The Last Child - Softcover

Hart MD, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 031238033X ISBN 13: 9780312380335

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2016

Synopsis

Winner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Novel

John Hart's New York Times bestselling debut, The King of Lies, announced the arrival of a major talent. With Down River, he surpassed his earlier success, transcending the barrier between thriller and literature and winning the 2008 Edgar Award for best novel. Now, with The Last Child, he achieves his most significant work to date, an intricate, powerful story of loss, hope, and courage in the face of evil.

Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he'd been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is---confident in a way that he can never fully explain.

Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene.

Then a second child goes missing . . .

Undeterred by Hunt's threats or his mother's pleas, Johnny enlists the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both boys to the limit.

Traveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom, between hopelessness and faith, The Last Child leaves all categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of unique power.

This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.

About this title

Review

'The Last Child is as satisfying as his previous books' (Guardian)

'Just once in a while a thriller comes along that makes you want to run out in the street and proclaim how good it is ? John Hart's third novel is one of those. Written with power, precision and an iron grip on character it makes him out as one of the outstanding talents of his generation ... it grips you by the throat and never lets go' (Daily Mail)

'A gripping thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat' (The Sun)

'Hart is emerging as one of the biggest new American talents in the psychological thriller field, and should be joining Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay on the bestseller lists' (Bookseller)

'Third novel from this rising US author' (Bookseller)

'I absolutely love this man's writing, and by that I mean all aspects of it: plotting, characterization and its lyrical quality ... John Hart has joined the highest ranks of crime fiction writing. Thank heavens he's a young man so we'll have his novels to enjoy for many years to come' (Deadly Pleasures)

'EDGAR Allan Poe Award winner John Hart does something in his latest book that few manage successfully: write a compelling thriller with a child as the main character... Hart, a former lawyer from the US deep south, writes finely detailed prose with a literary edge, a fine sense of atmosphere and just the right touches of creepy southern gothic' (The Weekend Australian)

'The main character in award winning author John Hart's thriller The Last Child, is a teenage boy turned vigilante, driven by the abduction of his older sister a year ago...a superb page- turner' (Illawarra Mercury (Australia))

'A roiling, boiling, seething stew of passion and conflict' (Courier Mail, (Australia))

'Brilliantly written with plenty of twists and clues' (Crimesquad website)

'A masterly and suspenseful thriller' (Good Book Guide)

Book Description

A thirteen year old boy turns vigilante to investigate the abduction of his twin sister

About this edition

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 031238033X
• ISBN 13: 9780312380335
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 576