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Mr Todd's Reckoning
Norman Bates is alive and well... He's living just next door 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.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2019
4 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Iain Maitland
85 books42 followersIain Maitland has been a professional writer since 1987. He has written over 50 books, mainly on business, and been published as far away as Russia, India, Japan, USA and Australia. He has also written for the Sunday Times, Which? and the Financial Times amongst many others.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 25, 2019
This is my first book by Iain Maitland and I am still trying to get my head around this book and write a coherent review, so forgive me if I start rambling, but hopefully by the end of this you will get the gist of what I am trying to say.
Mr Todd’s Reckoning is so dark you need to read with the lights on; it’s so uncomfortable that you need to sit down on a soft cushion whilst reading it and it’s so disturbing you will need to take a breather every few chapters and remind yourself “it’s only a book; it’s not real“. Once you have prepared yourself, you are in for one hell of a ride and brace yourself as it’s not a particularly pleasant one.
Mr Todd is our narrator – a seemingly harmless, retired Tax Inspector living in surburbia with his 25 year old son Adrian, an unemployed, socially awkward, OCD man-child who is certainly on the spectrum and has a history of “unusual behaviour” which on occasion has brought the police to the door.
Our story begins with Mr Todd in the midst of a heatwave, in his small bungalow, trying to avoid confrontation with Adrian and retreating to his bedroom to write his diary and that’s where the fun (!!) starts.
This is such a clever book, the characters are brought to life so vividly I could see and smell them; Mr Todd’s observations of life were both funny and frightening in equal measures. The way the story flowed and all the characters interacted was genius and whilst the reader gradually learns the horrifying truth behind Mr Todd and his son Adrian, you can’t stop turning those pages eager to see what will happen.
I don’t want to say anymore except that if you are looking for a jaw dropping, atmospheric, creepy and uncomfortable read then look no further than Mr Todd’s Reckoning and buckle up for an uncomfortable ride. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Mr Todd’s Reckoning is so dark you need to read with the lights on; it’s so uncomfortable that you need to sit down on a soft cushion whilst reading it and it’s so disturbing you will need to take a breather every few chapters and remind yourself “it’s only a book; it’s not real“. Once you have prepared yourself, you are in for one hell of a ride and brace yourself as it’s not a particularly pleasant one.
Mr Todd is our narrator – a seemingly harmless, retired Tax Inspector living in surburbia with his 25 year old son Adrian, an unemployed, socially awkward, OCD man-child who is certainly on the spectrum and has a history of “unusual behaviour” which on occasion has brought the police to the door.
Our story begins with Mr Todd in the midst of a heatwave, in his small bungalow, trying to avoid confrontation with Adrian and retreating to his bedroom to write his diary and that’s where the fun (!!) starts.
This is such a clever book, the characters are brought to life so vividly I could see and smell them; Mr Todd’s observations of life were both funny and frightening in equal measures. The way the story flowed and all the characters interacted was genius and whilst the reader gradually learns the horrifying truth behind Mr Todd and his son Adrian, you can’t stop turning those pages eager to see what will happen.
I don’t want to say anymore except that if you are looking for a jaw dropping, atmospheric, creepy and uncomfortable read then look no further than Mr Todd’s Reckoning and buckle up for an uncomfortable ride. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
August 2, 2021
Lock your doors, secure your windows. There’s a suburban psychopath on the loose.
In a quiet street, in the midst of a stifling heatwave, live Mr Todd and his 25 year old son, Adrian. Adrian is unemployed, on medication and slowly driving his father mad. Their bungalow is not big enough for the two of them, especially since Mr Todd lost his job as a tax inspector and is at home most of the day. But when Adrian starts to go out during the day his father starts to worry. What is Adrian up to? Why is he so secretive?
Told in the first person, entirely from Mr Todd’s POV, this was an exceptionally creeping and chilling read and one which I adored. I listened to it as an audiobook, narrated by the astonishingly brilliant Michael Simkins who absolutely nailed it. As far as I’m concerned, he IS Mr Todd (his poor neighbours).
The story moves along in a linear narrative but the reader also gets to hear a little of Mr Todd’s life and past as he’s recently started a diary to record a lot of his musings. And from this it soon becomes apparent that whilst he is worried about Adrian’s behaviour, Mr Todd also has a lot of bitterness, anger and frustration of his own simmering beneath the surface. He is a man with strong principles and equally strong opinions and he will not deviate from those - why should he?
This is a real slow burner of a read. The heat, the slow unravelling of secrets grabs you, grips you and doesn’t let you go. It’s definitely disturbing but interspersed with moments of horror are flashes of dark humour which I thought were absolutely genius. I listened to this completely absorbed, recoiling in distaste one minute - then laughing out loud the next.
Listening to this book was an absolute joy. I can’t believe I haven’t heard of Iain Maitland before. He is clearly a force to be reckoned with! I’m now going to check out his back catalogue as I really need to read more by this talented author. Highly, highly recommended!
In a quiet street, in the midst of a stifling heatwave, live Mr Todd and his 25 year old son, Adrian. Adrian is unemployed, on medication and slowly driving his father mad. Their bungalow is not big enough for the two of them, especially since Mr Todd lost his job as a tax inspector and is at home most of the day. But when Adrian starts to go out during the day his father starts to worry. What is Adrian up to? Why is he so secretive?
Told in the first person, entirely from Mr Todd’s POV, this was an exceptionally creeping and chilling read and one which I adored. I listened to it as an audiobook, narrated by the astonishingly brilliant Michael Simkins who absolutely nailed it. As far as I’m concerned, he IS Mr Todd (his poor neighbours).
The story moves along in a linear narrative but the reader also gets to hear a little of Mr Todd’s life and past as he’s recently started a diary to record a lot of his musings. And from this it soon becomes apparent that whilst he is worried about Adrian’s behaviour, Mr Todd also has a lot of bitterness, anger and frustration of his own simmering beneath the surface. He is a man with strong principles and equally strong opinions and he will not deviate from those - why should he?
This is a real slow burner of a read. The heat, the slow unravelling of secrets grabs you, grips you and doesn’t let you go. It’s definitely disturbing but interspersed with moments of horror are flashes of dark humour which I thought were absolutely genius. I listened to this completely absorbed, recoiling in distaste one minute - then laughing out loud the next.
Listening to this book was an absolute joy. I can’t believe I haven’t heard of Iain Maitland before. He is clearly a force to be reckoned with! I’m now going to check out his back catalogue as I really need to read more by this talented author. Highly, highly recommended!
May 21, 2019
When I was a child, I had the very good fortune of an open-minded mum who allowed me to watch programmes not entirely suited to my young age, Tales of the Unexpected being a good example of this. Perhaps because of this my taste in crime fiction has always swayed to the darker content, and from the outset this book provoked in me a strong remembrance of the brilliant and unsettling twisted tales of Mr Dahl, where a situation that appears to be fairly normal and ordinary is slowly revealed to be something much more disturbing indeed. As I entered the world of disgraced ex-tax inspector Malcolm Todd and that of his troubled son Adrian, my antennae were twitching and for good reason, as Maitland constructs a particularly chilling tale of murder and sexual obsession from the most commonplace beginning…
Once again, this review presents its own serious dilemmas in what to reveal and withhold, but suffice to say as the character of Malcolm Todd is stripped down and exposed to the world, what comes to light is not only the chagrin of a middle aged man consigned to the employment scrapheap, but a man who harbours some incredibly dark secrets indeed, and an incredible aptitude for dealing with life’s awkward or inconvenient episodes in his own inimitable style. He is possessed of a wonderful narcissism that disabuses him of any perception of how his words or actions may be received, and I found the incredibly dry wit with which Maitland recounts these episodes through his character was uncomfortably hilarious. Which is a good thing.
Throughout the book there is an incredibly matter of fact tone to Todd, who confronts any inconvenience head-on, quick to justify his actions, as he little or no self-awareness of how this affects others, and with an incredibly measured acceptance that it’s all for the good. Despite what is slowly revealed throughout the book, I experienced a considerable amount of reading pleasure from this character, as his solipsistic behaviour becomes more and more extreme as the book progresses, and the narrative builds up the claustrophobic relationship between us and him, as we bear witness to his increasingly erratic and dangerous behaviour. I think it’s fair to say that he is dislikeable in the extreme, and as the general air of threat and violence unfolds, our antagonism towards him increases steadily, until the wholly satisfying conclusion.
This book is dark to the nth degree, dealing with a broad compass of human frailties, from jealousy to obsession to perversion to revenge, and there is a good deal of fairly graphic violence too, and speaking from experience, perhaps best avoided on your lunch break. However, I think that this level of uncompromising violence worked extremely effectively, as the day to day humdrum of Todd’s suburban life is increasingly interrupted, by situations and people that need to be dealt with, for real or imagined transgressions. Maitland is so adept at portraying the finer details of this dull and down-at-heel household, with it’s shabby furnishings and peeling wallpaper, that by stressing the ordinariness of the Todds’ existence, the reader is so adroitly unsettled when particular incidents occur. I admit that the darker aspects of this book were wonderfully surprising, and with a couple of real gasp-out-loud incidents, I loved being drawn into a seemingly normal life that was anything but, and the sheer depth of evil that was lurking behind the grubby net curtains.
Recommended…if you’re brave enough…
Once again, this review presents its own serious dilemmas in what to reveal and withhold, but suffice to say as the character of Malcolm Todd is stripped down and exposed to the world, what comes to light is not only the chagrin of a middle aged man consigned to the employment scrapheap, but a man who harbours some incredibly dark secrets indeed, and an incredible aptitude for dealing with life’s awkward or inconvenient episodes in his own inimitable style. He is possessed of a wonderful narcissism that disabuses him of any perception of how his words or actions may be received, and I found the incredibly dry wit with which Maitland recounts these episodes through his character was uncomfortably hilarious. Which is a good thing.
Throughout the book there is an incredibly matter of fact tone to Todd, who confronts any inconvenience head-on, quick to justify his actions, as he little or no self-awareness of how this affects others, and with an incredibly measured acceptance that it’s all for the good. Despite what is slowly revealed throughout the book, I experienced a considerable amount of reading pleasure from this character, as his solipsistic behaviour becomes more and more extreme as the book progresses, and the narrative builds up the claustrophobic relationship between us and him, as we bear witness to his increasingly erratic and dangerous behaviour. I think it’s fair to say that he is dislikeable in the extreme, and as the general air of threat and violence unfolds, our antagonism towards him increases steadily, until the wholly satisfying conclusion.
This book is dark to the nth degree, dealing with a broad compass of human frailties, from jealousy to obsession to perversion to revenge, and there is a good deal of fairly graphic violence too, and speaking from experience, perhaps best avoided on your lunch break. However, I think that this level of uncompromising violence worked extremely effectively, as the day to day humdrum of Todd’s suburban life is increasingly interrupted, by situations and people that need to be dealt with, for real or imagined transgressions. Maitland is so adept at portraying the finer details of this dull and down-at-heel household, with it’s shabby furnishings and peeling wallpaper, that by stressing the ordinariness of the Todds’ existence, the reader is so adroitly unsettled when particular incidents occur. I admit that the darker aspects of this book were wonderfully surprising, and with a couple of real gasp-out-loud incidents, I loved being drawn into a seemingly normal life that was anything but, and the sheer depth of evil that was lurking behind the grubby net curtains.
Recommended…if you’re brave enough…
October 10, 2019
It’s a hot and humid summer in a town in the south of England, mirrored by the claustrophobic and uncomfortable relationship in the house in which Malcolm Todd and his adult son, Adrian, live. The tension between the two men is palpable. There is a gradual reveal as to what has been lurking just out of sight, a clear sense the pent up violence, and of an approaching explosion. The reader is not sure what exactly has happened, but clearly it isn’t good, and the compulsion to find out more keeps the pages turning.
Mainland spends the majority of the novel building up the tension, often pushing the limits of credibility, but the ending is deeply unsatisfactory, and doesn’t fit with the story at all.
Mainland spends the majority of the novel building up the tension, often pushing the limits of credibility, but the ending is deeply unsatisfactory, and doesn’t fit with the story at all.
April 22, 2019
Malcolm Todd and son Adrian live in uneasy companionship.
I don’t really want to write a review of Mr Todd’s Reckoning because it is such a fabulous book I don’t think I’ll be able to do it justice.
Iain Maitland’s prose is sparse, gripping and mesmerising. The tension in Mr Todd’s Reckoning builds and builds so that I could hardly bear to glance away from the page in cased I missed a clue, a nuance, or a single superbly crafted syllable. I didn’t think Iain Maitland could surpass his debut, Sweet William, but although Mr Todd’s Reckoning is very different, it is equally as spellbinding and gripping. The plot races along with elements that surprise and shock, entertain and enthrall making for a heart thumpingly fabulous story.
Behind the compelling, dark and disturbing narrative is a brilliantly observed character in Mr Todd whose opinions and justifications are so wonderfully presented – especially with the wry humour that surfaces on occasion. Adrian too is depicted vividly with his obsessive behaviour and his run-ins with the police. Although one of these men is a psychopathic monster, both men engender understanding and pity in the reader which makes for a very interesting and somewhat disturbing read. The other more minor characters of Leon, Josie and Lily add to the atmosphere because the reader is never quite sure what the outcomes for them might be. A limited number of characters means there is a feeling of claustrophobia and menace that I felt in a visceral fashion.
The setting of an ordinary two bedroomed bungalow in suburbia is genius. Iain Maitland makes sublime use of the concept that none of us knows quite what goes on behind other people’s closed front doors so that the possibilities presented in Mr Todd’s Reckoning are quite terrifying. The stifling heat of the summer adds to the oppressive atmosphere so that the reader experiences the pressure-cooker tension with the characters.
I loved the blurring of morality, of what constitutes a crime, of the impact of nature and nurture and all the themes woven into this sparkling, mesmerising book. Mr Todd’s Reckoning is absolutely magnificent! Don’t hesitate to buy it. I thought it was amazing.
I don’t really want to write a review of Mr Todd’s Reckoning because it is such a fabulous book I don’t think I’ll be able to do it justice.
Iain Maitland’s prose is sparse, gripping and mesmerising. The tension in Mr Todd’s Reckoning builds and builds so that I could hardly bear to glance away from the page in cased I missed a clue, a nuance, or a single superbly crafted syllable. I didn’t think Iain Maitland could surpass his debut, Sweet William, but although Mr Todd’s Reckoning is very different, it is equally as spellbinding and gripping. The plot races along with elements that surprise and shock, entertain and enthrall making for a heart thumpingly fabulous story.
Behind the compelling, dark and disturbing narrative is a brilliantly observed character in Mr Todd whose opinions and justifications are so wonderfully presented – especially with the wry humour that surfaces on occasion. Adrian too is depicted vividly with his obsessive behaviour and his run-ins with the police. Although one of these men is a psychopathic monster, both men engender understanding and pity in the reader which makes for a very interesting and somewhat disturbing read. The other more minor characters of Leon, Josie and Lily add to the atmosphere because the reader is never quite sure what the outcomes for them might be. A limited number of characters means there is a feeling of claustrophobia and menace that I felt in a visceral fashion.
The setting of an ordinary two bedroomed bungalow in suburbia is genius. Iain Maitland makes sublime use of the concept that none of us knows quite what goes on behind other people’s closed front doors so that the possibilities presented in Mr Todd’s Reckoning are quite terrifying. The stifling heat of the summer adds to the oppressive atmosphere so that the reader experiences the pressure-cooker tension with the characters.
I loved the blurring of morality, of what constitutes a crime, of the impact of nature and nurture and all the themes woven into this sparkling, mesmerising book. Mr Todd’s Reckoning is absolutely magnificent! Don’t hesitate to buy it. I thought it was amazing.
May 1, 2019
Oh my giddy aunt, what had I let myself in for! I cringed, I had goosebumps and I don’t think that I will ever look at my neighbours the same ever again. Every time, since I finished this book, I feel like the curtains are twitching from everyone’s windows as I walked to the shops. I am ruined as a neighbour but at the same time elated as a reader. This is pure creepy gold.
The story is told through Mr. Todd. Mr. Todd who only wants to be left alone to see his life out in his little bungalow. Thing is his son Adrian lives with him and Adrian has so many compulsive disorders it would be impossible for him to live elsewhere. Every little habit annoys Mr. Todd. In fact, Mr. Todd feels badly done to by everyone. Adrian has been the cause for the police to visit in the past and Mr. Todd knows that he is up to something, but what?
I loved how this story built and came together, and although there were quite a few characters in the story, all impacting in Mr. Todd’s life, they all remained clear in my mind. Each in their own little tidy compartment in chapters in the story. My unease grew and my curiosity was ready to explode with each turn of the page and the entries he had to put down on paper. I was gobsmacked!
What a superb storyline, brilliant characters that were crisp in my mind and superb subplots that tweaked my adrenaline even more. My own imagination had been doing flips and as for the end I didn’t speak for hours! This is a stunner!
The story is told through Mr. Todd. Mr. Todd who only wants to be left alone to see his life out in his little bungalow. Thing is his son Adrian lives with him and Adrian has so many compulsive disorders it would be impossible for him to live elsewhere. Every little habit annoys Mr. Todd. In fact, Mr. Todd feels badly done to by everyone. Adrian has been the cause for the police to visit in the past and Mr. Todd knows that he is up to something, but what?
I loved how this story built and came together, and although there were quite a few characters in the story, all impacting in Mr. Todd’s life, they all remained clear in my mind. Each in their own little tidy compartment in chapters in the story. My unease grew and my curiosity was ready to explode with each turn of the page and the entries he had to put down on paper. I was gobsmacked!
What a superb storyline, brilliant characters that were crisp in my mind and superb subplots that tweaked my adrenaline even more. My own imagination had been doing flips and as for the end I didn’t speak for hours! This is a stunner!
September 5, 2024
I ended up liking this book. It was a slow burner in my opinion and I need something go grab me from the start. It did but then seemed to just simmer for a while. I have had too many DNF books lately so I made my self finish and am glad I did. The ending just seemed a little cut off though. I would have liked to know the thoughts of the other characters at that point.
Glad I read it is my final thought. :0)
Glad I read it is my final thought. :0)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2019
This was a nice little surprise. I do enjoy the kind of creepy disturbing read that stays with you for a while.
Mr Todd lives with his son Adrian in a bungalow. It’s an odd, boring and claustrophobic existence. It is for Mr Todd, perhaps not for Adrian, but then he is busy looking for his next thrill.
It’s fascinating how Mr Todd paints himself as the saviour, the good man and the person everyone likes to pick on. He likes to overlook his little ‘mistakes’ that have led to his isolated lifestyle. It is much more important to shed a big spotlight on his son, the one with the real issues.
He is doing his duty as father and as a citizen by keeping track of what his grown son is up to. The man who has a history of complaints and deviancy, and it appears he is working himself up to perpetrating even worse crimes. So Mr Todd waits and watches.
As he does so, the reader is privy to the way Mr Todd is irritated by sounds, noise, people, perhaps just life in general. Maitland describes this slow and steady increase in annoyance very well. It’s amazing how powerful single words can be just snip, snip, snipping away at someone’s sanity. It’s a testament of writing skill when a reader is taken on the same path as the character, then again perhaps some of us have our own closets with secrets and skeletons in them.
It’s dark psychological crime fiction with no ground rules or boundaries. Whatever the reader expects to happen, well don’t get too comfortable because it probably won’t happen the way you expect it to. Kudos to Maitland for not giving us the ending we expect, but rather the one we deserve because of the unquenchable thirst we have for the bizarre, the morbid and always for the unexpected.
*I received a courtesy copy*
Mr Todd lives with his son Adrian in a bungalow. It’s an odd, boring and claustrophobic existence. It is for Mr Todd, perhaps not for Adrian, but then he is busy looking for his next thrill.
It’s fascinating how Mr Todd paints himself as the saviour, the good man and the person everyone likes to pick on. He likes to overlook his little ‘mistakes’ that have led to his isolated lifestyle. It is much more important to shed a big spotlight on his son, the one with the real issues.
He is doing his duty as father and as a citizen by keeping track of what his grown son is up to. The man who has a history of complaints and deviancy, and it appears he is working himself up to perpetrating even worse crimes. So Mr Todd waits and watches.
As he does so, the reader is privy to the way Mr Todd is irritated by sounds, noise, people, perhaps just life in general. Maitland describes this slow and steady increase in annoyance very well. It’s amazing how powerful single words can be just snip, snip, snipping away at someone’s sanity. It’s a testament of writing skill when a reader is taken on the same path as the character, then again perhaps some of us have our own closets with secrets and skeletons in them.
It’s dark psychological crime fiction with no ground rules or boundaries. Whatever the reader expects to happen, well don’t get too comfortable because it probably won’t happen the way you expect it to. Kudos to Maitland for not giving us the ending we expect, but rather the one we deserve because of the unquenchable thirst we have for the bizarre, the morbid and always for the unexpected.
*I received a courtesy copy*
January 23, 2020
This was a deftly-woven narrative with excellent character observation.
I love being tricked, and taken in I was(!) by the voice of Mr Todd, a very precise ‘details man’ who, in a very measured and matter-of-fact way, shares with the reader his observations and disappointments regarding the behaviour of others, and his frustrations relating to his evidently autistic son.
The setting becomes claustrophobic and the space cluttered by characters who contribute to the tightening knot of complication. Without giving the plot away, we see changes in Mr Todd, at first subtle and, by the end, shocking. His mounting tension transfers to the reader, and, although by then, we know how deeply-flawed he is, it is difficult to break the bond with him and some may find that they also desire the neat ending that Mr Todd believes necessary.
Or was that just me…
Life is too short to battle with disappointing books, so I always do a bit of research before I commit to reading anything. Mr Todd’s Reckoning had been positively mentioned several times in an online book lover platform; for me, that is the seal of approval.
I love being tricked, and taken in I was(!) by the voice of Mr Todd, a very precise ‘details man’ who, in a very measured and matter-of-fact way, shares with the reader his observations and disappointments regarding the behaviour of others, and his frustrations relating to his evidently autistic son.
The setting becomes claustrophobic and the space cluttered by characters who contribute to the tightening knot of complication. Without giving the plot away, we see changes in Mr Todd, at first subtle and, by the end, shocking. His mounting tension transfers to the reader, and, although by then, we know how deeply-flawed he is, it is difficult to break the bond with him and some may find that they also desire the neat ending that Mr Todd believes necessary.
Or was that just me…
Life is too short to battle with disappointing books, so I always do a bit of research before I commit to reading anything. Mr Todd’s Reckoning had been positively mentioned several times in an online book lover platform; for me, that is the seal of approval.
Read
May 2, 2019This book is dark and twisty and turny and leaves you feeling dirty!
It's so well written, it's set in one place, with the main narrator. You learn more and more about his twisted mind.. How someone can try to tell themselves a story about themselves . What is the truth? Who is the main character? What kind of person is the main character?
This story takes you on a journey and leaves you feeling sullied afterwards. The ending is great though! Well deserved.
It's so well written, it's set in one place, with the main narrator. You learn more and more about his twisted mind.. How someone can try to tell themselves a story about themselves . What is the truth? Who is the main character? What kind of person is the main character?
This story takes you on a journey and leaves you feeling sullied afterwards. The ending is great though! Well deserved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2022
Mr Todd, seems annoyed and at times angry. As his story unfolds the reader comes to realise this anger is beyond the limits of normal. The body count begins to grow with Mr Todd’s unraveling of his story. How will the story end ? With more bodies or the end of Mr Todd ???
July 30, 2021
Meet Mr Todd, trapped in his bungalow in a heatwave with his jobless, obsessive-compulsive son Adrian - both of them seemingly driving each other to distraction.
The story unfolds through the eyes of Mr Todd, as he muses on the events of the past that have brought him to this dead-end existence, cutting back and forth between his attempts to rationalise his feelings of resentment and rage, by going over them again and again in his private journal, and the events that play out during the heatwave.
At the beginning it seems to be the story of a frustrated and lonely man, who I would probably describe as a 'disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' type - boorish and old fashioned, but otherwise a normal man living a normal life. It appears Mr Todd has been left in sole charge of a son with no prospects and potentially dangerous behaviour traits through no fault of his own, and it is up to him to make sure he does not stray from the straight and narrow.
However, as Mr Todd senior regales us with the account of how the world has done him wrong, and goes into minute detail about the many crosses he has to bear, it slowly begins to dawn on you that things might not be quite as they appear.
I can't go into too much about what happens in the story without giving the game away, which I really do not want to do as the journey towards the truth played out in a delicious and addictive slow-burn that kept me spellbound. However, I can tell you that this tale goes to some unexpectedly dark and disturbing places, and delves into 'birth of a monster' country in a way that will chill you to the bone. The structure of the story is masterful, with all the little jigsaw pieces you need to put together the full, horrifying picture being dropped ever so gradually - sometimes in the form of little asides that you do not realise the full importance of until much later down the line - and all the cleverly conceived threads tie together beautifully at the end with a macabrely fitting ending.
This is exactly the kind of novel that is made to be consumed in audio format. The narration by Michael Simkins is absolutely first-class - convincingly conveying the claustrophobic atmosphere, the neverending oppressive heat, and the warped relationships in this suburban bungalow so well that the pent up rage, frustration and paranoia are almost unbearable. I think I should add that this serves to make this one of the most unsettling audio books I have ever had the pleasure of listening to - one to relax with at bedtime this is certainly not!
I thoroughly enjoyed being frozen to the core by Iain Maitland's little gem of a psychopath tale, even if I did need a lie down in a well lit room afterwards (no dark spaces being craved after that ending!). If you like your thrills to be of the delectably unpredictable and profoundly unnerving kind, then this will definitely be one for you.
The story unfolds through the eyes of Mr Todd, as he muses on the events of the past that have brought him to this dead-end existence, cutting back and forth between his attempts to rationalise his feelings of resentment and rage, by going over them again and again in his private journal, and the events that play out during the heatwave.
At the beginning it seems to be the story of a frustrated and lonely man, who I would probably describe as a 'disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' type - boorish and old fashioned, but otherwise a normal man living a normal life. It appears Mr Todd has been left in sole charge of a son with no prospects and potentially dangerous behaviour traits through no fault of his own, and it is up to him to make sure he does not stray from the straight and narrow.
However, as Mr Todd senior regales us with the account of how the world has done him wrong, and goes into minute detail about the many crosses he has to bear, it slowly begins to dawn on you that things might not be quite as they appear.
I can't go into too much about what happens in the story without giving the game away, which I really do not want to do as the journey towards the truth played out in a delicious and addictive slow-burn that kept me spellbound. However, I can tell you that this tale goes to some unexpectedly dark and disturbing places, and delves into 'birth of a monster' country in a way that will chill you to the bone. The structure of the story is masterful, with all the little jigsaw pieces you need to put together the full, horrifying picture being dropped ever so gradually - sometimes in the form of little asides that you do not realise the full importance of until much later down the line - and all the cleverly conceived threads tie together beautifully at the end with a macabrely fitting ending.
This is exactly the kind of novel that is made to be consumed in audio format. The narration by Michael Simkins is absolutely first-class - convincingly conveying the claustrophobic atmosphere, the neverending oppressive heat, and the warped relationships in this suburban bungalow so well that the pent up rage, frustration and paranoia are almost unbearable. I think I should add that this serves to make this one of the most unsettling audio books I have ever had the pleasure of listening to - one to relax with at bedtime this is certainly not!
I thoroughly enjoyed being frozen to the core by Iain Maitland's little gem of a psychopath tale, even if I did need a lie down in a well lit room afterwards (no dark spaces being craved after that ending!). If you like your thrills to be of the delectably unpredictable and profoundly unnerving kind, then this will definitely be one for you.
August 8, 2021
"I do only what has to be done. What I have to do."
An ordinary man on an ordinary street is hiding grim secrets in this dark and sinister thriller.
The story is told in the form of Mr. Todd’s diary entries, which he has been advised to keep to fill his day and to work through his feelings after a difficult time in his life. At first he seems like a man down on his luck who’s frustrated at where he has ended up in life and feels like he doesn’t deserve what has happened to him. It is a slow-burner and I admit I found it hard to get into at first. But a blogger whose opinion I trust had rated it as one of her favourite books this year so I decided to persist. I am thankful I did as things began to pick up and I soon found myself completely immersed in this story full of secrets that I was desperate to unlock.
"I think it is time now... that I write about what I've kept hidden deep inside me for a while."
The protagonist lives with his adult son, Adrian, who I think is neurodiverse but his father views as weird and annoying. He spends a lot of time worrying what he is up to and that he’s getting into trouble again. It is here that the first seeds of suspicion and something ominous appear as we worry that Adrian is hiding a terrible secret as his father tries desperately to unravel it. But it soon becomes clear that is in fact Mr. Tood who has the secret, and we begin to see the first glimpses of the real man lurking beneath his harmless facade.
"Although I have ended lives, I do not consider myself a bad sort of chap."
Malcolm Todd is a chilling creation who is so realistic that it sent shivers down my spine. He is a miserable, bitter, angry and judgmental man who thinks he’s more intelligent and better than everyone else. He also has a real sense of entitlement about everything in life. He’s one of those people where things are always someone else’s fault and anything he did wrong he was forced to do or had no other choice. He made me so angry, but it was these awful things about him that made him so compelling as I find the damaged and twisted psyche of these kinds of people fascinating. He was brilliantly written and I can understand the comparisons to Norman Bates as he definitely gave me that vibe too.
Claustrophobic, menacing and unnerving, this subtle and slithering psychological thriller will leave you wondering just who and what is lurking behind your neighbours’ doors…
An ordinary man on an ordinary street is hiding grim secrets in this dark and sinister thriller.
The story is told in the form of Mr. Todd’s diary entries, which he has been advised to keep to fill his day and to work through his feelings after a difficult time in his life. At first he seems like a man down on his luck who’s frustrated at where he has ended up in life and feels like he doesn’t deserve what has happened to him. It is a slow-burner and I admit I found it hard to get into at first. But a blogger whose opinion I trust had rated it as one of her favourite books this year so I decided to persist. I am thankful I did as things began to pick up and I soon found myself completely immersed in this story full of secrets that I was desperate to unlock.
"I think it is time now... that I write about what I've kept hidden deep inside me for a while."
The protagonist lives with his adult son, Adrian, who I think is neurodiverse but his father views as weird and annoying. He spends a lot of time worrying what he is up to and that he’s getting into trouble again. It is here that the first seeds of suspicion and something ominous appear as we worry that Adrian is hiding a terrible secret as his father tries desperately to unravel it. But it soon becomes clear that is in fact Mr. Tood who has the secret, and we begin to see the first glimpses of the real man lurking beneath his harmless facade.
"Although I have ended lives, I do not consider myself a bad sort of chap."
Malcolm Todd is a chilling creation who is so realistic that it sent shivers down my spine. He is a miserable, bitter, angry and judgmental man who thinks he’s more intelligent and better than everyone else. He also has a real sense of entitlement about everything in life. He’s one of those people where things are always someone else’s fault and anything he did wrong he was forced to do or had no other choice. He made me so angry, but it was these awful things about him that made him so compelling as I find the damaged and twisted psyche of these kinds of people fascinating. He was brilliantly written and I can understand the comparisons to Norman Bates as he definitely gave me that vibe too.
Claustrophobic, menacing and unnerving, this subtle and slithering psychological thriller will leave you wondering just who and what is lurking behind your neighbours’ doors…
August 1, 2021
Today is my stop on the blogtour for the audiobook of 𝗠𝗥 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗗'𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗞𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 by Iain Maitland, narrated by Michael Simkins. Thank you to Isis Audio for having me along for the tour, and for sending me a copy of the audiobook 🎧📖
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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.
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Mr Todd's Reckoning is a unique thriller, and the story is told in a very interesting way. An epistolary novel of sorts, but told in real time, the plot evolves through Mr Todd's diary entries.
Mr Todd is a cantankerous, racist, homophobic, sexist old man, who is an incredibly judgemental and unpleasant character, judging all his neighbours and going through life angry and passive aggressive.
His narrative is not a pleasant recollection.
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𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲, 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹.
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For readers who are fans of true crime (like me) you can't help but be drawn in by the premise of this book.
It is clear from clues that are revealed throughout the plot that Maitland has a good understand of serial killers, and of the Hare Psychopathy Test. This added to the story for me, as while I did recognise very early on who the killer was (no spoilers), it made them feel more of a realistic character to me.
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𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀. 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 ... 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱. 𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 '𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀'. 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
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Throughout the novel, the reader will make judgements and assumptions about the characters and what they believe the situation to be.
However, there are surprises and revelations all the way through the story, in relation to all the characters, and some of the events are very unexpected.
The ending, especially, had me questioning who certain characters really are, and emphasised the fact that we can never fully know who someone is.
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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁; 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼? 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘁. 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿.
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The plot spirals quickly, which mirrors the undoing of the characters and their eventual downfall.
It's usually the way with serial killers that they become increasingly paranoid, and are increasingly chasing their tail with trying to maintain control of the situation they have created for themselves. Hiding your actions and maintaining your innocence when you have killed people and hidden bodies clearly is no easy feat.
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𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀. 𝗢𝗱𝗱. 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗲.
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I'd recommend Mr Todd's Reckoning to thriller fans, especially those looking for something a bit different, as the structure of the story is certainly unique and interesting.
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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.
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Mr Todd's Reckoning is a unique thriller, and the story is told in a very interesting way. An epistolary novel of sorts, but told in real time, the plot evolves through Mr Todd's diary entries.
Mr Todd is a cantankerous, racist, homophobic, sexist old man, who is an incredibly judgemental and unpleasant character, judging all his neighbours and going through life angry and passive aggressive.
His narrative is not a pleasant recollection.
-
𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲, 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹.
-
For readers who are fans of true crime (like me) you can't help but be drawn in by the premise of this book.
It is clear from clues that are revealed throughout the plot that Maitland has a good understand of serial killers, and of the Hare Psychopathy Test. This added to the story for me, as while I did recognise very early on who the killer was (no spoilers), it made them feel more of a realistic character to me.
-
𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗻. 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀. 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 ... 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗱. 𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 '𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀'. 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
-
Throughout the novel, the reader will make judgements and assumptions about the characters and what they believe the situation to be.
However, there are surprises and revelations all the way through the story, in relation to all the characters, and some of the events are very unexpected.
The ending, especially, had me questioning who certain characters really are, and emphasised the fact that we can never fully know who someone is.
-
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁; 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗶𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀? 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗼? 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘁. 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿.
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The plot spirals quickly, which mirrors the undoing of the characters and their eventual downfall.
It's usually the way with serial killers that they become increasingly paranoid, and are increasingly chasing their tail with trying to maintain control of the situation they have created for themselves. Hiding your actions and maintaining your innocence when you have killed people and hidden bodies clearly is no easy feat.
-
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀. 𝗢𝗱𝗱. 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗲.
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I'd recommend Mr Todd's Reckoning to thriller fans, especially those looking for something a bit different, as the structure of the story is certainly unique and interesting.
July 8, 2019
Holy quacamole is this one dark little number!
We meet Malcolm Todd who is our narrator. A seemingly quiet but particular man of middle class orgin (he used to work for HMRC), Mr Todd is struggling in the never ending heatwave in his bungalow. Although no longer working (read sacked), he lives with his son Adrian who is unemployed, socially awkward at best and has OCD tendacies that would drive even the most patient man to comment.
To try and avoid any unecessary interaction with his son (who is getting on his last nerve in the heat), Mr Todd has started a diary to try and make sense of some of the things he has done in his life...this is where the can of worms is really let open.
I don't want to give too much away as this reall is best enjoyed without knowing anytihng going in. But Maitland is a wonderful character author. He strips back to the bare bones of Mr Todd and we learn all about his life told in a very mild mannered way...in fact it's precisely this mild mannered decription of some of his actions that make it so utterly chilling and at times down right terrifying.
Malcolm Todd is a supreme narcissist with an elevated sense of intellience. However he can actually be quite witty (which was even more chilling, I kept thinking 'is it ok to find this funny?!').
The searing heatwave also lends itself to the 'boiling pot' build up of the plot. You could almost feel the oppressive atmosphere in the bungalow.
This book is not for the faint hearted...but if you take the plunge and dive in then you won't be sorry!
A brilliant 5 star read for me.
We meet Malcolm Todd who is our narrator. A seemingly quiet but particular man of middle class orgin (he used to work for HMRC), Mr Todd is struggling in the never ending heatwave in his bungalow. Although no longer working (read sacked), he lives with his son Adrian who is unemployed, socially awkward at best and has OCD tendacies that would drive even the most patient man to comment.
To try and avoid any unecessary interaction with his son (who is getting on his last nerve in the heat), Mr Todd has started a diary to try and make sense of some of the things he has done in his life...this is where the can of worms is really let open.
I don't want to give too much away as this reall is best enjoyed without knowing anytihng going in. But Maitland is a wonderful character author. He strips back to the bare bones of Mr Todd and we learn all about his life told in a very mild mannered way...in fact it's precisely this mild mannered decription of some of his actions that make it so utterly chilling and at times down right terrifying.
Malcolm Todd is a supreme narcissist with an elevated sense of intellience. However he can actually be quite witty (which was even more chilling, I kept thinking 'is it ok to find this funny?!').
The searing heatwave also lends itself to the 'boiling pot' build up of the plot. You could almost feel the oppressive atmosphere in the bungalow.
This book is not for the faint hearted...but if you take the plunge and dive in then you won't be sorry!
A brilliant 5 star read for me.
February 2, 2024
EXCELLENT
Mr. Todd tells you all about his life and himself and he will draw you right in.
A brilliant and gripping example of what a psychological thriller is! This book is absolutely fantastic and the storyline and characters are people we meet in everyday life - have met in our past, especially Mr. Todd himself.
Mr. Todd lives in a very noisy bungalow, railway track at the back, noisy neighbours, etc etc. His son suffers from OCD and drives Mr. Todd mad with his snip snip snipping and his general behaviour. It's an intolerable heatwave and Mr. Todd can barely take any more! He's an ex Tax Inspector and we hear the reasons why he is no longer in that job. How I laughed at this so well written book.
The book is dark and sinister from the outset and it does make the reader/listener uncomfortable but not in a terrifying way - this is not a horror story. The book so reminds me of Ruth Rendell's /Barbara Vine psychological one off thriller books. This book will not disappoint it will keep you engaged from beginning to end.
I don't write long reviews for fear of giving away too much ! If you're a true psychological drama/thriller lover you will adore this book. I cannot praise the book enough and loved every single moment of it.
I listed on Audible and the narrator is great and captures Mr. Todd perfectly.
Enjoy !
Mr. Todd tells you all about his life and himself and he will draw you right in.
A brilliant and gripping example of what a psychological thriller is! This book is absolutely fantastic and the storyline and characters are people we meet in everyday life - have met in our past, especially Mr. Todd himself.
Mr. Todd lives in a very noisy bungalow, railway track at the back, noisy neighbours, etc etc. His son suffers from OCD and drives Mr. Todd mad with his snip snip snipping and his general behaviour. It's an intolerable heatwave and Mr. Todd can barely take any more! He's an ex Tax Inspector and we hear the reasons why he is no longer in that job. How I laughed at this so well written book.
The book is dark and sinister from the outset and it does make the reader/listener uncomfortable but not in a terrifying way - this is not a horror story. The book so reminds me of Ruth Rendell's /Barbara Vine psychological one off thriller books. This book will not disappoint it will keep you engaged from beginning to end.
I don't write long reviews for fear of giving away too much ! If you're a true psychological drama/thriller lover you will adore this book. I cannot praise the book enough and loved every single moment of it.
I listed on Audible and the narrator is great and captures Mr. Todd perfectly.
Enjoy !
May 3, 2019
Having read Iain Maitland’s previous novel, Sweet William, I expected to be faced with an unassuming slow burner of a read. Little did I know I would get a sinister novel with a build that was totally unexpected!!
Malcolm (Mr Todd senior) is an unusual man. He gets a kick out of investigating people for tax fraud/evasion especially when he goes above and beyond. He’s a bit of an odd ball in my book even from the start but as I learnt more about him, he became one of those people who you’d slowly step away from if you met him. You know the sort I mean, we’ve all met someone or has someone in their life like that.
And then there is Adrian (Mr Todd junior) ….never has a truer phrase of like father like son rung true. He’s totally OCD with everything. Specific routine every day and then he disappears for hours on end both day and night but he doesn’t work. What does he do during these vanishing acts??!
Iain Maitland has created a quite unique thriller. This father and son double act are the sort of neighbours you’re pleasant to in the street but would you invite them to a barbecue? Maitland made me question my own neighbours who I don’t know very well. No one knows exactly what happens behind closed doors and this novel goes to prove that.
Malcolm (Mr Todd senior) is an unusual man. He gets a kick out of investigating people for tax fraud/evasion especially when he goes above and beyond. He’s a bit of an odd ball in my book even from the start but as I learnt more about him, he became one of those people who you’d slowly step away from if you met him. You know the sort I mean, we’ve all met someone or has someone in their life like that.
And then there is Adrian (Mr Todd junior) ….never has a truer phrase of like father like son rung true. He’s totally OCD with everything. Specific routine every day and then he disappears for hours on end both day and night but he doesn’t work. What does he do during these vanishing acts??!
Iain Maitland has created a quite unique thriller. This father and son double act are the sort of neighbours you’re pleasant to in the street but would you invite them to a barbecue? Maitland made me question my own neighbours who I don’t know very well. No one knows exactly what happens behind closed doors and this novel goes to prove that.
September 30, 2019
My first read by Iain and I really enjoyed it. It is a tale of any street in any town , anywhere in the UK. maybe just a street like yours. Each person in his own little castle, with his own closed door. What goes on behind closed doors stays behind closed doors. Each with his/her own little secret. You don't want to know; or do you?
Mr. Todd an ex HMRC. Tax inspector lives a seemingly orderly life but is very angry at loosing his job. He lives with his twenty something son Adrian. Adrian suffers from OCD, has no job and disappears for hours at a time with no explanation.
Definitely the weirdo of the family? Or you may think so! Read on to find out.
Iain's writing is top class and engages the reader in the story. Writing that tells of a serious tale but also displays a wry sense of humour! A tale that moves backwards and forwards in time telling the reader about the characters. All of whom are well rounded and are essential to the story. A book I would urge you to read.
Mr. Todd an ex HMRC. Tax inspector lives a seemingly orderly life but is very angry at loosing his job. He lives with his twenty something son Adrian. Adrian suffers from OCD, has no job and disappears for hours at a time with no explanation.
Definitely the weirdo of the family? Or you may think so! Read on to find out.
Iain's writing is top class and engages the reader in the story. Writing that tells of a serious tale but also displays a wry sense of humour! A tale that moves backwards and forwards in time telling the reader about the characters. All of whom are well rounded and are essential to the story. A book I would urge you to read.
April 1, 2021
I had purchased Mr Todd’s Reckoning a while back, added it to my kindle TBR and definitely couldn’t wait to read it, but after I was recommended it multiple times with the words ‘lockdown hysteria’ included in the description from a fellow book lover, I knew that I needed to read it and boy was I slept away in a wave of a sinister, chilling novel with essence of psychopathy injected into the pages.
This claustrophobic thriller sprinkled with warped human behaviour is a slow burner that clasps you within it’s pages with the use of its first-person narrative from Mr Todd himself, an ex-tax inspector who becomes more frustrated the further the storyline begins to unravel, especially as his son Adrian begins to become suspicious, immediately peaking our psychological interest, along with the narrative we also get mini diary designed instalments that contribute towards the ranking up of the ol’ heart rate.
Mr. Todd’s Reckoning isn’t a quick in-your-face read, it’s a slow burner with a slithering psychological creeping storyline, you are its prey and without you being aware it quickly has you within a stifling taut grip. I think the ability for a writer to hold the readers attention with a subtle unravelling of storyline is quite a talent and Iain does it perfectly – along with some darkness and a slight of dark humour at times, This is definitely a read that you’ll want to consume in bite-sized pieces, to savour and appreciate everything from the character development to the storyline.
This claustrophobic thriller sprinkled with warped human behaviour is a slow burner that clasps you within it’s pages with the use of its first-person narrative from Mr Todd himself, an ex-tax inspector who becomes more frustrated the further the storyline begins to unravel, especially as his son Adrian begins to become suspicious, immediately peaking our psychological interest, along with the narrative we also get mini diary designed instalments that contribute towards the ranking up of the ol’ heart rate.
Mr. Todd’s Reckoning isn’t a quick in-your-face read, it’s a slow burner with a slithering psychological creeping storyline, you are its prey and without you being aware it quickly has you within a stifling taut grip. I think the ability for a writer to hold the readers attention with a subtle unravelling of storyline is quite a talent and Iain does it perfectly – along with some darkness and a slight of dark humour at times, This is definitely a read that you’ll want to consume in bite-sized pieces, to savour and appreciate everything from the character development to the storyline.
October 25, 2023
Mr Todd lives with his son Adrian in a too small bungalow. He used to work for the Inland Revenue and was very good at his job, catching tax dodgers. Now he spends his time writing in his diary, it contains all his secrets and Mr Todd has lots of secrets.
We learn of some of Mr Todd's secrets through his daily diary. They are dark, really dark.
During a long hot Summer Mr Todd's life changes forever when Adrian brings home a girlfriend, Josie, and her young daughter Lily. Mr Todd's life is upturned by Josie and her annoying little girl.
This is a very dark and sometimes disturbing story, but it's also quite unique. Told entirely from the POV of Mr Todd in the present and from the past as we hear snippets from his diary. It certainly wouldn't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
We learn of some of Mr Todd's secrets through his daily diary. They are dark, really dark.
During a long hot Summer Mr Todd's life changes forever when Adrian brings home a girlfriend, Josie, and her young daughter Lily. Mr Todd's life is upturned by Josie and her annoying little girl.
This is a very dark and sometimes disturbing story, but it's also quite unique. Told entirely from the POV of Mr Todd in the present and from the past as we hear snippets from his diary. It certainly wouldn't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
April 6, 2020
I'd give this book 6 out of 5 if I could. It's edge of the seat stuff. There's nothing soft and luffly in it, but I raced through it in a matter of 6 hours or so and loved it!
June 23, 2021
Loved it. Claustrophobic, creepy, chilling, and sinister.
August 13, 2021
Unbelievably great. The writing is absolutely superb.
July 19, 2022
Oh wow. This was just well written. I found myself constantly wondering about Mr Todd throughout the book. All the characters were so well developed.
January 20, 2024
Another great read. If you like your main character damaged with with distorted thinking this is for you.
August 6, 2021
Told through Mr Todd’s point of view, you really have to wonder how reliable he is as a narrator. Learning about his job he felt that some of his comments to other staff members were humorous but in actual fact they come across as quite sexist. Now an unemployed 55 year old.
When he hears the noises his son makes, whether that’s when he is chopping vegetables or doing something else he keeps saying it doesn’t bother him, but does it? the same with the neighbours and the neighbourhood children the noise he says doesn’t bother him. So why repeat it doesn’t bother him?
He seems like a harmless man, living in a bungalow that is mortgage free with his 25 year old son Adrian, who has OCD, is unemployed, socially awkward, and is possibly on the autism spectrum, he has a history of strange behaviour, which has involved the police a couple of times. Mr Todd worries about Adrian when he goes out, he worries what he is doing. But what really goes on behind closed doors, in a normal street in suburbia?
It’s a very hot July, Mr Todd is trying to avoid his son Adrian and his odd behaviour as much as possible. Retreating to his bedroom to write what he calls his diary, it’s really an A4 notebook, but this is where things get interesting with each diary entry he makes, a little something is revealed. I don’t want to say anymore than that because this is a story that to say anymore would give away the plot.
This whole story is compelling, and dark, drawing the reader/listener in bit by bit as we learn more and more of Malcolm Todd. You can smell the smells, you can picture everything as it is written. The whole story flows and you can’t turn those pages quick enough to find out the next bit of information about Mr Todd and Adrian. I read the book before listening to it and I have to say whichever way you do this whether you read it or you listen it is equally creepy. The narrator does a brilliant job of bringing the story alive, every detail becomes so vivid.
If you are looking for a creepy, atmospheric story then look no further. Because as the secrets come out you will be shocked, as each chapter progresses you don’t think anything else could happen until it does. At times it is quite uncomfortable but equally brilliant.
An absolute resounding ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this is quite a ride. I loved it
When he hears the noises his son makes, whether that’s when he is chopping vegetables or doing something else he keeps saying it doesn’t bother him, but does it? the same with the neighbours and the neighbourhood children the noise he says doesn’t bother him. So why repeat it doesn’t bother him?
He seems like a harmless man, living in a bungalow that is mortgage free with his 25 year old son Adrian, who has OCD, is unemployed, socially awkward, and is possibly on the autism spectrum, he has a history of strange behaviour, which has involved the police a couple of times. Mr Todd worries about Adrian when he goes out, he worries what he is doing. But what really goes on behind closed doors, in a normal street in suburbia?
It’s a very hot July, Mr Todd is trying to avoid his son Adrian and his odd behaviour as much as possible. Retreating to his bedroom to write what he calls his diary, it’s really an A4 notebook, but this is where things get interesting with each diary entry he makes, a little something is revealed. I don’t want to say anymore than that because this is a story that to say anymore would give away the plot.
This whole story is compelling, and dark, drawing the reader/listener in bit by bit as we learn more and more of Malcolm Todd. You can smell the smells, you can picture everything as it is written. The whole story flows and you can’t turn those pages quick enough to find out the next bit of information about Mr Todd and Adrian. I read the book before listening to it and I have to say whichever way you do this whether you read it or you listen it is equally creepy. The narrator does a brilliant job of bringing the story alive, every detail becomes so vivid.
If you are looking for a creepy, atmospheric story then look no further. Because as the secrets come out you will be shocked, as each chapter progresses you don’t think anything else could happen until it does. At times it is quite uncomfortable but equally brilliant.
An absolute resounding ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this is quite a ride. I loved it
August 23, 2021
This is the first audio book I've ever finished, and it took me on a strange and slightly disturbing ride. Mr Todd's Reckoning is told through a diary entry chapter style, with the main concept being who was the murderer and why. I was instantly intrigued by this book, as the style is very unique.
The main character is Mr Todd, who lives with his son and seems to find everything hard work and annoying. He's had some hardships in his life and I really did look forward to seeing where his character ended in the end. I did however find it hard to enjoy listening to his narrative as I found him grating, bitter and irritating - but I think that's part of his character. Listening to the way the characters wheels turned in his head, and how things quickly turned chaotic was very interesting.
This is one of those books that gets you thinking of the people around you, and how you don't really know anyone! Dark and mysterious with a hint of subtle chaos. I recommend this book for people who enjoy a different kind of phycological thriller.
The main character is Mr Todd, who lives with his son and seems to find everything hard work and annoying. He's had some hardships in his life and I really did look forward to seeing where his character ended in the end. I did however find it hard to enjoy listening to his narrative as I found him grating, bitter and irritating - but I think that's part of his character. Listening to the way the characters wheels turned in his head, and how things quickly turned chaotic was very interesting.
This is one of those books that gets you thinking of the people around you, and how you don't really know anyone! Dark and mysterious with a hint of subtle chaos. I recommend this book for people who enjoy a different kind of phycological thriller.
June 7, 2020
Normally I would never pick up a book about a psychopath. I’m so glad I did.
Mr Todd lives with his 25 year old son Adrian in a poky bungalow on the main road between Ipswich and Felixstowe. Neither has a job: Mr Todd has taken early retirement from the tax office after various incidents. None of them were his fault. He was victimised, bullied, misunderstood. Adrian, he says, is unemployable. He has no friends, is obsessive-compulsive about chopping vegetables, and disappears for hours at a time. Mr Todd worries about what he is up to.
It’s a long, hot, sticky summer; in the barometer the mercury is rising daily. In the sweltering heat Mr Todd is tortured by many things; his concerns about Adrian, his hatred of his noisy, stupid neighbours, the incessant traffic noise outside, the failure of his marriage (his wife is long gone). He ekes out his time with little chores; he writes a journal (the GP recommended it), makes lists, follows Adrian to find out what he is up to. And he doesn’t like what he sees.
Iain Maitland builds a suffocatingly convincing picture of a household on the point of explosion. Mr Todd is trying to keep everything together, but as the temperature climbs we can feel the unbearable humidity, the airlessness in the tiny rooms, the thoughts tearing his brain apart. Meanwhile Adrian won’t meet his father’s eye, but seems to like looking at other people. Small people. His father thinks he has a penchant for voyeurism of the most unsavoury and dangerous kind.
When Adrian acquires a girlfriend with a small child of her own, Mr Todd is even more worried. And when that child starts asking questions, things go from bad to worse.
Maitland excels in the telling use of small details and off the cuff remarks. The minutiae of the men’s daily lives, the routines that keep them going, then the sudden jolt of a revelation, slipped in so subtly that we nearly miss it. Almost imperceptibly we begin to understand the truth, though even then our doubts remain. We all tell ourselves the story of our own lives; we all attempt to justify our own actions - but some have more to justify than others. Maitland feeds us little clues, clues we may at first miss but then remember. And as everything starts to fit together we are simultaneously terrified and transfixed.
Mr Todd’s reckoning is a shocking, brilliant, masterpiece.
Mr Todd lives with his 25 year old son Adrian in a poky bungalow on the main road between Ipswich and Felixstowe. Neither has a job: Mr Todd has taken early retirement from the tax office after various incidents. None of them were his fault. He was victimised, bullied, misunderstood. Adrian, he says, is unemployable. He has no friends, is obsessive-compulsive about chopping vegetables, and disappears for hours at a time. Mr Todd worries about what he is up to.
It’s a long, hot, sticky summer; in the barometer the mercury is rising daily. In the sweltering heat Mr Todd is tortured by many things; his concerns about Adrian, his hatred of his noisy, stupid neighbours, the incessant traffic noise outside, the failure of his marriage (his wife is long gone). He ekes out his time with little chores; he writes a journal (the GP recommended it), makes lists, follows Adrian to find out what he is up to. And he doesn’t like what he sees.
Iain Maitland builds a suffocatingly convincing picture of a household on the point of explosion. Mr Todd is trying to keep everything together, but as the temperature climbs we can feel the unbearable humidity, the airlessness in the tiny rooms, the thoughts tearing his brain apart. Meanwhile Adrian won’t meet his father’s eye, but seems to like looking at other people. Small people. His father thinks he has a penchant for voyeurism of the most unsavoury and dangerous kind.
When Adrian acquires a girlfriend with a small child of her own, Mr Todd is even more worried. And when that child starts asking questions, things go from bad to worse.
Maitland excels in the telling use of small details and off the cuff remarks. The minutiae of the men’s daily lives, the routines that keep them going, then the sudden jolt of a revelation, slipped in so subtly that we nearly miss it. Almost imperceptibly we begin to understand the truth, though even then our doubts remain. We all tell ourselves the story of our own lives; we all attempt to justify our own actions - but some have more to justify than others. Maitland feeds us little clues, clues we may at first miss but then remember. And as everything starts to fit together we are simultaneously terrified and transfixed.
Mr Todd’s reckoning is a shocking, brilliant, masterpiece.
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