Down River (Reprint) (Paperback) by John Hart

About the Book

An Edgar Award-winner for Best Novel, "Down River" is the heart-pounding story of a river whose banks are filled with lies and murder, and the man whose destiny lies deep below its surface.

Book Synopsis

A powerful, heart-pounding thriller from the unparalleled New York Times bestselling and two-time Edgar Award-winning author of The Last Child and The King of Lies, Down River will haunt your thoughts long after the last page is turned.

Adam Chase has a violent streak, and for good reason. As a boy, he saw things no child should witness, suffered wounds that left him misunderstood--a fighter. Even grown, he remains dangerous and unpredictable, so that when he narrowly beats a murder charge, he's hounded out of town, exiled for a sin he did not commit. For five long years, he disappears. But now he's back, and no one knows why - not his family or the cops, not the enemies he left behind. But Adam has his reasons. Attacked within hours of his return, the tone of his homecoming is set. As bodies turn up and the town rises in anger, Adam again finds himself in the fight of his life, not just to prove his innocence, but to reclaim the only life he's ever wanted. Secrets build on secrets, emotions tear, and more than one person crosses the brink as Hart examines the lengths to which people will go for money, family, and revenge.
Praise for John Hart and Down River:

[Hart] combines gripping plots with a wonderful gift for prose, making his books literary crowd-pleasers that appeal to the brain as well as the emotions. There are few books published that can legitimately be called a must-read, but this is one of them. --Chicago Sun Times

If you value Harper Lee, James Lee Burke, Truman Capote, and Michael Malone... it's time to add John Hart to your bookshelves. --Otto Penzler, The New York Sun

An artist adding layers of paint ... Hart takes his time, snaring the reader with evocative storytelling and lush prose along with the usual quota of conflict and murder. --The Boston Globe

[A] complex, emotionally charged novel... Down River is a beautifully constructed story of personal redemption, family secrets, and murder.... A truly splendid novel with a deep emotional core. --Booklist (starred)

The thrills come fast and furious. --Washington Post

Nail-biting suspense. -Raleigh News and Observer

Richly atmospheric... should settle once and for all the question of whether thrillers and mysteries can also be literature. -Publishers Weekly, starred review

Falls squarely in the league of the best of Southern novels. --South Florida Sun Sentinel

Review Quotes

"This book should settle once and for all the question of whether thrillers and mysteries can also be literature." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"As in his Edgar-nominated debut, The King of Lies, Hart takes his time, snaring the reader with evocative storytelling and lush prose." --Boston Globe

"Down River falls squarely in the league of the best of Southern novels." --South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"A sensitive rumination on the emotional force of family dynamics." --Washington Post

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

"An engrossing, bittersweet reading experience that expertly evokes William Faulkner, John Grisham, and John Berendt." --Mystery Scene

"If you value Harper Lee, James Lee Burke, Truman Capote, and Michael Malone... it's time to add John Hart to your bookshelves." --Otto Penzler, New York Sun

"Down River is a beautifully constructed story of personal redemption, family secrets, and murder--a small-town epic.... A truly splendid novel with a deep emotional core." --Booklist (starred review)

"Hart's sophomore effort surpasses his debut... this work is reminiscent of Raymond Chandler's novels.... The writing is simply superb." --Library Journal (starred review)

"Sometimes, early success can be a curse for a writer....That's definitely not the case with North Carolina's John Hart...With Down River...he's only gotten better." --Winston-Salem Journal

"Hart's work invokes the spirit of the best of southern literature. Down River puts readers in the mind of topics explored by Thomas Wolfe, Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner, with a contemporary vision and edge that is memorable and haunting. Hart is a deep and strong talent whose future offerings will be greatly anticipated and welcomed." --Book Reporter

About The Author

John Hart is the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Child and The King of Lies. The only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels, he has also won the Barry Award and England's Steel Dagger Award for best thriller of the year. He was born and raised in North Carolina. For a time he practiced criminal defense law, but left to focus on his writing.