The Last Child (Wheeler Large Print Book Series)
ISBN: 1597229857
Number Of Pages: 657
Best book I've read in a while!
The deeply interwoven story line is like an intricate spiderweb. I love reading stories that are completely connected to come full circle at the end leaving me feeling satiated like I had just finished a fine meal!!! I will be looking out for more from this author and will be checking out the rest of his work very soon.
More Hart please!
Johnny Merrimon was born a twin. Unfortunately, Johnny only got to know his sister, Alyssa for thirteen years. His father forgot to pick his sister up after work. That was the last time anyone ever saw her again. His mother blamed his father to the point that he left them.
Johnny can't state his mother's depression. Johnny decides to set out and check every neighbor from here to there. He won't rest till he finds his sister.
Detective Clyde Hunt can't forgive himself. Though, everyone has told him that he did everything he could to locate Alyssa, he still believes he could have done more. Detective Hunt's guilt has him keeping a watchful eye over Johnny. He doesn't want anything to happen to him. Sorrow will forge a friendship and bond between Detective Hunt and Johnny.
Mr. Hart has struck gold with The Last Child. He really brought this book to life. The characters jumped off the pages. The dynamics shared between Johnny and Detective Hunt was very moving. Johnny won my heart. He was more mature than the adults. The love that Johnny had for his sister war sweet and very brotherly. Even through adversity Johnny showed determination. I kept cheering for Johnny. The picture as well as hardship Johnny experienced, I did too. I literally had a hard time putting this book down. Every time I would, I would have to rush back and pick it back up. I finished this book in one day. The Last Child is a must read!
4.5 stars - unusual, well written, page-turner of a psychological thriller
The Last Child is an unusual "I-just-don't-want-to-put-it-down" psychological thriller with new twists and turns every few pages, and a surprising but fitting ending. Here's what made it so unique for me:
- Terrific plotting and tension: Hart weaves an interesting web with multiple lines and ties them together beautifully- keeping you guessing throughout about multiple mysteries. With the exception of the first couple of chapters where he lays the foundation for his tale - he keeps the pace running at full-gear.
- Character development: Many decent thrillers lately that can sustain and build on turn-paging tension do so at the sacrifice of relatable, interesting characters with well-developed motivations. But, that's not the case in this one. I cared for these characters.
- Not-so-over-the-top: A pet peeve of mine lately has been those big-over-the-top cartoonish evil guy doing incredibly unrealistic big over-the-top evil things with a big bang 'em/shoot 'em up blow out at the ending. Hart avoids this cliche.
Bottom Line: A memorable, surprising page-turner of a psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages even when I should have been doing something else. 4.5 stars. Highly recommended.
Eerie Excellence
THE LAST CHILD by John Hart is his 3rd standalone release. His previous two books, THE KINGS OF LIES and DOWN RIVER, were both very good so I set the bar high for this one. I will say that the hardback cover does the book more justice than the newly released paperback cover.
The setting is rural North Carolina where a young girl's disappearance is still in the determined mind of the police investigator. The abducted girl's twin brother is determined to find his sister especially since his guilted father has left the family in a crumbled state and the boy's mother has dived into a state of uselessness.
The pieces to the puzzle in this book are evident and it takes the cop and the kid on a melding journey. The author has an amazing talent for writing as we follow the path through the pages. The pace of the book is never fast and that did start to wear on me but I came to appreciate the sum-of-all-parts by the end. The book has a very eerie yet effective undercurrent as we uncover the chilling secrets of this small rural town.
This book would make a great movie if adapted, produced, and directed by the right group of people. A book is sometimes the best movie but it would be an alternative way to get many more people to appreciate the talent of John Hart.
Three books, three gems! He is one of my favorite authors out there.
A 'read right through' book
It's been a very long time since I've picked up a book and had a hard time putting it down again. The Last Child is one of those rare treasures. Thirteen year old Johnny Merrimon's obsessive quest to find his missing twin sister sets the stage for a fascinating read where you are drawn into the story and live it with the characters. I cannot recommend the book highly enough if you like rich characters, fast plotting, and a stunning resolution.
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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.
ISBN: 1597229857
Number Of Pages: 657
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