters announcing that he was going to run for the top political position in the city. Overnight, Robert literally went from holding a two-inch sanitary sewer hose during the day to handing out political flyers and knocking on doors in the evening, asking people to vote for him for mayor.

He was laughed at by the newspapers. He was laughed at by the political pundits who all supported the incumbent mayor. The incumbent mayor had over $100,000 to spend on the campaign and Robert had to sell a car to raise his first $5,000. For every volunteer Robert had, the incumbent mayor had ten. The incumbent mayor had the endorsement of every group and organization in the community except two. Robert had the endorsement of his local union as well as the Westland Police Union. This was surely a battle of David versus Goliath!

Robert is always a person who thinks outside the box. He put together a campaign strategy that no one thought could be won. On Primary Election Day, he won the second spot by a mere 26 votes! Robert received less than 20 percent of the overall vote count, but that did not deter him. He continued working tirelessly and using some strategies and techniques that no one had ever seen in Westland politics before.

When all the votes were counted on the day of the General Election, Robert had won the mayoral election by a mere 200 votes and everyone was shocked; except Robert. Four years later, Robert won his first reelection by a record landslide in the city, receiving over 66% of the vote. His third reelection campaign was another landslide and record breaker for the city. Robert was Mayor for twelve consecutive years and retired in 2002.



While he was Mayor he wrote his first book titled, "How to Run for Local Office," which has now sold over 20,000 copies worldwide. This book includes all the tips, techniques and strategies that Robert used to win that first campaign against all odds. Robert has since written five other books including a series of three western novels based on the character, Jess Williams. He has recently finished the new second edition of "How to Run for Local Office," and is currently working on the fourth book in the series of western novels. He has written a science fiction novel, which he has not yet published. He now lives in Michigan with his lovely wife, Jill.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jess Williams, tough talk, bent on revenge, and quick draw!, March 20, 2004

By 

William R. Wild "Mayor, Westland Mi" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Reckoning (Paperback)

I'm not usually a big western reader, but the Reckoning changed that! My favorite part of the book is the tough talk between the Gunslingers when it is time to "throw down!"

I can't wait to find out if Jess's brother is "friend or foe" in "My Brother's Keeper".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, January 9, 2004

By 

Eric Lockhart (MICHIGAN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reckoning (Paperback)

"The Reckoning" is amazingly written. A gut wrenching story of a young boy's Revenge for the death of his father, Rape and murder of his mother and sister. Armed with his fathers colt peacemaker and a mysterious gun and holster, Jess Williams becomes the fastest and most accurate draw in the west. I highly recomend this great book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, March 2, 2009

By 

Shmydia - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reckoning (Paperback)

So, I'm usually not a fan of western movies, but a family member read the book and told me I should check it out, and so I decided to try and read it, at first it's like any other book where it's slow, but then it started to get really interesting and then it got to the point where I didn't want to put the book down; at times I had to force myself to not look at the end of the book to see if this person lives or not or to see what happened. I loved the book, and I know if I was to recommend a western book it would have to be this one.