Product Description

Going back is never easy . . . Adam Chase has spent the last five years in New York trying to forget. When he left North Carolina, Adam left for good. Now he has no choice but to return – and being remembered as a murderer doesn’t help.

Within hours of arriving, Adam is beaten up, accosted and has to face the hostility of those closest to him, including Grace, the young woman he cannot forget. Nothing has changed. And then people start turning up dead. For a man only just acquitted of murder, Adam’s homecoming does not go well. And he has a dark streak, a history of violence.

Everyone doubts. No one trusts him. And as the past threatens to overshadow the present, Adam becomes the prime suspect for the new murders. He alone can clear his name . . .

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #474 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'I don't always agree with the Richard & Judy recommendations, but this time I am with them all the way. This book is a really classy thriller, with a plot that is complex and beguiling without being too convoluted ! Whenever I thought that I had unravelled the plot, another twist left me flummoxed, and the solution had me blinking with surprise and admiration' -- Matthew Lewin, Guardian '[Hart] explores betrayal and forgiveness in indelible prose' -- Observer 'Hart spins a clever mystery and keeps skilful control of his plot' -- Sunday Telegraph 'Hart builds the suspense of this whodunit expertly' -- Douglas Wight, News of the World 'A Chandleresque thriller' -- Sunday Times 'A heart-pounding thriller that explores the dark side of human nature' -- Metro 'A gripping thriller full of twists and turns' -- Oldham Evening Chronicle 'Hart proves here he is certainly no one-hit wonder' -- Good Book Guide 'The story works both as a suspenseful whodunit and as a sensitive rumination on the emotional force of family dynamics' -- Washington Post 'If you value Harper Lee, James Lee Burke, Truman Capote and Michael Malone, its time to add John Hart to your bookshelves' -- New York Sun 'A novel about the power of family, how it defines and follows us, no matter how far or fast we run ... Evocative storytelling and lush prose' -- Boston Globe 'Splendid ... a beautifully constructed story of personal redemption, family secrets and murder a small-town epic, if there is such a thing' -- Booklist (starred review) 'A taut, entertaining thriller ... there are few books published that can legitimately be called a must-read, but this is one of them' -- Chicago Sun-Times 'This pacy, well-written mystery grabs you from the first page and keeps you there until the last.' **** -- MX Sydney Magazine 'The 'current hot kid of American crime fiction' -- TNT Magazine

Review

‘I don’t always agree with the Richard & Judy recommendations, but this time I am with them all the way. This book is a really classy thriller, with a plot that is complex and beguiling without being too convoluted … Whenever I thought that I had unravelled the plot, another twist left me flummoxed, and the solution had me blinking with surprise and admiration’

(Matthew Lewin, Guardian )

'[Hart] explores betrayal and forgiveness in indelible prose' (Observer )

'Hart spins a clever mystery and keeps skilful control of his plot' (Sunday Telegraph )

‘Hart builds the suspense of this whodunit expertly’

(Douglas Wight, News of the World )

‘A Chandleresque thriller’

(Sunday Times )

‘A heart-pounding thriller that explores the dark side of human nature’

(Metro )

‘A gripping thriller full of twists and turns’

(Oldham Evening Chronicle )

‘Hart proves here he is certainly no one-hit wonder’

(Good Book Guide )

'The story works both as a suspenseful whodunit and as a sensitive rumination on the emotional force of family dynamics' (Washington Post )

'If you value Harper Lee, James Lee Burke, Truman Capote and Michael Malone, its time to add John Hart to your bookshelves' (New York Sun )

'A novel about the power of family, how it defines and follows us, no matter how far or fast we run . . . Evocative storytelling and lush prose' (Boston Globe )

'Splendid . . . a beautifully constructed story of personal redemption, family secrets and murder a small-town epic, if there is such a thing' (Booklist (starred review) )

'A taut, entertaining thriller . . . there are few books published that can legitimately be called a must-read, but this is one of them' (Chicago Sun-Times )

'This pacy, well-written mystery grabs you from the first page and keeps you there until the last.' **** (MX Sydney Magazine )

‘The ‘current hot kid of American crime fiction’

(TNT Magazine )

Chicago Sun-Times
'There are few books published that can legitimately be called a must-read, but this is one of them'

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Customer Reviews

Good and Gripping
This is one of the those books that creates a world that you keep wanting to return to; you think about it during your working day and can't wait to get back into it.

It is not just the quality of the thriller that does this, but also the complex interplay of the characters and their relationships. There's always some new insight waiting for you every few pages.

Adam Chase makes an interesting hero. His anger and resentment keep surfacing and you understand how his impetuousness leads him into trouble, but comprehend why he does what he does.

The rest of his family is well-drawn, especially the step-brother Jamie and his sister Miriam. The character of Robin is slightly weaker, though not disappointingly so. She is a mature woman who has had to make hurtful decisions and live with the consequences.

The slow build of the story is not tedious, as is often the case with action thrillers. The denouement is not an obvious one, and does the reader's intelligence justice in its motivation and playing out.

There is something very filmic about this novel; it works like a classic American movie, and would make for a good evening at the cinema. This is perhaps what draws you so far into the story.

A great summer read
A great read. This is a fast paced drama with unique characters and a plot full of twists to keep you guessing. This book isnt as fast paced as something like the Da Vinci code, and not as meaningful or intelligent as many other books. But if you want a fast paced, atmospheric and clever mystery. I highly recommend this book.

Unimpressive and tedious
Often I read reviews on Amazon, where people have generally liked a novel, and there is one where the reviewer writes 'I must be missing something', or words to that effect. Well in the case of this novel, I must be that person, because I don't understand all the hype about it at all.

I just about forced myself to finish it as I was (just) interested enough to read the end, but only just. I kept thinking there must be some amazing twists in the plot to come, but they never arrived, and I had already realised what some of the outcomes were going to be earlier on in the book. This isn't a problem if the writing itself is stylish and the tale enthralling enough to keep one reading whether you have worked out the plot in advance or not, but in this case I don't think it is.

The main character, Adam Chase, finally returns to his home town to face the demons of his past, which saw him wrongly accused but fortunately acquitted of the murder of a local young man. The action centres around his family and a small circle of other inhabitants, and gradually unravels how their pasts have actually crossed and reveals hidden secrets that lead to the revelation of the real murderer, but not before a further murder and an assault have occured. Chase rekindles a romance with a local detective on his return and proceeds to antagonise her and the other detectives by going behind their backs to conduct his own investigations.

The relationships could have been built more believably, which would have evoked more empathy with the characters, or at least an understanding. It all just seems a bit sketchy.
If you want a very easy, undemanding read, which admittedly many readers do in the summertime, then maybe give this a try. Evidently many others have enjoyed it more. But I think there are other thrillers out there just as enjoyable but with more style to the writing and more depth to the characters than this one, with more pace and excitement. For me, it simply isn't in the same league as the brilliant 'A Quiet Belief in Angels' by R.J.Ellory, for example. I think I just like my tales a bit more meaty and substantial really.