The Last Child: A Novel

by John Hart

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312642369
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 2.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 1.2" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Captivating

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Twists and turns keep you guessing as to what happened to Alyssa and how things will turn out for all characters in the end. Well-written and a captivating story. I'll definitely read other books by Hart.

A great book from start to finish!

The writing and detail was superb! Author really set the scene! Highly recommend!

When you have the drive to find answers, keep searching…

This is the first John Hart book I have read. The Last Child did not disappoint and I will be reading more of his work! What a roller coaster of emotions this one brought on. Twists and turns all the way through. Thank you, John Hart, for sharing your talent with us all!

You will not be disappointed!

Such a well written fast past thriller. Would love to see a movie version made. This story entails drug and alchohol abuse, physical abuse, missing children and murder. You will never guess who is involved in the murder until the last few pages. Would also recommend other novels by John Hart. You will not be disappointed!

Read till my eyes hurt

Amazing The characters were so real; the story different from my usual reads Going to keep my eyes open for more of his novels

Spellbound

Could not put it down

Full of suspense

This was my first book by John Hart. I was impressed with his ability to write from a child's perspective and keep it realistic. The story is about Johnny, who's sister was abducted a year ago, and his determination to find her. The plot is full of suspense, with twists that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Hart does it again!

John Hart's writing career got off to a bang as his first two novels earned as much acclaim as any young writer in recent memory. One had to wonder if he could keep up the momentum... Thankfully, "The Last Child" proves that Hart is here to stay. I found "The Last Child" to be the best of Hart's three... a true page-turner of the highest order. Hart does an excellent job of maintaining a blistering pace in the novel without sacrificing the literary style that makes him so much more interesting than the cookie-cutter mystery authors of our day. The book differs from his others as it is written from the perspective of several of the characters (namely a 13-year old boy). The change of viewpoint adds an extra layer of complexity and intrigue to the plotline, and speaks to Hart's maturity as a writer. Like his previous two books, "The Last Child" has enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing throughout. Despite all those moving parts, I was pleased that the various outcomes don't feel contrived or forced. All in all, "The Last Child" proves that Hart is a rare talent -- not a flash-in-the-pan. For lovers of great mystery, that is a blessing. I eagerly await his next edition...

Thrilling page turner! I couldn't put it down.

One year ago, Alyssa Merrimon went missing, and all presumed she was dead...everyone but her 13-year-old twin brother Johnny. After her disappearance, it became Johnny's mission to find her. With a worn map showing the local predators, Johnny searches his North Carolina hometown for any sign of his missing sister. Equally obsessed (but for different reasons) is detective Clyde Hunt, who has lost almost everything in his search for Alyssa, and will lose even more if he can't put the case behind him. Then, another girl goes missing just as a mysterious bear of a man shows up in town. Full of intrigue, suspense, and richly developed characters, this is John Hart's best work to date. This book will keep you engrossed throughout, all the way up to the surprise finish that Hart has become known for. A MUST READ!!!!

From Zero to Sixty on First Page

"The Last Child" is the latest mystery/thriller from North Carolinian John Hart, who has jumped to early New York Times Best-Sellerdom on the strength of his two earlier novels, The King of Lies (06) that was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel; and Down River(07) that won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. This young author, a practicing attorney in the west of the state, is obviously setting quite a sizzling pace with his output, and "Last Child" is not likely to slow him down. The novel is set in the poor sand hill country of the state. It centers on 13-year old Johnny Merrimon, whose twin sister,Alyssa, disappeared a year ago. No trace of her has since been found, despite the best efforts of Detective Clive Hunt, who can be considered more-than-concerned, and half in love with Johnny's beautiful mom, who has been desolated by the loss of her daughter. And, in his inconsolable grief, Johnny's father has disappeared, also. So Johnny has taken to looking for his sister himself, with a bike and tax maps, on the dark side of town, where the pedophiles live. It is an extremely dangerous undertaking. "Last Child" goes from zero to sixty on its first page, and never stops. Jumps out big and powerful, and continues in that way to the end. Boasts strong character development for a mystery, a tight, complex, riveting plot, a great eye for natural and human landscapes, beautiful, observant, and detailed nature writing. Let me just quote a paragraph, as Johnny is illegally driving his Mom's old car: "The road bent away from the river, and swamp began to push in from both sides. The road rose a few feet, until it was a high strip above soft earth and dark water that flashed beyond gashes in the trees. Johnny rounded a bend and almost struck a snapping turtle that sunned in the middle of the road. Its shell was two feet across, black with dried algae. He steered around it and it opened its hooked mouth as they passed." Hart recently spoke at a mystery book weekend tossed by the Wilmington (N.C.) public library: I wasn't able to catch him, as I had North Carolina Symphony tickets that night. But fellow members of the library mystery book club who did see him reported that he was personable, a fun speaker, and more than that, "nice." Now, I read and reviewed Hart's earlier "King of Lies," and wasn't that crazy about it, don't remember why not; but this book blows me away. And I ordinarily don't much care for young boy protagonists, on the theory, I guess, that I've never been, and never will be one; accordingly, I don't even read Stephen King. Still, I must say that this book deserves to be a best seller as big as its predecessors.

From Zero to Sixty on First Page

"The Last Child" is the latest mystery/thriller from North Carolinian John Hart, who has jumped to early New York Times Best-Sellerdom on the strength of his two earlier novels, The King of Lies (06) that was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel; and Down River(07) that won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. This young author, a practicing attorney in the west of the state, is obviously setting quite a sizzling pace with his output, and "Last Child" is not likely to slow him down. The novel is set in the poor sand hill country of the state. It centers on 13-year old Johnny Merrymon, whose twin sister,Alyssa, disappeared a year ago. No trace of her has since been found, despite the best efforts of Detective Clive Hunt, who can be considered more-than-concerned, and half in love with Johnny's beautiful mom, who has been desolated by the loss of her daughter. And, in his inconsolable grief, Johnny's father has disappeared, also. So Johnny has taken to looking for his sister himself, with a bike and tax maps, on the dark side of town, where the pedophiles live. It is an extremely dangerous undertaking. "Last Child" goes from zero to sixty on its first page, and never stops. Jumps out big and powerful, and continues in that way to the end. Boasts strong character development for a mystery, a tight, complex, riveting plot, a great eye for natural and human landscapes, beautiful, observant, and detailed nature writing. Let me just quote a paragraph, as Johnny is illegally driving his Mom's old car: "The road bent away from the river, and swamp began to push in from both sides. The road rose a few feet, until it was a high strip above soft earth and dark water that flashed beyond gashes in the trees. Johnny rounded a bend and almost struck a snapping turtle that sunned in the middle of the road. Its shell was two feet across, black with dried algae. He steered around it and it opened its hooked mouth as they passed." Hart recently spoke at a mystery book weekend tossed by the Wilmington (N.C.) public library: I wasn't able to catch him, as I had North Carolina Symphony tickets that night. But fellow members of the library mystery book club who did see him reported that he was personable, a fun speaker, and more than that, "nice." Now, I read and reviewed Hart's earlier "King of Lies," and wasn't that crazy about it, don't remember why not; but this book blows me away. And I ordinarily don't much care for young boy protagonists, on the theory, I guess, that I've never been, and never will be one; accordingly, I don't even read Stephen King. Still, I must say that this book deserves to be a best seller as big as its predecessors.