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.
The day has come for the final review of the Mr Todd’s Reckoning audiobook tour! I’d like to thank all the fabulous bloggers who have supported and shared their reviews throughout the tour, they’ve been excellent. I’d also like to thank Isis Audio for the opportunity to organise a tour for one of my favourite books of this year. I previously read Mr Todd’s Reckoning at the beginning of the year, so this review is a bit from my original review with added thoughts concerning the audiobook.
The audiobook of Mr Todd’s Reckoning was published on the 1st of August, written by Iain Maitland and narrated by Michael Simkins. I highly recommend listening to this one if you’re a fan of deliriously dark and twisted novels – claustrophobic hysteria meets a Norman Bates-esque character.
My Thoughts:
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.
Now, what did I think of the narration by Michael Simkins?
If there was ever a perfectly matched narrator to a novel, Simkins and Mr Todd’s Reckoning would be it. The way Michael distorts his voice to capture each individual character, even the dark, twisted Malcolm Todd. With each chapter, the vocal embodiment of this novel grasps me tighter and further tugs me into the storyline. I loved the physical copy of Mr Todd’s Reckoning and I really didn’t think that I could love it more that I did previously, but the narration has added a darker allure, a more sinister dimension to the the unfolding of an already creepy storyline. I applause this partnership, for me, the level of terrifying has been upped a notch (who knew that would be at all possible?!) and the tension is further heart quickening. So, all that being said, this audiobook was a full five star listen for me! Brilliant in the creepiest of ways! Dark and masterful!
Grab yourself a copy of this brilliant read here.
The Reading Closet 
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