Iron House by John HartPublisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Publish Date: July 12, 2011
Hardcover, 464 pages
Fiction, Suspense
ISBN: 978-0312380342
Fiction, Suspense
ISBN: 978-0312380342
My Review:
I have read and enjoyed John Hart's books before. As a North Carolina author I picked up his books several years ago and read and really enjoyed The King of Lies and Down River. But Mr. Hart has really stepped things up a notch with Iron House and that is saying something because his earlier books were wonderful to me. The way he writes is lyrical and it draws you right into the story. He is a masterful southern writer and I have really enjoyed him in the past and I really enjoyed Iron House even more.
The suspense was amazing. Even after I started putting things together he managed to ratchet things up another notch or two and still surprise me. The story was weaves brilliantly from beginning to end and the characters were vivid and some I never could figure out whether I loved them or hated them. But Michael, dear Michael. I did love Michael. Yes he has done bad things, but he wanted to change and he had such a good heart in this book even when he did bad things, and he could do some bad things. I loved how complex he was but how much I could like him just the same. Julian wasn't fleshed out as much but I liked him too because of Michael and his love for him.
The bad guys are bad and there are some that are in between. Lines are crossed, there are grey areas. I don't want to give anything away. I just want to say that Iron House is one of the most interesting and masterful pieces of suspenseful fiction that I have read in quite a while. From the first page to the last, I had a hard time putting this one down. The plot is tight, the characters intriguing and well-drawn out and the pages just seem to turn themselves. Try it, by page 10 you will be hooked.
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
About the Book:
An old man is dying.
When the old man is dead they will come for him.
And they will come for her, to make him hurt.
John Hart has written three New York Times bestsellers and won an unprecedented two back-to-back Edgar Awards. His books have been called “masterful” (Jeffery Deaver) and “gripping” (People) with “Grisham-style intrigue and Turow-style brooding” (The New York Times). Now he delivers his fourth novel—a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping thriller no reader will soon forget.
HE WOULD GO TO HELL
At the Iron Mountain Home for Boys, there was nothing but time. Time to burn and time to kill, time for two young orphans to learn that life isn’t won without a fight. Julian survives only because his older brother, Michael, is fearless and fiercely protective. When tensions boil over and a boy is brutally killed, there is only one sacrifice left for Michael to make: He flees the orphanage and takes the blame with him.
TO KEEP HER SAFE
For two decades, Michael has been an enforcer in New York’s world of organized crime, a prince of the streets so widely feared he rarely has to kill anymore. But the life he’s fought to build unravels when he meets Elena, a beautiful innocent who teaches him the meaning and power of love. He wants a fresh start with her, the chance to start a family like the one he and Julian never had. But someone else is holding the strings. And escape is not that easy. . . .
GO TO HELL, AND COME BACK BURNING
The mob boss who gave Michael his blessing to begin anew is dying, and his son is intent on making Michael pay for his betrayal. Determined to protect the ones he loves, Michael spirits Elena—who knows nothing of his past crimes, or the peril he’s laid at her door— back to North Carolina, to the place he was born and the brother he lost so long ago. There, he will encounter a whole new level of danger, a thicket of deceit and violence that leads inexorably to the one place he’s been running from his whole life: Iron House.
When the old man is dead they will come for him.
And they will come for her, to make him hurt.
John Hart has written three New York Times bestsellers and won an unprecedented two back-to-back Edgar Awards. His books have been called “masterful” (Jeffery Deaver) and “gripping” (People) with “Grisham-style intrigue and Turow-style brooding” (The New York Times). Now he delivers his fourth novel—a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping thriller no reader will soon forget.
HE WOULD GO TO HELL
At the Iron Mountain Home for Boys, there was nothing but time. Time to burn and time to kill, time for two young orphans to learn that life isn’t won without a fight. Julian survives only because his older brother, Michael, is fearless and fiercely protective. When tensions boil over and a boy is brutally killed, there is only one sacrifice left for Michael to make: He flees the orphanage and takes the blame with him.
TO KEEP HER SAFE
For two decades, Michael has been an enforcer in New York’s world of organized crime, a prince of the streets so widely feared he rarely has to kill anymore. But the life he’s fought to build unravels when he meets Elena, a beautiful innocent who teaches him the meaning and power of love. He wants a fresh start with her, the chance to start a family like the one he and Julian never had. But someone else is holding the strings. And escape is not that easy. . . .
GO TO HELL, AND COME BACK BURNING
The mob boss who gave Michael his blessing to begin anew is dying, and his son is intent on making Michael pay for his betrayal. Determined to protect the ones he loves, Michael spirits Elena—who knows nothing of his past crimes, or the peril he’s laid at her door— back to North Carolina, to the place he was born and the brother he lost so long ago. There, he will encounter a whole new level of danger, a thicket of deceit and violence that leads inexorably to the one place he’s been running from his whole life: Iron House.
About the Author:
John Hart is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, The King of Lies, Down River and The Last Child. The only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels, John has also won the Barry Award and England's Steel Dagger Award for best thriller of the year. His books have been translated into twenty-nine languages and can be found in over fifty countries. A former criminal defense attorney, John has also worked as a banker, stockbroker, and apprentice helicopter mechanic. A husband and father of two, he spends his time in North Carolina and Virginia.
Website
Posts
2 comments:
I haven't read John Hart before, but this does sound good!
2 Kids and Tired Books
This book is smooth...it plays a movie in your head. It is startling and unique. Definitely gives you something to think about for days. I love that it wraps up tidy without leaving you confused or wanting.
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I love comments on the blog and do take the time to read them.