Down River: A Novel

2008 Edgar Award winner — Best Novel

Everything that shaped him happened near that river....

Now its banks are filled with lies and greed, shame, and murder....

John Hart's debut, The King of Lies, was compelling and lyrical, with Janet Maslin of the New York Times declaring, "There hasn't been a thriller as showily literate since Scott Turow came along." Now, in Down River, Hart makes a scorching return to Rowan County, where he drives his characters to the edge, explores the dark side of human nature, and questions the fundamental power of forgiveness.

Adam Chase has a violent streak, and not without reason. As a boy, he saw things that no child should see, suffered wounds that cut to the core and scarred thin. The trauma left him passionate and misunderstood — a fighter. After being narrowly acquitted of a murder charge, Adam is hounded out of the only home he's ever known, exiled for a sin he did not commit. For five long years he disappears, fades into the faceless gray of New York City. Now he's back and nobody knows why, not his family or the cops, not the enemies he left behind.

But Adam has his reasons.

Within hours of his return, he is beaten and accosted, confronted by his family and the women he still holds dear. No one knows what to make of Adam's return, but when bodies start turning up, the small town rises against him and Adam again finds himself embroiled in the fight of his life, not just to prove his own innocence, but to reclaim the only life he's ever wanted.

Bestselling author John Hart holds nothing back as he strips his characters bare. Secrets explode, emotions tear, and more than one person crosses the brink into deadly behavior as he examines the lengths to which people will go for money, family, and revenge.

A powerful, heart-pounding thriller, Dow River will haunt your thoughts long after the last page is turned.

"Hart surpasses his bestselling debut, The King of Lies (2006), with his richly atmospheric second novel, which offers a tighter plot, more adroit pacing and less angst. Five years earlier, Adam Chase was arrested for murder, largely on the basis of his stepmother's sworn testimony against him. He was acquitted, but nearly everyone, including his father, still thinks he did it, and Adam's deep bitterness has kept him away from home ever since. Now, at the request of a childhood friend, he's back in Salisbury, N.C., where all the old demons still reside and new troubles await. The almost Shakespearean snarl of family ties is complicated by a very modern struggle between economic progress and love for the land, between haves and have-nots. Throughout, Hart expertly weaves his main theme: that by their freedom of choice, humans are capable of betrayal but also of forgiveness and redemption. This book should settle once and for all the question of whether thrillers and mysteries can also be literature. 150,000 first printing; 15-city author tour. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Treat yourself to something new and truly out of the ordinary." Rocky Mountain News

"[C]omplex, emotionally charged....Hart dexterously juggles a large cast of characters and several intricate plotlines....A truly splendid novel with a deep emotional core." Booklist (Starred Review)

"Hart's sophomore effort surpasses his debut....Complex relationships blur the lines between friend and foe, heightening the suspense in this intricate, haunting story of a family in crisis, and the writing is simply superb. Highly recommended." Library Journal (Starred Review)

"Hart gathers the story's many strands into a satisfying and surprising conclusion, one that simultaneously reveals the true strength of family bonds and then sets them up to be tested again." Art Taylor, The Washington Post Book World

"Steamy Southern Gothic has much in common with Hart's successful debut, but its juicy melodrama often slides into pretentiousness." Kirkus Reviews

"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." BookReporter.com

"A top-notch debut. Hart's prose is like Raymond Chandler's, angular and hard. (Grade: A)" Entertainment Weekly

"A gripping performance." People

In this follow-up to his New York Times bestselling debut, The King of Lies, John Hart takes readers into the heart of a small Southern town, where he explores the lengths to which people will go for money, family, and pure greed — and just whether or not forgiveness is ever attainable.

John Hart was born and raised in North Carolina. He earned degrees in French, Accounting, and Law, but always aspired to write novels. After careers in law and in asset management, John now writes full time. He still makes his home in North Carolina, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.