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Iron House: A Novel Paperback – March 27, 2012
John Hart (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Two families. Two brothers. One explosive secret.
John Hart has written four New York Times bestsellers and won an unprecedented two back-to-back Edgar Awards. The New York Times labeled his work "Grisham-style intrigue and Turow-style brooding." Now he delivers a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping thriller no reader will soon forget.
There was nothing but time at the Iron Mountain Home for Boys, time for two orphans to learn that life is neither painless nor won without a fight. Julian survives only because his older brother, Michael, is both feared and fiercely protective. When an older boy is brutally killed, Michael makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect his brother: He flees the orphanage and takes the blame with him.
For two decades, Michael thrives on the streets of New York, eventually clawing his way to a world of wealth, fear and respect. But the life he's fought to build unravels when he meets a woman who knows nothing of his past or sins. He wants a fresh start with Elena, the chance to build a family of his own. But a life in organized crime is not so easily abandoned. With a price on his head and everyone he loves at risk, Michael spirits Elena back to North Carolina, to the brother he'd lost and a thicket of intrigue more dense than he could possibly imagine. In a tour de force narrative of violence, hope and redemption, the brothers must return to the Iron House of their childhood, to the place that almost broke them, the place it all began.
Praise for John Hart
"Lean, hard and absolutely riveting, Iron House is a tour de force." -- #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Vince Flynn
"Vividly beautiful, graphic, will make you bleed."― #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Patricia Cornwell
"A magnificent creation, Huck Finn channeled through Lord of the Flies." –Washington Post on The Last Child
"Gripping. A must-read." --Chicago Sun-Times on Down River
"The King of Lies moves and reads like a book on fire." -- Pat Conroy
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Griffin
- Publication dateMarch 27, 2012
- Dimensions5.73 x 1.26 x 8.18 inches
- ISBN-109781250007018
- ISBN-13978-1250007018
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“If you crave thrillers that are vividly beautiful, graphic, will make you bleed, try John Hart.” ―Patricia Cornwell
“Lean, hard and absolutely riveting, Iron House is a tour de force. With his best book yet, John Hart has clearly joined the top rank of thriller writers.” ―Vince Flynn
“It isn’t as if Hart’s career needed jump-starting. His first three stand-alone thrillers have been greeted by an ever-growing crescendo of praise, including two Edgar Awards. Definitely not the kind of writer who needs a breakthrough book. And, yet, Iron House lifts Hart to an altogether new level of excellence…. The present-time plot―disaffected Mob hit man on the run, trying to carve a new life without endangering those he loves―makes a superb thriller on its own (steadily building tension, magnificently choreographed fight scenes, including a High Noon–like finale), but it’s what Hart does with the backstory that gives the novel its beyond-genre depth. Like the great Peter Hoeg in Borderliners (1994), Hart uses the familiar story of mistreatment in an orphanage as a way into the inner lives of his characters, and the blind fear, abject confusion, and yearning for love he finds there are both heartbreaking and curiously hopeful, in an almost postapocalyptic way. An unforgettable novel from a master of popular fiction.” ―Booklist, starred review
“This rich, impressive contemporary thriller from two-time Edgar-winner Hart (The Last Child) focuses on two brothers, Michael and Julian, both raised and abused at the Iron House of the title, an orphanage in the mountains of North Carolina.... Hart deftly interweaves a complex family history story with Stevan's intense, bloody quest for vengeance.... [The book's] powerful themes and its beautiful prose will delight Hart's fans--and should earn him many new ones.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A magnificent creation...Huck Finn channeled through Lord of the Flies.” ―THE WASHINGTON POST on The Last Child
“A rare accomplishment--a compelling, fast-paced thriller written with a masterful, literary touch.” ―Jeffery Deaver on The Last Child
“If you haven't read John Hart...you ought to.” ―NEW YORK DAILY NEWS on The Last Child
“This generation's Pat Conroy.” ―THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL on The Last Child
“Settles the question of whether thrillers and mysteries can also be literature.” ―PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review) on Down River
“There are few books published that can legitimately be called a 'must-read,' but this is one of them.” ―CHICAGO SUN-TIMES on Down River
“A beautifully constructed story of personal redemption, family secrets, and murder--a small-town epic....” ―BOOKLIST on Down River
“Grisham-style intrigue and Turow-style brooding.” ―THE NEW YORK TIMES on King of Lies
“A top-notch debut, Hart's prose is like Raymond Chandler's, angular and hard.” ―ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (Grade A) on King of Lies
“[An] ambitious debut thriller...a gripping performance.” ―PEOPLE on King of Lies
About the Author
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Product details
- ASIN : 1250007011
- Publisher : St. Martin's Griffin; First edition (March 27, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9781250007018
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250007018
- Item Weight : 1.15 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.73 x 1.26 x 8.18 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #245,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,073 in Organized Crime Thrillers
- #9,693 in Murder Thrillers
- #16,423 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

JOHN HART is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, THE KING OF LIES, DOWN RIVER, THE LAST CHILD,IRON HOUSE, REDEMPTION ROAD and THE HUSH. His seventh novel, THE UNWILLING, be will be released on February 2, 2021. The only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels, Hart has also won the Barry Award, the Southern Book Prize, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and the North Carolina Award for Literature. His novels have been translated into thirty language and can be found in over seventy countries. He works from home on a Virginia farm, where he lives with his wife, daughters and four dogs.
He can be found here:
Website: http://www.johnhartfiction.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnHartAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnhartauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnhartauthor/
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He introduces Iron House by admitting that he almost didn't make it through the writing of it.
It's perfectly understandable as Mr. Hart sets an extremely high bar for himself. There are moments a reader wonders if she can "live" through it, but she does as there's simply no stopping the read.. his plots are so incredibly intricate and almost convoluted one wonders at times where he's going, but he never fails at arriving, and I particularly enjoy his final sentences; they do more than "end" the book, they deliver hope. It's important because one becomes deeply involved with his characters; he doesn't spend much time describing physical characteristics, so the reader truly absorbs the characters almost by osmosis...
Not many writers can do that; it can make for a challenging read, but this writer challenges himself..
I loved Iron House...yes there were some difficult if not horrifying moments, and long journeys for the characters, but I can only say I loved it; I recommend it; it's just freaking brilliant.
Top reviews from other countries

Iron House begins well - it has mystery, love and suspense. An over arching sense of impending doom follows the story of Michael and Elena. She is an interesting love interest and underpins his motivations well. The reveal of his past and the Iron House is neatley played - so to the introduction of the main support cast, all well delivered and sensibly written characters. With the possible exception of Stevan - we are left to assume too much about him and maybe we needed to read a little more of his personality. However, after the first 15 or so chapters the book grinds to something of a halt - as the intricacies of the story are developed sadly the pace drops to a crawl - adding in alot of driving and chatting didn't make up for it. The middle third is the books problem, as Elena makes way for another strong female charatcer so the relationships all change - it's like being back at square one, I wasn't really convince by the "investigation" element as it seemed a little too hackneyed way of getting to the truth. The book then sprngs back to life for the final 3rd, though the action climax is a smidge of an anti-climax in places.I'd liked to have seen a little more of the great Michael in action.
It's an interesting and well produced book, which drags in the middle. The subtext of mother's and sons, nature vs nurture is not over played, but neither is it subtle. Overall the it had enough to keep me and most readers going but given the intricacies the twist and 'reveal' wasn't enough to truly drop the jaw. I shall read more from Hart, his accomplished style and character development are worthy of further investment.



A very well constructed book, lots of exciting twists and turns, however the torture in the latter half of the story I felt was totally unnecessary.
Only for this reason am I giving this book four stars.
Will definitely read more by this author.
