Down River

Down River is the winner of the Edgar Award for Best NovelEverything that shaped him happened near that riverNow its banks are filled with lies and greed shame and murderJohn Harts debut The King of Lies was compelling and lyrical with Janet Maslin of The New York Timesdeclaring There hasnt been a thriller as showily literate since Scott Turow came along Now in Down River Hart makes a scorching return to Rowan County where he drives his characters to the edge explores the dark side of human nature and questions the fundamental power of forgivenessAdam hase has a violent streak and not without reason As a boy he saw things that no child should see suffered wounds that cut to the core and scarred thin The trauma left him passionate and misunderstood---a fighter After being narrowly acquitted of a murder charge Adam is hounded out of the only home hes ever known exiled for a sin he did not commit For five long years he disappears fades into the faceless gray of New York City Now hes back and nobody knows why not his family or the cops not the enemies he left behindBut Adam has his reasonsWithin hours of his return he is beaten and accosted confronted by his family and the women he still holds dear No one knows what to make of Adams return but when bodies start turning up the small town rises against him and Adam again finds himself embroiled in the fight of his life not just to prove his own innocence but to reclaim the only life hes ever wantedBestselling author John Hart holds nothing back as he strips his characters bare Secrets explode emotions tear and more than one person crosses the brink into deadly behavior as he examines the lengths to which people will go for money family and revengeA powerful heart-pounding thriller Down River will haunt your thoughts long after the last page is turnedPraise for John Hart and The King of LiesTreat yourself to something new and truly out of the ordinary---Rocky Mountain NewsA top-notch debut Harts prose is like Raymond Chandlers angular and hard--Entertainment Weekly grade AA gripping performance---People magazineA marriage of carefully crafted prose alongside have-to-keep-reading suspense---The Denver PostA masterful piece of writing---The News amp Observer Raleigh NCA gripping mysterythriller and a fully fleshed thoughtful work of literature---Winston-Salem JournalThe King of Lies moves and reads like a book on fire ---Pat ConroyJohn Harts debut is that most engrossing of rarities a well-plotted mystery novel that is written in a beautifully poetic style---Mark Childress author of Crazy in AlabamaGrisham-style intrigue and Turow-style brooding---The New York Times.