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The Reckoning
It all started the night of Dalton Walsh's revival meeting... when the earth beneath his tent trembled with a kind of vengeance. It was as if some force from beyond knew about the terrible crimes that had transpired in this little town and finally wanted to reveal the evil that lived there. — Then the sightings began. All those lost, almost forgotten children; kids who hadn't aged a day in all the years since their disappearance- like the teenage boy who still wore the same clothes he'd last been seen in or the golden-haired little girl who still clutched that same doll.
Reverend Dalton didn't know why the children had picked this moment to come home, but he did know one thing; now was the time for a terrible truth to be revealed. Now was the time for... the reckoning.
Reverend Dalton didn't know why the children had picked this moment to come home, but he did know one thing; now was the time for a terrible truth to be revealed. Now was the time for... the reckoning.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
5 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Ruby Jean Jensen
39 books211 followers
Ruby Jean Jensen
Born McDonald County, Missouri, USA, March 1, 1927
Died November 16, 2010
Website http://www.rubyjeanjensen.com
Twitter RubyJeanJensen1
Facebook www.facebook.com/Rjjhorror
Ruby Jean Jensen authored 30 published and 4 not yet published novels, and over 200 short stories. Her passion for writing developed at an early age, and she worked for many years to develop her writing skills. After having many short stories published, in 1974 the novel The House that Samael Built was accepted for publication. She then quickly established herself as a professional author, with representation by a Literary Agent from New York. She subsequently sold 29 more novels to several New York publishing houses. After four Gothic Romance, three Occult and then three Horror novels, MaMa was published by Zebra books in 1983. With Zebra, Ruby Jean completed nineteen more novels in the Horror genre.
Ruby was involved with creative writing groups for many years, and she often took the time to encourage young authors and to reply to fan mail.
Ruby Jean, a supreme story-teller, quickly captures and holds your attention. Her books, written for adults, are also suitable for adolescents and young adults. She continues to have an enthusiastic following in the Horror genre.
Born McDonald County, Missouri, USA, March 1, 1927
Died November 16, 2010
Website http://www.rubyjeanjensen.com
Twitter RubyJeanJensen1
Facebook www.facebook.com/Rjjhorror
Ruby Jean Jensen authored 30 published and 4 not yet published novels, and over 200 short stories. Her passion for writing developed at an early age, and she worked for many years to develop her writing skills. After having many short stories published, in 1974 the novel The House that Samael Built was accepted for publication. She then quickly established herself as a professional author, with representation by a Literary Agent from New York. She subsequently sold 29 more novels to several New York publishing houses. After four Gothic Romance, three Occult and then three Horror novels, MaMa was published by Zebra books in 1983. With Zebra, Ruby Jean completed nineteen more novels in the Horror genre.
Ruby was involved with creative writing groups for many years, and she often took the time to encourage young authors and to reply to fan mail.
Ruby Jean, a supreme story-teller, quickly captures and holds your attention. Her books, written for adults, are also suitable for adolescents and young adults. She continues to have an enthusiastic following in the Horror genre.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 3, 2021
The Reckoning by Ruby Jean Jensen is about a small quiet town with a dark, buried secret that is unearthed by the arrival of Pastor Dalton Walsh and his traveling revival. Children, who had been missing for many years, mysteriously return and all hell breaks loose. For one night marred by the sins of another, the town residents must fight for their lives against an entity that wants to exact judgement. This story is eerie, unsettling, and suspenseful.
December 22, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.
This was an entertaining and, at times, a page-turning read. However, I was left was some unanswered questions and some elements of the story didn't add up or make sense. But this book is most definitely still worth reading for the very detailed, gruesome imagery used to describe multiple deaths throughout the story.
To hear more of my in depth thoughts on this book, you can check out my video review here: https://youtu.be/ncz3vhVCqQk?t=919
This was an entertaining and, at times, a page-turning read. However, I was left was some unanswered questions and some elements of the story didn't add up or make sense. But this book is most definitely still worth reading for the very detailed, gruesome imagery used to describe multiple deaths throughout the story.
To hear more of my in depth thoughts on this book, you can check out my video review here: https://youtu.be/ncz3vhVCqQk?t=919
October 15, 2015
A short take:
What a creepy cover! I just wish the book delivered on this enticing image.
More thoughts:
Jensen puts some good ideas into play...and leverages this material after hundreds of expository pages that contribute little to the story. I was quite frustrated by minutia--such as the location of a homestead in relation to the rest of the town--that slowed down the story and dulled what was otherwise a good, freaky premise. I finally skimmed the last 100 pages.
One more nitpick: I find it very hard to believe that local police would not thoroughly investigate the premises in which a child disappears. Nor would police honor a local's desire for privacy when a lost child's life is threatened. Without this plot point, the entire story falls apart.
What a creepy cover! I just wish the book delivered on this enticing image.
More thoughts:
Jensen puts some good ideas into play...and leverages this material after hundreds of expository pages that contribute little to the story. I was quite frustrated by minutia--such as the location of a homestead in relation to the rest of the town--that slowed down the story and dulled what was otherwise a good, freaky premise. I finally skimmed the last 100 pages.
One more nitpick: I find it very hard to believe that local police would not thoroughly investigate the premises in which a child disappears. Nor would police honor a local's desire for privacy when a lost child's life is threatened. Without this plot point, the entire story falls apart.
September 10, 2020
The Reckoning is a particularly grisly little horror story from the ever entertaining Ruby Jean Jensen. Taking place over one night, the story follows several residents of a small town as they deal with the sudden reappearance of several children who had gone missing over the years. This book doesn't pull many punches, with several nasty deaths and plenty of creepy kids. The pacing drags a little, and the story could have lost about thirty pages and two or three characters. Still, the book flies by, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a creepy read. Heads up, Mrs. Jensen spares no one in her books, and children and animals so come to some particularly nasty ends. If that is a deal breaker for you, take a pass on this one.
January 8, 2020
A slow start to a novel but well worth it in the end. Ruby Jean Jensen had me hooked through and through. The novel is not as expected, I assumed from the front cover that this would be a story about a doll, but instead the story was about a group of evil-dead children haunting the townspeople of Spring Valley. I won't go into too much detail as not to spoil the story for future readers, but don't be turned off by Ruby's slow and deliberate introduction. Let her carry you, I promise it will be worth it.
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January 27, 2016Ruby Jean Jensen wrote creepy horror novels where no one was safe. Not children, not the main character, people often died in unsuspecting ways. One of her favorite themes seemed to be dolls. She wrote the creepy plastic villains like the best of them. Dark, haunting, and worth a read for a cheesy 80's horror type.
September 21, 2019
Everything about that night started off strange. Patrick, the first one of the missing children to appear in the middle of the revival, disappeared just as quickly. But as the night progressed, there were more and more sightings. Yes, these seemed to be the missing children, wearing exactly the same clothes that they wore when the disappeared so long ago. There seemed to be some message, something that they were trying to communicate. Ruby Jean leads you into yet another situation where you feel for the main characters and wonder how you would react in their place!
August 6, 2023
4, maybe even 4.5 stars. I first got my hands on this book when I was about 13/14 years old & remembered loving it. I just finished it again about 25 years later & still loved it. It's an extremely unique horror idea, that I still haven't seen again, but always go back to in my mind. Also, I love evil kid stories. I really need to try more from this author!
February 17, 2023
A group of strange kids stood in the shadows. There were five or six of them, indistinct, shadowy figures. It was as if they had suddenly risen there, where they had never stood before
As if his vision cleared suddenly, Rudy could see that Jiggers had been torn down the length of his stomach, and the stuff that gleamed lighter in the darkness was his insides.They had been pulled out of him, as if the kids had been trying to take his skin away.
“I hope to God-
—these people were dead—
—when skinning—
—took place.”
In a small, rural country town of Spring Valley a horrific discovery is on the brink of discovery, and a horrific insight into Hell is bubbling to the surface. What appeared to be a group of children, turned to be the ultimate evil as they hauntingly resembled children missing from close to thirty years ago. A trio of children playing football in the quiet street in front of their houses are met with a violent showdown from other children who bare no voices. Silent even as they claw, scratch and wound, those children would retreat back into the shadows when the father's rush to the scene. Marked with a saddened tragedy, the family dog was discover ruppe clean in half and laying on the grass.
As if his vision cleared suddenly, Rudy could see that Jiggers had been torn down the length of his stomach, and the stuff that gleamed lighter in the darkness was his insides.They had been pulled out of him, as if the kids had been trying to take his skin away.
“I hope to God-
—these people were dead—
—when skinning—
—took place.”
In a small, rural country town of Spring Valley a horrific discovery is on the brink of discovery, and a horrific insight into Hell is bubbling to the surface. What appeared to be a group of children, turned to be the ultimate evil as they hauntingly resembled children missing from close to thirty years ago. A trio of children playing football in the quiet street in front of their houses are met with a violent showdown from other children who bare no voices. Silent even as they claw, scratch and wound, those children would retreat back into the shadows when the father's rush to the scene. Marked with a saddened tragedy, the family dog was discover ruppe clean in half and laying on the grass.
September 18, 2024
2.5 rounded up.
This is an easy read, nothing wrong with Jensen's writing really, other than a lack of excitement. There's some pretty decent atmosphere, and I liked that the book took place over one night, but there were some dry patches in this. There's a large cast of characters as well, and I'm not sure that it wouldn't have been a better idea to focus on only a few of them to get the reader more invested. There's a very obvious twist coming for the entirety of the book, but there is a pretty bizarre and spooky climax when all is revealed. Totally passable, if somewhat generic, but a good palate cleanser if you're in the mood for something fairly straight forward.
This is an easy read, nothing wrong with Jensen's writing really, other than a lack of excitement. There's some pretty decent atmosphere, and I liked that the book took place over one night, but there were some dry patches in this. There's a large cast of characters as well, and I'm not sure that it wouldn't have been a better idea to focus on only a few of them to get the reader more invested. There's a very obvious twist coming for the entirety of the book, but there is a pretty bizarre and spooky climax when all is revealed. Totally passable, if somewhat generic, but a good palate cleanser if you're in the mood for something fairly straight forward.
September 10, 2019
Secrets never stay buried and the forgotten children of this town bring a reckoning long overdue. The town will never be the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2024
Definitely one of my new favorites of hers! Holy shit that was insane! Incredible storytelling too. Absolutely loved it!
September 21, 2024
loved it
I Loved it. I Would read the next ones by same author if they are on kindle or book !
I Loved it. I Would read the next ones by same author if they are on kindle or book !
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews