What do you think?
Rate this book
The Accounting
Jon Willing was just a teenager when he and his pals Augie and Ben stole a fortune in drug money. Brazen with youth and stoned out of their gourds, they thought they had the perfect plan for getting away with it.
They were wrong.
Twenty-five years later, Jon’s marriage is on the rocks, his kids are virtual strangers, and the recession has taken his job and decimated his finances. Worst of all, when he finds Augie murdered in Vegas, he knows the past has risen from its grave to grab him by the throat.
The battle that ensues will send Jon skittering across a landscape wracked by the Great Recession to confront the demons of his past: the grade-school bully who has terrorized him for decades, the grandfather that betrayed him, the girl that got away. And in the middle of a fight to death, with his daughter’s life hanging in the balance, Jon Willing learns the most brutal of truths:
The piper always gets paid, and sometimes he gets paid in blood.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2013
247 people are currently reading
700 people want to read
About the author
William Lashner
49 books303 followersWilliam Lashner is a former criminal prosecutor with the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His novels have been published world-wide and have been nominated for two Shamus Awards, a Gumshoe Award, an Edgar Award, and been selected as an Editor’s Choice in the New York Times Book Review. When he was a kid his favorite books were The Count of Monte Cristo and any comic with the Batman on the cover.
Under the pseudonym Tyler Knox he wrote the noir novel, Kockroach.
Series:
* Victor Carl Mystery
Under the pseudonym Tyler Knox he wrote the noir novel, Kockroach.
Series:
* Victor Carl Mystery
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
November 23, 2014
Twenty-five years ago three young men made a decision that would forever change their lives. Now some old debts are to be paid back the hard way. Thugs and the mob are coming out of the woodwork now that some old rumors are being revisited surrounding a million dollar heist. Friends are not to be trusted and enemies may just save the day before all is said and done. A fast paced well written story topped off with good narration.
August 12, 2013
This highly entertaining noir novel verges on--but never quite achieves--greatness. In The Accounting, Lashner takes a well-worn noir plot (protagonist's past unexpectedly and brutally catches up with him) and enlivens the story through the funny and heartbreaking narration of the hero, JJ Moretti. This mortgage broker lives in some style in an idyllic Virginia suburb, but has lost his job, lost his connection to his daughter and son, and is about to lose his marriage. The fast-paced plot is set in motion in the opening chapters of the book, when Moretti arrives in Las Vegas to check on a friend (and co-conspirator from is youth). In these chapters, you see Lashner's strength and imagination as a writer. He has a knack for capturing a sense of place and time, of conveying the darkness and absurdity of the suburban American landscape during the financial crisis/housing crash, from Las Vegas to Philadelphia to Virginia to Florida. For example, he writes, "The residential parts of Vegas are lousy with walls. Every development is surrounded, every backyard. If Robert Frost had ever seen Vegas he would have had a breakdown." Those two sentence capture Lashner's delicate balance of the pathetic elements of his story: first, there is the genuine pathos, the hero's musings on the ugliness of Las Vegas' suburbia; second, there is the black humor, the attempt to live with this pathos by making light of it. The juxtaposition of Robert Frost, poet of the farms and woods of New England, with the suburban blight of Vegas is hilarious and effective. He probably would have had a breakdown. His characters are morally and spiritually impoverished, though not poor. In this regard, The Accounting has something in common with Scott Smith's classic, A Simple Plan, another noir novel set in the darkest heart of suburbia. Lashner conveys much more humor in this book (I don't recall laughing at all while reading Smith's novel), and his villains are never entirely villainous. But it does not ever rise to the level (or descend to the depths of evil) of Smith's work.
The novel suffers from frequent and jarring variations in tone. The Accounting's characters occasionally speak as though they are giving some perverse half-time speech, and the protagonist's philosophical musings can be tedious and out of place. Lashner also makes some odd choices about the details of the narrative. For example, he frequently mentions his wife's SUV by its make and/or model ("Lexus RX10" or just "RX10"). Details like that should convey something specific and meaningful. A suburban woman driving an SUV is a reasonable detail--identifying a cliche. But getting more detailed than that--worse, repeating the detail--interrupts the flow of the prose.
If Lashner were not such a good writer, I would not mention these things. But he writes some passages of brilliance, insight, and humor--comparing a character's teeth bouncing across the pavement to a roll of yahtzee, for example. This could have been a great book. It's merely good.
The novel suffers from frequent and jarring variations in tone. The Accounting's characters occasionally speak as though they are giving some perverse half-time speech, and the protagonist's philosophical musings can be tedious and out of place. Lashner also makes some odd choices about the details of the narrative. For example, he frequently mentions his wife's SUV by its make and/or model ("Lexus RX10" or just "RX10"). Details like that should convey something specific and meaningful. A suburban woman driving an SUV is a reasonable detail--identifying a cliche. But getting more detailed than that--worse, repeating the detail--interrupts the flow of the prose.
If Lashner were not such a good writer, I would not mention these things. But he writes some passages of brilliance, insight, and humor--comparing a character's teeth bouncing across the pavement to a roll of yahtzee, for example. This could have been a great book. It's merely good.
May 15, 2013
I have finished my first novel by William Lashner named The Accounting. I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. Before receiving it, I had never heard of Lashner, now I am sure to put him on my list of authors I need to catch up on.
Jon Willing is being hunted down by his past where he and two other friends, 25 years earlier, stole a buttload of money from some very unsavory people who are looking to collect. After finding Augie, his partner in crime, dead in his Las Vegas home, the debt collectors are hot on his trail. Suddenly he is on the run from the past mistake he made as a teenager. This lapse in judgement places him and his family in harms way.
Jon narrates as he travels from Las Vegas to his home town Pitchford (as well as other states) where he comes to terms with his past. He encounters lost loves, old friends, childhood bullies, and estranged family members. There is enough depth and background information given that you can't help but hope this guy succeeds in getting away from his bill collectors and finally let the past rest where it is. The pieces in Jon's character that may be missing from his own reflections are provided to us by the people he comes in contact with their assessment of his actions.
One other thing done well in this novel is the amount of action and suspense it maintains. When Jon is recounting the times in the past he shared with his pals and is the catalyst for his current situation is the only time it may become slow but Lashner throws in a bit of whit to keep readers eyes glued. One glaring notion planted in the back of my head is how did they get found out and why wouldn't the bill collectors assume the money is gone . Or why did it take so long for them to come? It seemed like a lot of effort for a payday that could never come. Thankfully, Lashner satisfies these concerns over the course of the novel.
Fans of William Lashner will be happy with this exciting novel. Readers who have not read any of his other books may want to start here since it is not a part of a series such as his other books are. FYI the book blurb gives away a part of the plot that doesn't happen until 75% in the novel so if at all possible, skip reading the back of the book and just go in for page one.
Jon Willing is being hunted down by his past where he and two other friends, 25 years earlier, stole a buttload of money from some very unsavory people who are looking to collect. After finding Augie, his partner in crime, dead in his Las Vegas home, the debt collectors are hot on his trail. Suddenly he is on the run from the past mistake he made as a teenager. This lapse in judgement places him and his family in harms way.
Jon narrates as he travels from Las Vegas to his home town Pitchford (as well as other states) where he comes to terms with his past. He encounters lost loves, old friends, childhood bullies, and estranged family members. There is enough depth and background information given that you can't help but hope this guy succeeds in getting away from his bill collectors and finally let the past rest where it is. The pieces in Jon's character that may be missing from his own reflections are provided to us by the people he comes in contact with their assessment of his actions.
One other thing done well in this novel is the amount of action and suspense it maintains. When Jon is recounting the times in the past he shared with his pals and is the catalyst for his current situation is the only time it may become slow but Lashner throws in a bit of whit to keep readers eyes glued. One glaring notion planted in the back of my head is how did they get found out and why wouldn't the bill collectors assume the money is gone . Or why did it take so long for them to come? It seemed like a lot of effort for a payday that could never come. Thankfully, Lashner satisfies these concerns over the course of the novel.
Fans of William Lashner will be happy with this exciting novel. Readers who have not read any of his other books may want to start here since it is not a part of a series such as his other books are. FYI the book blurb gives away a part of the plot that doesn't happen until 75% in the novel so if at all possible, skip reading the back of the book and just go in for page one.
January 11, 2014
My first William Lashner book. It had a nice pace. I never got bored. And though it was a thriller, there were some laugh out loud moments as well as some that pulled on the heart strings.
September 27, 2015
I enjoyed this thriller quite a lot. The premise sounded too familiar, but Lashner delivered a darkly comic tale of a person trying to stay alive while at the same time trying to figure out whether his life deserves saving. Unlike some readers, I found the protagonist Jon Willing to be sympathetic, although certainly flawed; I liked watching him wrestle his way to redemption while somehow keeping his self deprecating, black sense of humor in place.
The themes of dysfunctional families, old friendships and long held secrets were competently handled, but to me, the most interesting reading was Lashner's wry look at upper middle class suburbia, particularly in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. Lashner's portrayal of Jon's soul searching over his life choices is funny and sad and familiar, and the tongue in cheek tone (and sometimes surreal dialogue and events) doesn't make it any less affecting.
In the end, Lashner captures the ambivalence of many suburban dwellers - we didn't move to suburbia to hide from the bad guys, but like Jon Willing, we sometimes have second thoughts about whether it's all it was cracked up to be.
I really loved Lashner's The Barkeep, and while this is a completely different kind of story, it includes similarly skillful plotting.
I listened to the audio book narrated by Eric G. Dove; Dove captures Willing's voice perfectly and does a terrific job with the other characters as well.
The themes of dysfunctional families, old friendships and long held secrets were competently handled, but to me, the most interesting reading was Lashner's wry look at upper middle class suburbia, particularly in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. Lashner's portrayal of Jon's soul searching over his life choices is funny and sad and familiar, and the tongue in cheek tone (and sometimes surreal dialogue and events) doesn't make it any less affecting.
In the end, Lashner captures the ambivalence of many suburban dwellers - we didn't move to suburbia to hide from the bad guys, but like Jon Willing, we sometimes have second thoughts about whether it's all it was cracked up to be.
I really loved Lashner's The Barkeep, and while this is a completely different kind of story, it includes similarly skillful plotting.
I listened to the audio book narrated by Eric G. Dove; Dove captures Willing's voice perfectly and does a terrific job with the other characters as well.
June 29, 2013
The piper must always be paid...
"The Accounting" is an excellent tale that draws the reader in from the first page. It is fast-paced, full of complex twists and turns, and it was loads of fun to read.
Is it theft when you take a BUNCH of money from a drug selling motorcycle gang?
Friendships, family, secrets, "debt collectors," a motorcycle gang, deceit, bad guys, good guys, middle-of-the-road guys, redemption - all rolled together in this stand-alone winner from author Lashner.
Smooth flowing dialogue, well-developed characters, a plot that kept me zooming from page to page. I loved this latest offering from Lashner and highly recommend it to anyone that likes thrillers, mysteries, or just a darn good book.
"The Accounting" is an excellent tale that draws the reader in from the first page. It is fast-paced, full of complex twists and turns, and it was loads of fun to read.
Is it theft when you take a BUNCH of money from a drug selling motorcycle gang?
Friendships, family, secrets, "debt collectors," a motorcycle gang, deceit, bad guys, good guys, middle-of-the-road guys, redemption - all rolled together in this stand-alone winner from author Lashner.
Smooth flowing dialogue, well-developed characters, a plot that kept me zooming from page to page. I loved this latest offering from Lashner and highly recommend it to anyone that likes thrillers, mysteries, or just a darn good book.
May 23, 2014
William Lashner tells the story of three best friends who commit an act as teenagers that follows them the rest of their lives. Yes, at some point there comes an accounting of your life and this is the story of that accounting. I really like the way the plot developed and the resolution was different than I had imagined - always a good thing!! I highly recommend this book.
November 24, 2014
A departure from his wonderful Victor Carl series- I really enjoyed his writing and inclusion of Philadelphia and had trouble putting it down per usual. One of my favorite authors.
March 8, 2018
This book rambles. Too much common dialogue that adds up to nothing. The characters are not likable and the protagonist is an asshole. He cheats, he steals, he lies and cusses like a sailor. Above all, he's selfish. There is nothing redeemable about him.
The story starts with the killing of his "best friend" out in Vegas. Linked to a robbery they did when they were kids. The people he stole from have become gangsters and have found out who did it and want revenge. So they come after him and his family. They abduct his daughter. In the meanwhile the guy is cheating on his wife and falsifying information to anyone that will listen. He's an amateur around firearms, but he's gonna go buy one. The sequence around purchasing the firearm is painful. Anyone that knows about them or has bought one knows the process. And at the end of it, he doesn't end up purchasing the gun??? W.T.F. Why even put it in there?
The ending is not satisfying at all. While he gets reunited with his daughter, the rest of the end is bland and unexciting.
The story starts with the killing of his "best friend" out in Vegas. Linked to a robbery they did when they were kids. The people he stole from have become gangsters and have found out who did it and want revenge. So they come after him and his family. They abduct his daughter. In the meanwhile the guy is cheating on his wife and falsifying information to anyone that will listen. He's an amateur around firearms, but he's gonna go buy one. The sequence around purchasing the firearm is painful. Anyone that knows about them or has bought one knows the process. And at the end of it, he doesn't end up purchasing the gun??? W.T.F. Why even put it in there?
The ending is not satisfying at all. While he gets reunited with his daughter, the rest of the end is bland and unexciting.
May 31, 2018
This is really a fun book. A new take on an old theme, with an overbearing narrator who is somewhat saved by a sense of humor. Couple of quotes: "Sometimes the life we end up living is not enough, sometimes we need a secret to give it the grandeur an enterprise like living in this world requires,..." "Think of me as the cold wind that blows through your life, putting everything back into balance." This second quote is from a thoroughly bad guy who nonetheless does have a grip on the truism that our actions are the ground upon which we stand. I don't believe the whole balance thing and have you ever noticed that people who absolutely love their work are either saints or psychopaths? But this story is a poster board for the title.
August 24, 2019
Books with witty and even smart-ass protagonist are my favorite reads. Jon Willing the hero of "The Accounting" is near the top of that list of that wisecracking list. Lashner is perhaps a little over the top even for me, Willing is so witty he's almost unbelievable. His dialogue is the strength of this book. Sure there's plenty of action and quite a few twist as Willing finds that trips down memory lane are hard to come by and people don't stay in the boxes which our memory has placed them. jon Willing almost made me forget Lashner's signature character (IMHO) Victor Carl, that's how amusing he was. Victor is not quite as humorous, but he has more depth. Please William Lashner, give us a new Victor Carl novel.
January 21, 2024
I was hoping to launch into a quick fun read for 2024, and this didn't disappoint, sending our main character hunted and on the run almost from the start. Along the way, he discovers a lot about himself, reconciles much from his past, and finds that the true value in life is in the people in it, not the stuff.
There are definitely some stretches made here in terms of how the main character manages to get in and out of some tangles, especially considering he's somewhat of an ordinary guy with just a really big, long kept secret. Honestly, though, I was really just looking for something that would be entertaining and even in the periods of disbelief, I was entertained, so I got exactly what I was looking for.
There are definitely some stretches made here in terms of how the main character manages to get in and out of some tangles, especially considering he's somewhat of an ordinary guy with just a really big, long kept secret. Honestly, though, I was really just looking for something that would be entertaining and even in the periods of disbelief, I was entertained, so I got exactly what I was looking for.
October 2, 2017
This story of a man’s dangerous past catching up with him has the trademark Lashner humor, but it is darker and more serious than his other novels. It is also very geographic moving from Las Vegas to Philadelphia to a small town in the east to Virginia, Florida, and back to Vegas. A good reads reviewer says that the tone is inconsistent, and I agree with that. This story amounts to a late coming of age tale with many observations about fathers, parenting, friendship, and marriage. Also a lot of beatings and blood because this is, after all, a noir thriller.
April 24, 2018
The Accounting is a good, well-flowing novel from William Lashner
From the opening sentence to the last word, I found the Accounting to be a n interesting book with.characters that were fun to love and hate. Most of these characters, like all of us, have redeeming qualities that I certainly identify with. Consider reading this book as a launch pad to the numerical works of William Lashner
From the opening sentence to the last word, I found the Accounting to be a n interesting book with.characters that were fun to love and hate. Most of these characters, like all of us, have redeeming qualities that I certainly identify with. Consider reading this book as a launch pad to the numerical works of William Lashner
January 18, 2020
Satisfying Story
This his the first book that I've read by William Lashner and I really enjoyed it. Story of three kids who love each other like brothers. Who steal a fortune in drug money and thus begins the story of friendship and betrayal as their lives unfold. They think that they have gotten away with the theft. But 25 years later the past catches up with them. A good story, well plotted and easily rolls along.
This his the first book that I've read by William Lashner and I really enjoyed it. Story of three kids who love each other like brothers. Who steal a fortune in drug money and thus begins the story of friendship and betrayal as their lives unfold. They think that they have gotten away with the theft. But 25 years later the past catches up with them. A good story, well plotted and easily rolls along.
June 17, 2018
I enjoyed the book overall, I think that Mr Lashner has an extremely enjoyable writing style. The story though, well maybe I found it a little unbelievable because I don't associate with the types of characters that the central story is involved with.
I will continue reading stories produced by this author.
I will continue reading stories produced by this author.
February 10, 2020
It ain’t Carl, but it’s really hood!
Lashner has done it again. A great read and a bit of an adventure book along with some mystery as the main character figures out what is going on. I really enjoy the Victor Carl character, so I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but Lashner came through!
Lashner has done it again. A great read and a bit of an adventure book along with some mystery as the main character figures out what is going on. I really enjoy the Victor Carl character, so I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but Lashner came through!
November 20, 2017
Unlikely hero
What an arduous rask, building this twisting tale of a creepy dweeb and his secret misadventure into a man without a single shred of hope to survive when it finally falls apart, like the rest of his life. But it is a twisted tale and a pretty fun read.
What an arduous rask, building this twisting tale of a creepy dweeb and his secret misadventure into a man without a single shred of hope to survive when it finally falls apart, like the rest of his life. But it is a twisted tale and a pretty fun read.
January 18, 2018
I admit, I had low expectations of this book. But it is beautifully written and totally riveting. What an amazing story! Kudos to the author who seems to have a knack of creating magic with his characters.
February 21, 2018
Another WOW
I just love William Lashner's books, he is one of my favorite authors. This was a great read and I will be reading all of the books I haven't read yet.
If you haven't read him do yourself a favor and read this book!
I just love William Lashner's books, he is one of my favorite authors. This was a great read and I will be reading all of the books I haven't read yet.
If you haven't read him do yourself a favor and read this book!
February 24, 2018
Suspense, friends, and family
Great plot. Believable characters. Kept me guessing. Lots of twists. A good one that I enjoyed reading. Looking back and forward made for an interesting timeline.
Great plot. Believable characters. Kept me guessing. Lots of twists. A good one that I enjoyed reading. Looking back and forward made for an interesting timeline.
March 13, 2018
Excellent read!
Loved those three boys who stole all that money. Also loved the humor and excitement in this book. There were some sad parts too. Can't wait to read another great novel by Mr. Lashner.
Loved those three boys who stole all that money. Also loved the humor and excitement in this book. There were some sad parts too. Can't wait to read another great novel by Mr. Lashner.
November 4, 2017
while I was not particularly enthralled with the writing style, a well-told story that starts with weak plot. Tough to read the 400 plus pages, but would recommend as an audio book.
January 31, 2018
Great story.
Captivating with nice plot twist. Loved it from start to finish. The narrator was very engaging and has a wide range of voices.
Captivating with nice plot twist. Loved it from start to finish. The narrator was very engaging and has a wide range of voices.
July 29, 2018
Great book!
One of the best books I have read. Jon Ben and Auggie are very believable. You will love it! Wonderful!
One of the best books I have read. Jon Ben and Auggie are very believable. You will love it! Wonderful!
September 15, 2018
This book struggled to keep my attention! The premise of the story was good, however, it just seemed to take a really long time to get there!
September 8, 2019
Suspenseful
Many twists and turns in this story. Held your interest and also left you thinking about the characters when the story was ended. Good read
Many twists and turns in this story. Held your interest and also left you thinking about the characters when the story was ended. Good read
February 28, 2020
Excellent
Deeper than a thriller but more exciting than a character novel. Wonderful characters especially the bikie boss. I loved it.
Deeper than a thriller but more exciting than a character novel. Wonderful characters especially the bikie boss. I loved it.
April 3, 2020
I like the mistake/action made in the past coming back to bite your butt plot aspect. Also the way the past events were revealed..
July 6, 2020
Interesting premise, but a bit long and filled with caricatures more than characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews