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Tai Randolph Mysteries #5
Reckoning and Ruin
Reckoning and ruin. That's what Savannah is to private eye Tai Randolph who's gladly rebooted her life in Atlanta and is celebrating several landmarks. A year running the Confederate-themed gun shop she inherited with its busy schedule of reenactments. A year with her sexy, ex-SWAT-team lover, Trey, who's having to reboot his own life and brain after a terrible auto accident. A year of confronting a checkered list of villains. One of those convicted criminals is her cousin Jasper, whose disreputable family was a big part of Tai's childhood in Savannah.
But here comes Jasper again, complete with a fancy, high-priced new lawyer and a scheme that will surely ruin Tai and Trey financially. Jasper, the leader of a white militia splinter group too violent for even the Klan, must be up to something worse than wrecking Tai's life. When other witnesses against Jasper start turning up dead, she decides she has to take him down once and for all.
Soon she's back in Savannah and deep in familiar troubles. She's forced to confront old memories and older ghosts. Worst of all, her relationship with Trey starts to fray, and she realizes that chasing the truth might cost her the man she loves.
But here comes Jasper again, complete with a fancy, high-priced new lawyer and a scheme that will surely ruin Tai and Trey financially. Jasper, the leader of a white militia splinter group too violent for even the Klan, must be up to something worse than wrecking Tai's life. When other witnesses against Jasper start turning up dead, she decides she has to take him down once and for all.
Soon she's back in Savannah and deep in familiar troubles. She's forced to confront old memories and older ghosts. Worst of all, her relationship with Trey starts to fray, and she realizes that chasing the truth might cost her the man she loves.
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
448 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2016
About the author
Tina Whittle
37 books87 followersTina Whittle’s Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver series — featuring intrepid gunshop owner Tai and her corporate security agent partner Trey — has garnered starred reviews in Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. Published by Poisoned Pen Press, this Atlanta-based series debuted with The Dangerous Edge of Things, followed by Darker Than Any Shadow (2012), Blood, Ash and Bone (2013), Deeper Than the Grave (2015), and Reckoning and Ruin (2017). The sixth book in the series — Necessary Ends — was released in April 2018.
A Derringer finalist and two-time nominee for Georgia Author of the Year, Whittle has published her short fiction in The Savannah Literary Journal, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Gulf Stream, which selected her story “Lost Causes and Other Reasons to Live” as the 2004 winner of their Mystery Fiction contest. When not writing or reading, she enjoys boxing, sushi, tarot reading, and spending time with her family (one husband, one daughter, and one neurotic Maltese).
A Derringer finalist and two-time nominee for Georgia Author of the Year, Whittle has published her short fiction in The Savannah Literary Journal, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Gulf Stream, which selected her story “Lost Causes and Other Reasons to Live” as the 2004 winner of their Mystery Fiction contest. When not writing or reading, she enjoys boxing, sushi, tarot reading, and spending time with her family (one husband, one daughter, and one neurotic Maltese).
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 15, 2025
The 5th installment in the series and it doesn’t disappoint. Her odious cousin, Jasper, is back and causing havoc from jail. When witnesses against him start disappearing, including Tai’s ex boyfriend, John, well everything’s about to hit the fan. Her relationship with Trey goes through a metamorphosis and in the end they’re stinger for it. Trey is the real surprise in this book with how much he is trying and growing.
March 30, 2016
In Tina Whittle's Reckoning and Ruin, the 5th installment in the Tai Randolph mystery series, a southern mystery with all the fixings to keep you in suspense all night long. For Theresa Ann "Tai" Randolph, her new homestead in Savannah had but been nothing but that to her. While she dealt with her boyfriend Trey Seaver's injury of the predicament, she dealt with more than she can handle. First it started with a lawsuit from her Uncle Jasper and what followed suit after it. Home it wasn't what it supposed to be, when someone requested her services to find John Wilde who had gone missing. That's when she ran into trouble with her cousins and other ruffians, when she had gotten truth to the matter. It all boiled down to the missing looted money that lead her being on the lam from the law. With a couple attempts on her life, she had gotten closer to the truth of her uncle's business with the KKK and some unfortunate family business of her own. She was also concerned about Trey's health and her relationship with him in the end as he told her some secrets of her own.
April 3, 2016
My first book by this author left me wanting to read her other books. This is a mystery with a little romance thrown in. Tai Randolph and her relationship with Trey are progressing but after his accident he is trying to come back to normal and they are working out where their relationship is going. Jasper, her cousin, is a leader of a militia group that is violent and those who are witnesses to his crimes start turning up dead. She decides she needs to stop him and will she be able to overcome her family and work out her relationship with Trey. This is a steady read with plenty of plot twists and turns to keep you interested. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
August 20, 2022
"Reckoning and Ruin", fifth in the Tai Randolph Mystery series, draws heavily on the events in earlier books.
She's being sued for millions of dollars by her cousin Jasper and Nina wants her to find the missing John Wilde.
It's a complicated tale of betrayal, murder and the KKK.
At the core of the book, however, is the relationship between Tai and Trey. His brain injury led to him creating a brand new life but it becomes clear that only by reconnecting with his life before the car accident can he make progress.
And, even though the change in Trey is glacially slow, he is gradually adapting - he's learned, not quite to lie, but rather to manoeuvre his thoughts, actions and words to provide a solution to problems as they arise.
There is a big surprise for Tai right at the end, one that shakes her to her core, and guaranteed to feature strongly in the next book.
I thought the plot was a bit discombobulated and I found myself losing interest from about the halfway mark.
3.5 Stars.
She's being sued for millions of dollars by her cousin Jasper and Nina wants her to find the missing John Wilde.
It's a complicated tale of betrayal, murder and the KKK.
At the core of the book, however, is the relationship between Tai and Trey. His brain injury led to him creating a brand new life but it becomes clear that only by reconnecting with his life before the car accident can he make progress.
And, even though the change in Trey is glacially slow, he is gradually adapting - he's learned, not quite to lie, but rather to manoeuvre his thoughts, actions and words to provide a solution to problems as they arise.
There is a big surprise for Tai right at the end, one that shakes her to her core, and guaranteed to feature strongly in the next book.
I thought the plot was a bit discombobulated and I found myself losing interest from about the halfway mark.
3.5 Stars.
February 28, 2017
I've had the pleasure of reading all of Tina Whittle's Tai Randolph series, including her most recently novella "Trouble Like a Freight Train Coming" that appears in Lowcountry Crime: Four Novellas which occurs in "Tai time" as a prequel to the novels.
Other reviewers have provided the plot. I'll just add that in my opinion this novel exceeds the others in plot and emotional complexity, both of which were superb. This novel can be read as a standalone, but if you have the chance, read the series from the beginning and watch both the characters and the author's skills grow.
Other reviewers have provided the plot. I'll just add that in my opinion this novel exceeds the others in plot and emotional complexity, both of which were superb. This novel can be read as a standalone, but if you have the chance, read the series from the beginning and watch both the characters and the author's skills grow.
September 13, 2018
The fifth installment of the Tai Randolph mystery series brings Tai and her boyfriend Trey to Savannah to shake her family tree unleashing a closet full of ghosts, not to mention a gator or two. Tai and Trey's relationship continues to be tested as she finds herself in danger and his ex, Gabriela, comes bearing an ominous warning from the tarot.
The colorful characters and the chemistry between Tai and Trey make RECKONING AND RUIN an entertaining read.
The colorful characters and the chemistry between Tai and Trey make RECKONING AND RUIN an entertaining read.
March 7, 2018
Mmmm. Savannah. I love Tai & Trey but this is a favorite.
August 1, 2021
That last piece of information was a bit of a bombshell.
July 2, 2023
Good, but I felt like I was missing a lot of back story since I haven't read all the books in the series.
July 18, 2023
Very Good!
April 17, 2016
Review can be read at It's About The Book
4.5 stars
I didn’t know when I got this book that it was the fifth in the series, and I’m glad I didn’t. I was able to read it standalone, but I’ve really got a LOT of questions now. The emotional depths these characters have reached is obvious, and I’m just sad I missed it! I’m going to have to do some back reading…
Tai’s family has some ugly skeletons in the closet. It was obvious she’d had violent run-ins with her uncle and her cousins, Jefferson and Jasper, who were all affiliated with a KKK-type group. Jasper was currently rotting in jail, but even from there he was capable of causing trouble. At the beginning of the book, he’s just sent papers through a high-dollar attorney suing both her and her partner Trey for something that had happened in the last book. WTF?
That doesn’t even include her ex-boyfriend John and her strange stalker.
I felt a little out of my depth reading this, but I could tell it was a juicy story and even if I was reading it out of order, it was going to be good. Unfortunately, it seems that everyone in Tai’s life has been dragged into the mayhem with her family. Her partner Trey, who sustained a serious head injury in the past, is still trying to recuperate from a horrible accident. When it becomes apparent that Tai is going to have to deal with them again, she’s torn. Leaving Trey is hard–he really needs her. But he also does NOT need the craziness and danger that seem to surround every meeting with her family., and splitting herself in two doesn’t work. Anyone that has dealt with someone with special needs knows this dilemma, and I could really relate to the frustration Tai felt.
This story is really sort of a Southern gothic grotesque. There are a whole lot of stereotypes–it’s muddy, ugly and violent. There are people who have behavior that’s been ingrained in them from not only their parents but from their grandparents. I could sense the malevolence from the environment and the characterizations of the villains seemed spot on; overtly creepy, threatening and snake-like. It was amazing!!!!!!!!!! Reminds me of James Lee Burke somewhat, and that’s a compliment!
I really enjoyed the relationship between Tai and Trey, and I can’t wait to backread and find out about the old girlfriend. This series just grabbed me up and got me invested quickly and now I have questions too. Read it if you like to be sucked into a swamp of seething emotions, a mystery that’s hard to define and even harder to solve. Read it and get creeped out. Just READ IT!
4.5 stars
I didn’t know when I got this book that it was the fifth in the series, and I’m glad I didn’t. I was able to read it standalone, but I’ve really got a LOT of questions now. The emotional depths these characters have reached is obvious, and I’m just sad I missed it! I’m going to have to do some back reading…
Tai’s family has some ugly skeletons in the closet. It was obvious she’d had violent run-ins with her uncle and her cousins, Jefferson and Jasper, who were all affiliated with a KKK-type group. Jasper was currently rotting in jail, but even from there he was capable of causing trouble. At the beginning of the book, he’s just sent papers through a high-dollar attorney suing both her and her partner Trey for something that had happened in the last book. WTF?
That doesn’t even include her ex-boyfriend John and her strange stalker.
I felt a little out of my depth reading this, but I could tell it was a juicy story and even if I was reading it out of order, it was going to be good. Unfortunately, it seems that everyone in Tai’s life has been dragged into the mayhem with her family. Her partner Trey, who sustained a serious head injury in the past, is still trying to recuperate from a horrible accident. When it becomes apparent that Tai is going to have to deal with them again, she’s torn. Leaving Trey is hard–he really needs her. But he also does NOT need the craziness and danger that seem to surround every meeting with her family., and splitting herself in two doesn’t work. Anyone that has dealt with someone with special needs knows this dilemma, and I could really relate to the frustration Tai felt.
This story is really sort of a Southern gothic grotesque. There are a whole lot of stereotypes–it’s muddy, ugly and violent. There are people who have behavior that’s been ingrained in them from not only their parents but from their grandparents. I could sense the malevolence from the environment and the characterizations of the villains seemed spot on; overtly creepy, threatening and snake-like. It was amazing!!!!!!!!!! Reminds me of James Lee Burke somewhat, and that’s a compliment!
I really enjoyed the relationship between Tai and Trey, and I can’t wait to backread and find out about the old girlfriend. This series just grabbed me up and got me invested quickly and now I have questions too. Read it if you like to be sucked into a swamp of seething emotions, a mystery that’s hard to define and even harder to solve. Read it and get creeped out. Just READ IT!
April 18, 2016
Engaging and interesting hero and heroine
As a new reader to this series of books, this is the 5th, I would definitely have got much more enjoyment from this if I had read the previous 4. The relationship between the main female character Tai and her lover Trey, I feel is the best part of this book.
Tai has spent a year in Atlanta running her Confederate-themed gun shop and organising a series of re-enactments. It is also a year since she has been in a relationship with Trey, who is no working in corporate security having previously been in SWAT but having to leave after a bad car accident. This has left him brain damaged and a large part of this story revolves around how Tai is learning to understand how this affects both his actions and his response to their relationship that is becoming more serious.
It is also a year since Tai has had to confront a large list of criminals most of whom are now in prison, including the main protagonist her cousin Jasper Boone who had tried to murder his own father and brother. However, this all happened in Tai’s childhood town of Savannah, she is now happily settled in Atlanta making a new life for herself.
Suddenly both her own business and the company that Trey now works for are sued by Jasper for millions. He has found an expensive new lawyer who is renowned for taking on publicity seeking cases although Tai cannot understand where the money for this has come from. Jasper had been an active member of the Ku Klux Klan but has been ostracised even by them due to his radical beliefs. Witnesses for the approaching prosecution also begin to disappear and Tai realises that she has to return to Savannah to solve the mystery.
Without knowing the ins and outs of Jasper’s original crimes, it is still possible to follow the story and get involved in the plot and the way that Trey despite his reservations also becomes drawn into helping his girlfriend is well told.
The book is full of twists and turns, I did not guess the ending and there was a shock which I imagine will have repercussions on any future books in this series. I would like to read the earlier books but will definitely be watching out for the next one as I have become very impressed by the writing style of this author.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
As a new reader to this series of books, this is the 5th, I would definitely have got much more enjoyment from this if I had read the previous 4. The relationship between the main female character Tai and her lover Trey, I feel is the best part of this book.
Tai has spent a year in Atlanta running her Confederate-themed gun shop and organising a series of re-enactments. It is also a year since she has been in a relationship with Trey, who is no working in corporate security having previously been in SWAT but having to leave after a bad car accident. This has left him brain damaged and a large part of this story revolves around how Tai is learning to understand how this affects both his actions and his response to their relationship that is becoming more serious.
It is also a year since Tai has had to confront a large list of criminals most of whom are now in prison, including the main protagonist her cousin Jasper Boone who had tried to murder his own father and brother. However, this all happened in Tai’s childhood town of Savannah, she is now happily settled in Atlanta making a new life for herself.
Suddenly both her own business and the company that Trey now works for are sued by Jasper for millions. He has found an expensive new lawyer who is renowned for taking on publicity seeking cases although Tai cannot understand where the money for this has come from. Jasper had been an active member of the Ku Klux Klan but has been ostracised even by them due to his radical beliefs. Witnesses for the approaching prosecution also begin to disappear and Tai realises that she has to return to Savannah to solve the mystery.
Without knowing the ins and outs of Jasper’s original crimes, it is still possible to follow the story and get involved in the plot and the way that Trey despite his reservations also becomes drawn into helping his girlfriend is well told.
The book is full of twists and turns, I did not guess the ending and there was a shock which I imagine will have repercussions on any future books in this series. I would like to read the earlier books but will definitely be watching out for the next one as I have become very impressed by the writing style of this author.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
November 17, 2015
My first book by this author left me with a strong first impression. I think the strengths of the book were the protagonist Tai and Trey who were a particularly interesting pairing.
Tai a female gun shop owner is a risk taker whose past history includes growing up in a troubled family living on the wrong side of the tracks, as a result she knows the ropes and can handle herself in tough situations. Trey, her partner and significant other, is rehabilitating from a serious car accident where he sustained a significant amount of trauma to his brain. In many ways he is the opposite of Tai, he is cautious, methodical and tends to have a narrow black and while viewpoint leaving little room for interpretation. One thing they both share is a fierce loyalty and concern for each other. As a result, each one has significant exploitable weaknesses but united as a pair they become formidable
The other thing I much appreciated about this book was the pacing. It isn't often in modern detective/crime fiction that an author doesn't become over reliant on repetitive scenes of escalating violence or high body counts to build or maintain tension. While this book included elements of both, it was not overly dependent and the author managed to steadily build tension utilizing great characters and an intriguing story line.
To me the book has a feel of Southern Gothic or Noir but not quite that dark. If you like reading books by Karen Slaughter, Daniel Woodrell or James Lee Burke, I think you would enjoy this book. I did and plan to go back and read some of her earlier books in this series.
Tai a female gun shop owner is a risk taker whose past history includes growing up in a troubled family living on the wrong side of the tracks, as a result she knows the ropes and can handle herself in tough situations. Trey, her partner and significant other, is rehabilitating from a serious car accident where he sustained a significant amount of trauma to his brain. In many ways he is the opposite of Tai, he is cautious, methodical and tends to have a narrow black and while viewpoint leaving little room for interpretation. One thing they both share is a fierce loyalty and concern for each other. As a result, each one has significant exploitable weaknesses but united as a pair they become formidable
The other thing I much appreciated about this book was the pacing. It isn't often in modern detective/crime fiction that an author doesn't become over reliant on repetitive scenes of escalating violence or high body counts to build or maintain tension. While this book included elements of both, it was not overly dependent and the author managed to steadily build tension utilizing great characters and an intriguing story line.
To me the book has a feel of Southern Gothic or Noir but not quite that dark. If you like reading books by Karen Slaughter, Daniel Woodrell or James Lee Burke, I think you would enjoy this book. I did and plan to go back and read some of her earlier books in this series.
January 21, 2016
The best keeps getting better! Tina Whittle's Tai Randolph series is everything I want in a book (southern, mystery and some romance thrown in). There's a saying here in the south, "We don't hide crazy, we parade it around on the front porch and give it a cocktail". If this saying described Tai's family, it would be more like the whole dang bar! Reckoning and Ruin picks up with Tai facing legal and familial troubles. Her relationship with Trey is coming into it's own, but as with any relationship, there are always questions and uncertainties. They both feel the need to protect each other, but can they do that without the fortress that Trey has built up to deal with his traumatic brain injury crumbling down? Will Tai survive the crazy that is her family, especially when she doesn't know which ones truly have her back? Tina Whittle writes a great mystery that keeps you on your toes. There were plenty of twists, turns, and surprises to make this a non-stop read!
April 11, 2016
Tina Whittle's Tai Randolph series hits with another win. Her perfectly mismatched protagonists take us on another wild ride through the Deep South, perfectly pitting wild, untamed Tai with letter-of-the-law injured hero Trey.
Family rears its ugly head, catching Tai in the middle between her ex-husband, his wife, her convicted cousin and the rest of her redneck family. In an intricately woven, suspenseful attempt to keep her nose clean and her name on the right side of the law, Tai takes off to Savannah to face down her demons, with Trey chomping at the bit to protect her, and unable to do so without violating his code of ethics.
Ms. Whittle's attention to detail takes the reader through gracious hotels, into gator pits and shows off the beauty of Georgia, dotted with the seamy underbelly of the cities. The perfect juxtaposition of Trey and Tai, Ying and Yang, is as much a highlight of her stories as is the nonstop action. A must read!
Family rears its ugly head, catching Tai in the middle between her ex-husband, his wife, her convicted cousin and the rest of her redneck family. In an intricately woven, suspenseful attempt to keep her nose clean and her name on the right side of the law, Tai takes off to Savannah to face down her demons, with Trey chomping at the bit to protect her, and unable to do so without violating his code of ethics.
Ms. Whittle's attention to detail takes the reader through gracious hotels, into gator pits and shows off the beauty of Georgia, dotted with the seamy underbelly of the cities. The perfect juxtaposition of Trey and Tai, Ying and Yang, is as much a highlight of her stories as is the nonstop action. A must read!
September 28, 2016
The 5th book in the Tai Randolph and Trey Seaver series is thrilling, and complex. Tai Randolph has several anniversaries under her belt: a year in Atlanta, a year running her gun shop, and a year together with Trey, her sexy if somewhat challenging ex-SWAT lover. She’s also helped put a year’s worth of criminals behind bars, including her cousin Jasper, the leader of a white militia splinter group too violent for even the Klan. Tai goes back to her hometown of Savannah where she is forced to confront her own dark past and disreputable family. From the beginning, the pace does not relent and Tai faces mounting levels of danger. The story is very well constructed, but it is the characters who are portrayed with subtlety and depth that keeps us glued to the page. This is the best book so far in the series.
May 9, 2016
Gunshop owner Tai Randolph is happy to be living in Atlanta instead of Savannah, happy to be with Trey Seaver, and happy that sleuthing is in her past. Her cousin Jasper has other ideas, flushing Tai’s happiness down the toilet.
People go missing, including a key witness in an upcoming trial that involves Tai and Trey. Communication between Tai and her guy goes sideways as she realizes the answers she needs are in Savannah, a place she’d sworn never to visit again.
As her past collides with her present, Tai hopes to escape the family sinkhole, and to have a reckoning instead of having her world ruined.
A book to be savored like fine wine. A recommended author.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
People go missing, including a key witness in an upcoming trial that involves Tai and Trey. Communication between Tai and her guy goes sideways as she realizes the answers she needs are in Savannah, a place she’d sworn never to visit again.
As her past collides with her present, Tai hopes to escape the family sinkhole, and to have a reckoning instead of having her world ruined.
A book to be savored like fine wine. A recommended author.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
May 29, 2016
Re-reading this series. Very enjoyable, although sometimes it is difficult to get past the fact that while Trey is extremely intelligent, reliable, and capable, Tai still treats him as someone who has to be protected from everything stressful. And I don't always get her reasoning about his actions.
Had to get these last couple books from the library as the online price is over $400 each. Why?
Had to get these last couple books from the library as the online price is over $400 each. Why?
October 7, 2015
Yay, there was more Tai and Trey! I can't get enough of these too, so my only complaint is - I want more. I want more insight into Trey (just like Tai). The mystery definitely held my attention and made me pay attention, so I didn't miss any clues (Ms. Whittle likes to leave breadcrumbs :)). Going to read one of the short stories now, to ween myself, until the next book...
April 5, 2018
I try to savor every Tai and Trey book because it feels like a long time before I can enjoy a new one! The first book in the series remains an all-time favorite for me and they keep living up to that standard. You learn a little more with each book about Tai and Trey and get to enjoy the action they always find themselves in. Great supporting characters.
not-finished
November 2, 2015I received an advance reader copy of this book from Netgalley. I only read a couple of chapters and gave up as I just couldn't get interested in the characters or the story. I'm not rating it since I didn't finish it.
January 4, 2017
Didn't realize this was book 5 in the series when I picked it up. Loved the characters. I will have to go back and read the first four book because I liked the characters that much. One I started reading, I could not put it down.
November 7, 2016
You can see Trey's Armani suits and Ferrari on the author's Pinterest boards--but not the alligator pit that Tai has to tackle.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews