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Reckoning
A cold, efficient killer. A secret society. A vengeful woman.
After a frenzied attack by two drug addicts robs Maddie of her husband and youngest child, she relocates to a remote village in Scotland with her two remaining children to rebuild her life.
Her eldest son, mute since witnessing the bloody attack, becomes obsessed with a far-right politician on TV. And Maddie starts receiving mysterious emails, and she knows she has to return to London.
As her life, and everything she thought she knew about it, begins to unravel, Maddie taps into a capacity for violence she never knew she possessed.
A mother will do everything it takes to protect her children.
And avenge the one she lost.
After a frenzied attack by two drug addicts robs Maddie of her husband and youngest child, she relocates to a remote village in Scotland with her two remaining children to rebuild her life.
Her eldest son, mute since witnessing the bloody attack, becomes obsessed with a far-right politician on TV. And Maddie starts receiving mysterious emails, and she knows she has to return to London.
As her life, and everything she thought she knew about it, begins to unravel, Maddie taps into a capacity for violence she never knew she possessed.
A mother will do everything it takes to protect her children.
And avenge the one she lost.
266 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2021
9 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Ken Preston
55 books79 followersKen Preston is the author of the Joe Coffin series of books, best described as gangsters versus vampires in Birmingham UK. He is also the author of zombie/cowboy mash-up Population:DEAD!, Satan meets Blackbeard pirate novel, The Devil and Edward Teach, and Speaking in Tongues, a short story about death, sex, rock n roll and God.
He has also had several short stories published in magazines and anthologies, and writes romance under the name of MJ Jackson.
Ken is also a creative writing teacher for children in years 5 and 6 and also children in years 7 to12, as well as adults.
He spends far too much time in his cellar, making stuff up, whilst his two cats prowl over his desk and computer keyboard, adding their own little additions to his stories.
Ken lives just a few doors down from the house where Jack the Ripper was born. (Allegedly.)
If you have read any of his books, or even if you haven’t, but just want a chat, Ken can be reached at kenpreston@kenpreston.co.uk
He has also had several short stories published in magazines and anthologies, and writes romance under the name of MJ Jackson.
Ken is also a creative writing teacher for children in years 5 and 6 and also children in years 7 to12, as well as adults.
He spends far too much time in his cellar, making stuff up, whilst his two cats prowl over his desk and computer keyboard, adding their own little additions to his stories.
Ken lives just a few doors down from the house where Jack the Ripper was born. (Allegedly.)
If you have read any of his books, or even if you haven’t, but just want a chat, Ken can be reached at kenpreston@kenpreston.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 28, 2021
A superbly written, joyous revenge knockout!
Ken Preston has yet again started a fast paced, action packed, deliciously violent series with lots of unexpected twists and turns!
I can't ruddy wait for the next part of this vengeance, kick ass series. 😁
I feel like I want to go on a female hit man course now! 😂
Ken Preston has yet again started a fast paced, action packed, deliciously violent series with lots of unexpected twists and turns!
I can't ruddy wait for the next part of this vengeance, kick ass series. 😁
I feel like I want to go on a female hit man course now! 😂
June 29, 2021
Maddie lost her husband and child to a gang and it’s all she can do to pull herself together for her other two children. Once you get involved in the story, there’s no stopping until the end. An impressive beginning to a new series.
May 28, 2021
Stripping any trace of glamour from the trope of a parent targeted by a brutal conspiracy, Preston asks not just how far someone might go for their family but what that might cost.
After her husband and youngest son were murdered in a burglary gone wrong, Maddie moved to a small Scottish island with her two surviving children. Mysterious emails from a government minister claiming they need to meet overcome her aversion to London enough she plans a quick trip south; however, before she’s even left the station she receives another mysterious message; this one telling her to come immediately to a certain address if she ever wants to see her children again.
An innocent protagonist taking brutal revenge on a criminal conspiracy after it threatens their family is a familiar thriller trope. However, Preston’s tale is an engaging variation on the norm: his protagonist is not a retired military operative or someone whose job provides lots of useful transferable skills for investigation or fighting; instead they are an ordinary—if grief-burdened—mother. This both enhances the sense of a powerful and inexplicable threat that is plausibly still secret and makes the victories Maddie does achieve feel more meaningful.
While Maddie lacks the specialist skills of the usual action-thriller lead, this book is just as violent. Driven not just by her own desire to survive but an equal desire to save her children, Maddie reacts a fury that often lacks the strategic advantage of a trained response but is often as effective at dealing with the immediate threat. The thugs and murderers she faces in turn display a greater experience at violence, but little moral restraint, making their actions equally brutal. Preston, in a style that will be familiar to readers of his Joe Coffin series, presents this without any sugar coating; although this visceral portrayal is not used to titillate, the fact everyone is involved is human might make it feel even darker than that of gangsters vs vampires.
This pervasive grittiness is made both greater and more plausible by Preston’s world; while this is modern Britain, it is a Britain during an election in which a nationalist political party are predicted to win enough seats to form a government.
In between the violence, Preston reveals fragments of what might be behind the threat to Maddie and her family. This both provides a contrast to the brutality and, presented from the same perspective of an ordinary person scrabbling to deal with something they aren’t experienced with, creates a sense of confusion and paranoia that make this deeper than a simple revenge thriller.
The book ends with Maddie having achieved a notable success but not resolved either the entirety of the existing threat or the consequences of her actions. While this is not unexpected for the first volume in a proposed series, it fits the tone of this not being a Hollywood film where the hero gets a happy ever after after they defeat the bad guys.
Maddie is a well-crafted protagonist. Although, realistically, reactive in the face of unexpected extreme threat, she is not passive. As the plot unfolds, and she gains more information and possible allies of convenience, she does become more proactive; while Preston portrays skillfully portrays her understanding of events and her motivations, making it easy to understand why she make the choices she does, he neither makes those responses the only reasonable one based on her knowledge nor has her constantly driven by extremes of altruism; thus, even though they might understand her attempts at revenge, it is left to each reader to decide whether her actions are justified or excusable. This moral ambivalence is echoed in her other choices, most specifically her relationship with her children where she is driven to protect them but is also driven by the selfishness of her own grief rather than a selfless commitment to their best interests.
Maddie’s children each display their own unique signs of the trauma of having family members murdered, traits that are as jaggedly inconvenient and impolite as traumatic response is.
The rest of the supporting cast are equally nuanced, displaying interesting hints of the conflicting drives and irrationality of real people without dragging the focus from Maddie’s struggle.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to readers seeking a gritty revenge thriller that focuses more on the cost of vengeance than the achievement.
I received an advance review copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
After her husband and youngest son were murdered in a burglary gone wrong, Maddie moved to a small Scottish island with her two surviving children. Mysterious emails from a government minister claiming they need to meet overcome her aversion to London enough she plans a quick trip south; however, before she’s even left the station she receives another mysterious message; this one telling her to come immediately to a certain address if she ever wants to see her children again.
An innocent protagonist taking brutal revenge on a criminal conspiracy after it threatens their family is a familiar thriller trope. However, Preston’s tale is an engaging variation on the norm: his protagonist is not a retired military operative or someone whose job provides lots of useful transferable skills for investigation or fighting; instead they are an ordinary—if grief-burdened—mother. This both enhances the sense of a powerful and inexplicable threat that is plausibly still secret and makes the victories Maddie does achieve feel more meaningful.
While Maddie lacks the specialist skills of the usual action-thriller lead, this book is just as violent. Driven not just by her own desire to survive but an equal desire to save her children, Maddie reacts a fury that often lacks the strategic advantage of a trained response but is often as effective at dealing with the immediate threat. The thugs and murderers she faces in turn display a greater experience at violence, but little moral restraint, making their actions equally brutal. Preston, in a style that will be familiar to readers of his Joe Coffin series, presents this without any sugar coating; although this visceral portrayal is not used to titillate, the fact everyone is involved is human might make it feel even darker than that of gangsters vs vampires.
This pervasive grittiness is made both greater and more plausible by Preston’s world; while this is modern Britain, it is a Britain during an election in which a nationalist political party are predicted to win enough seats to form a government.
In between the violence, Preston reveals fragments of what might be behind the threat to Maddie and her family. This both provides a contrast to the brutality and, presented from the same perspective of an ordinary person scrabbling to deal with something they aren’t experienced with, creates a sense of confusion and paranoia that make this deeper than a simple revenge thriller.
The book ends with Maddie having achieved a notable success but not resolved either the entirety of the existing threat or the consequences of her actions. While this is not unexpected for the first volume in a proposed series, it fits the tone of this not being a Hollywood film where the hero gets a happy ever after after they defeat the bad guys.
Maddie is a well-crafted protagonist. Although, realistically, reactive in the face of unexpected extreme threat, she is not passive. As the plot unfolds, and she gains more information and possible allies of convenience, she does become more proactive; while Preston portrays skillfully portrays her understanding of events and her motivations, making it easy to understand why she make the choices she does, he neither makes those responses the only reasonable one based on her knowledge nor has her constantly driven by extremes of altruism; thus, even though they might understand her attempts at revenge, it is left to each reader to decide whether her actions are justified or excusable. This moral ambivalence is echoed in her other choices, most specifically her relationship with her children where she is driven to protect them but is also driven by the selfishness of her own grief rather than a selfless commitment to their best interests.
Maddie’s children each display their own unique signs of the trauma of having family members murdered, traits that are as jaggedly inconvenient and impolite as traumatic response is.
The rest of the supporting cast are equally nuanced, displaying interesting hints of the conflicting drives and irrationality of real people without dragging the focus from Maddie’s struggle.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to readers seeking a gritty revenge thriller that focuses more on the cost of vengeance than the achievement.
I received an advance review copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
March 2, 2025
Political killer for hire finally meets resistance - 4.5 stars
When money is diverted to line the pockets of the well-connected, sometimes people get greedy. Money is available to make sure that certain secrets die. Maddie is the mother of two children whose father was assassinated when a political connection needed to be covered up. Oliver, Maddie's son saw his father's murder and has not spoken a word since. He can scream but has not talked for years. Oliver's older sister Jessica has been trying to help but what can a pre-teen do?
Both Oliver and Jessica are kidnapped after having been left with Maddie's sister. Maddie's sister is murdered by a man in a policeman's uniform. Both children escape after attacking an associate of the killer with a Cricket bat but are soon captured. It is clear that Maddie and her children are loose ends in a scheme to hide links to their father's murder to the highest levels of British government days before a general election.
Maddie is a heroine driven by her desire to keep her children alive. The professional killer admits his crimes only after he and Maddie are severely wounded in a dramatic hide, seek, and find. A number of British citizens are killed or injured each time Maddie or her children are captured and find ways to escape. Maddie finds opportunities to use conventional objects to gain her temporary freedom with devastating effectiveness.
A mysterious wheelchair-bound offers help, providing protection when Maddie's options seem to be exhausted. On election night when the politician's victory celebration is in full swing, Maddie gets some revenge only to find that the conspiracy is deeper that she suspected. She fights for her life against a strong advisory but barely manages only to escape with grievous wounds. Her near escape is one of the best escape scenes that I can recall but it too results in a more dangerous situation with the killer and Maddie fighting nature and each other in London's underground.
Repeated instances of danger and escape are brought to a climax that you won't soon forget.
When money is diverted to line the pockets of the well-connected, sometimes people get greedy. Money is available to make sure that certain secrets die. Maddie is the mother of two children whose father was assassinated when a political connection needed to be covered up. Oliver, Maddie's son saw his father's murder and has not spoken a word since. He can scream but has not talked for years. Oliver's older sister Jessica has been trying to help but what can a pre-teen do?
Both Oliver and Jessica are kidnapped after having been left with Maddie's sister. Maddie's sister is murdered by a man in a policeman's uniform. Both children escape after attacking an associate of the killer with a Cricket bat but are soon captured. It is clear that Maddie and her children are loose ends in a scheme to hide links to their father's murder to the highest levels of British government days before a general election.
Maddie is a heroine driven by her desire to keep her children alive. The professional killer admits his crimes only after he and Maddie are severely wounded in a dramatic hide, seek, and find. A number of British citizens are killed or injured each time Maddie or her children are captured and find ways to escape. Maddie finds opportunities to use conventional objects to gain her temporary freedom with devastating effectiveness.
A mysterious wheelchair-bound offers help, providing protection when Maddie's options seem to be exhausted. On election night when the politician's victory celebration is in full swing, Maddie gets some revenge only to find that the conspiracy is deeper that she suspected. She fights for her life against a strong advisory but barely manages only to escape with grievous wounds. Her near escape is one of the best escape scenes that I can recall but it too results in a more dangerous situation with the killer and Maddie fighting nature and each other in London's underground.
Repeated instances of danger and escape are brought to a climax that you won't soon forget.
July 3, 2021
What a great start to what I think will be a great series! Ken Preston has done it again....written a book that grabbed me from the start and never let go! Fast-paced, full of action and tension and wonderful characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Maddie has moved to a remote part of Scotland to try to start over with her two children, Jessica, a typical teenager, and Oliver "Ollie", a boy who is almost autistic after witnessing his father and brother being murdered by two drug addicts.
Maddie receives a mysterious email from a high up official and decides to return to London to see what is going on. Little does she know that her life is about to change (again) and not for the better. Soon, she finds herself trying to rescue her children from a kidnapper, destroy the man or men responsible for her plight, and stay alive.
"It doesn't matter if you die today, or tomorrow, or next week. We're all just passing time, just waiting for that day when we will pay for our misdeeds." So states the hired assassin involved in this confusing case.
I truly enjoy the author's imagination and his ability to create a great story, with wonderful (and sometimes bizarre) characters and humor in the midst of intense action and fear. The author has created a likeable and unlikely heroine in Maddie. She is just a typical mother who becomes involved in a situation that she handles in a manner that would make Emma Peel proud.
I don't often reread a book, especially one that I have recently read. However, when I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this one, I jumped at the chance. And, I have to say that I enjoyed it even more the second time around! The book is like watching an espionage or spy thriller in your mind.
The author, who narrates the book, did a fantastic job with his narration. I can't wait to follow the further adventures of Ms. Vengeance!
Maddie has moved to a remote part of Scotland to try to start over with her two children, Jessica, a typical teenager, and Oliver "Ollie", a boy who is almost autistic after witnessing his father and brother being murdered by two drug addicts.
Maddie receives a mysterious email from a high up official and decides to return to London to see what is going on. Little does she know that her life is about to change (again) and not for the better. Soon, she finds herself trying to rescue her children from a kidnapper, destroy the man or men responsible for her plight, and stay alive.
"It doesn't matter if you die today, or tomorrow, or next week. We're all just passing time, just waiting for that day when we will pay for our misdeeds." So states the hired assassin involved in this confusing case.
I truly enjoy the author's imagination and his ability to create a great story, with wonderful (and sometimes bizarre) characters and humor in the midst of intense action and fear. The author has created a likeable and unlikely heroine in Maddie. She is just a typical mother who becomes involved in a situation that she handles in a manner that would make Emma Peel proud.
I don't often reread a book, especially one that I have recently read. However, when I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this one, I jumped at the chance. And, I have to say that I enjoyed it even more the second time around! The book is like watching an espionage or spy thriller in your mind.
The author, who narrates the book, did a fantastic job with his narration. I can't wait to follow the further adventures of Ms. Vengeance!
May 25, 2021
Maddie moved to an isolated village in Scotland with her two eldest children, after her husband and youngest son were murdered by two drug-addicts during a brutal home-invasion. At least, that’s what Maddie believes has happened. Until her son Oliver, mute since witnessing the traumatic attack, starts screaming every time he sees a certain politician on tv, and Maddie gets mysterious messages concerning her late husband. When she leaves for London to find out what’s going on, all hell breaks loose…
Ken Preston has done it again. After the amazing seasons of Joe Coffin, he has created a new series that swept me away right from the start of book 1: Reckoning (Ms Vengeance book 1).
This story has it all: political corruption, espionage, murder, kidnapping, torture, etc., ... Topped off with amazing characters, and epic battles in the toilet of a skyscraper and a flooded subway station. The plot twists and turns all the way to a nail-biting finale. What a page-turner!
To all the screenwriters out there: are you paying attention?
I received a preview copy of this book which I am voluntarily reviewing.
Ken Preston has done it again. After the amazing seasons of Joe Coffin, he has created a new series that swept me away right from the start of book 1: Reckoning (Ms Vengeance book 1).
This story has it all: political corruption, espionage, murder, kidnapping, torture, etc., ... Topped off with amazing characters, and epic battles in the toilet of a skyscraper and a flooded subway station. The plot twists and turns all the way to a nail-biting finale. What a page-turner!
To all the screenwriters out there: are you paying attention?
I received a preview copy of this book which I am voluntarily reviewing.
July 6, 2023
This was disappointing. Not bad, but after bingeing my way through Ken Preston’s Coffinverse, I had high expectations which were half-met. Maddie is a widow whose family has been targeted by shadowy powers for reasons she’ll only slowly uncover. It’s an ambitious plot, and Preston populates the book with some memorable figures in strong scenes. The first chapter, for example, starts with a delicious portrait of an assassin at work, starting with his weakness for Mozart. The downfall of the kidnappers also gets strong descriptions and is fun to read.The problem comes later, as Maddie in particular makes some terrible choices with implausible outcomes–the net effect was that the book felt like it was about a revision away from being ready. I don’t think I’m ready for volume 2, although I'm on deck for Preston's next Coffin release.
6/10
6/10
May 28, 2021
Reckoning is a hell of a piece of work! If I had had the time it would have been a one sitting read. Ken Preston's writing is deceptive, captivating, laced with a touch of dark humor but when the action kicks in it is unrelenting. The villains don't have a clue what they've unleashed; it's a simple job: kidnapping, or murder, if necessary, and what are the obstacles: an unsuspecting mother and two kids ... ha, a piece of bloody cake! And bloody it is and very deserving, satisfying. Even the stone-cold fixer/killer underestimates. But there's more to unravel and more vengeance to wreak. I think Maddie is up to the task ... she's still learning. I can hardly wait.
January 8, 2022
This story about a normal mother turns vengeful woman didn't add up quite right.
It begins with an attempt to rescue her kids, which I get, but then becomes something that was difficult for me to relate to.
At the end I understood that this is book 1 (no cliff hangers), but I'm not sure I wish to read the next one.
The author narrates this book, and I guess he does a good enough job, just not one for the pantheon.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It begins with an attempt to rescue her kids, which I get, but then becomes something that was difficult for me to relate to.
At the end I understood that this is book 1 (no cliff hangers), but I'm not sure I wish to read the next one.
The author narrates this book, and I guess he does a good enough job, just not one for the pantheon.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 26, 2021
epub ARC; 175 pages
A definite page-turner - set in a near-future but very recognisable Britain, Maddie's life is turned upside down first by the murder of her husband and young son and then by threats after she flees London for Scotland. What happens there changes her life even more and forever.
A new series but displaying much of the Preston ability to make the implausible so very possible. I read it almost in one sitting.
A definite page-turner - set in a near-future but very recognisable Britain, Maddie's life is turned upside down first by the murder of her husband and young son and then by threats after she flees London for Scotland. What happens there changes her life even more and forever.
A new series but displaying much of the Preston ability to make the implausible so very possible. I read it almost in one sitting.
July 30, 2024
This is the first Ken Preston book I have read and I'm really glad I did. I found this to be a great story, but I reached the end too quick, now I need the second book. Maddie could not understand why her remaining family were being targeted. Her husband and youngest son had previously been murdered and now Maddies stroppy teenage daughter and autistic son had been kidnapped. Is it all related?. A mother will do what it takes to protect her offspring.
May 29, 2025
Hmmm - A somewhat timely novel about mixing greed with politics and the effect of media manipulation on elections combined with a revenge story. This is an interesting storyline but I have some reservations about Housewife/Every Mom pursuing murderous vengeance. This book is short but well written with the ending set-up for a series. The political commentary, while timely and appreciated, makes me a little reluctant to give full throated recommendations for the book.
July 31, 2024
WOW ! A widow on the run trying to protect her children has to become more than a mom. As she encounters new friends to help her, she realizes what she herself must do. From that point forward you are going to be blown away by this mad as hell mom ! The non stop action, story line and colorful cast of characters will keep you from putting this book down until the very end ! A for sure must read !
February 20, 2023
Thoroughly entertaining
This book is fast paced, engaging with lots of action. Not a dull moment, I'm looking forward to the next book.
This book is fast paced, engaging with lots of action. Not a dull moment, I'm looking forward to the next book.
September 29, 2024
This was a good thriller with some really good action. You have an unlikely heroine who just refuses to be stopped. It is a fast paced hold on to your seat thrill ride. A good read.
January 2, 2022
If you want a book that punches you in the face from start to finish then this one definitely for you!
I love the Joe Coffin series from Ken but its always brilliant to have another protagonist character to look forward to.
Maddie is a normal housewife until events make her to maim stab and kill to save her children.
Now if that doesn't grap your attention I don't know what will.
An unputdownable new series. Love it.
I love the Joe Coffin series from Ken but its always brilliant to have another protagonist character to look forward to.
Maddie is a normal housewife until events make her to maim stab and kill to save her children.
Now if that doesn't grap your attention I don't know what will.
An unputdownable new series. Love it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews