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John Hart

The Last Child: A Novel Mass Market Paperback – March 1, 2016

by John Hart (Author)

2,802 ratings

Book 2 of 2: Johnny Merrimon Series

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Winner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Novel

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.

This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.

Print length

576 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Minotaur Books
Publication date

March 1, 2016
Dimensions

6.32 x 1.29 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

031238033X
ISBN-13

978-0312380335
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About the Author

John Hart is the New York Times bestselling author of The King of Lies, Down River, The Last Child, Iron House, Redemption Road, and The Hush. The only author in history to win the Edgar Award for Best Novel consecutively, John has also won the Barry Award, the Southern Independent Bookseller’s Award for Fiction, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, and the North Carolina Award for Literature. His novels have been translated into thirty languages and can be found in more than seventy countries.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books (March 1, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 031238033X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312380335
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.32 x 1.29 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,475,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #54,521 in Suspense Thrillers
- #62,221 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
2,802 ratings

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John Hart

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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/

Customer reviews

5 star		74%
4 star		19%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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V. Chipman

Captivating !

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 2, 2022

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I loved this book from beginning to end. The characters are so real- the writing is wonderful! There are also a lot of twists and turns - just when you think you have it figured out….. you don’t…..

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Sharon Lindstrom

An accidental new fan

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 23, 2020

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I found this book at my "Dumpbrary" - my little town's transfer station which keeps an indoor book corner (and yes, it is named the "Dumpbrary" :D). I work at a jail and weekly I browse the Dumpbrary for books to bring to the inmates. I picked up a well-read copy of The Last Child, quickly scanned the back cover, and was intrigued. It's always those first few pages that tells you if you will continue with the story or not. I was hooked on page one! Okay, maybe page 2 or 3. I downloaded the Kindle version because it's just easier to see and handle an e-reader in bed, and of course I could pass along the paperback to the jail library.

The character development was amazing. The author made it easy to visualize them, their expressions, voices and mannerisms - to love them or hate them or feel sorry for them. I LOVE that about an author! I struggled with the setting. I'm from very rural New Hampshire and have never been to the Carolinas. But I've been to northwest Georgia so I used a little town there as my Last Child town. I assumed the story was set in a small town, until later in the book the multi-level mall, hospital, large police station, etc revealed it as a small or midsize city. I had to readjust my town setting a few times. Hush Arbor and Johnny's journey to it was perfect though. I could see every track, swamp, river and trail (I suppose easier because the landscape was familiar to my own region - I'm surrounded by bear trails, swamps, dirt roads, and meadows in the middle of deep woods).

At first I was a bit let down by the ending but the writer skillfully and nicely lifted me up. The ending was beautiful. It leaves the reader with a sense of hope and rightness and that is exactly how I love stories to end. I also loved how the writer stayed neutral about politics. He didn't have an agenda. So many authors nowadays use their stories to attack certain religions or political parties. (I stopped reading Stephen King novels entirely several years ago because of this. It is just childish, shortsighted, and boring!). Hart's writing sees the good and bad in all people, of all backgrounds and beliefs. It goes to a deeper level. I really enjoyed and appreciated that.

This story HAUNTED me when I wasn't reading it. I read mostly at night because it makes me sleepy. The Last Child did make me sleepy but then I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it, debating whether to stay up and read more, then cursing that it was keeping me awake! :D That has never happened to me with any other story. THAT is GOOD writing! I have already purchased The Hush and can't wait to begin!

One person found this helpful

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Becky

Anonymous

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 26, 2022

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Intriguing, mystery. Characters were well drawn and believable. Would be a good young adult novel. Many plots, twists, and turns

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Spchtch76

All Emotions Required

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2022

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This book made me smile, laugh out loud, angry, happy, sad and frustrated.... with just the turn of a page. Incredibly well written and paced. An amazing coming of age story that is both dark and light that touched me in a way that no book has done in a long long time. John Hart, you have a fan for life! Thank you for such an amazing story that I will continue to think about long after this review is published!

One person found this helpful

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Cathy Greenwood

A first

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 31, 2022

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This is my first time reading John Hart. I am very much looking forward to not only his next book but his previous works.
This is a very unique thriller in that a child is in essence the hero.
The many varied characters were rewarding and the plot twist excellent. I look forward to more of John Hart

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Paul J. Bolita

a gripping story full of strong characters.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2022

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I was absolutely riveted by this story. The author weaves a crafty plot supported by characters who make the reader want to know more about them. I highly recommend this read to other readers.

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Rich Page-Turner About the Emotional Cost of the Abduction of a Child

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 6, 2012

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The Last Child is a crime novel and a thriller, but at its heart it is a book about the emotional wreckage wrought by the abduction of a child. One year before the events of the book, 12-year-old Alyssa disappeared. Alyssa's mother rarely leaves her house and has developed a bad alcohol and prescription drug problem. Alyssa's father took off after a few months of torment without leaving so much as a note. The detective in charge of the case lost his wife, his relationship with his son, and his reputation within the department. But it is Johnny, Alyssa's twin brother, who has it worst of all. He lost his closest companion and the adults in his life are all too caught up in their own problems to give him much thought. There is no lonelier place in the world than to be such a child.

Understandably, Johnny remains obsessed with finding his sister. Unlike the adults, he can still operate under the illusion that everything would go back to the way it was if only he could find her. It's refreshing though, to see his determination in the face of the adults wallowing in self pity and self destructive behavior. Things begin to get very interesting, very quickly when another girl disappears and the plot doesn't slow down for the rest of the book.

The Last Child is rare in that it both creates very real characters in rich detail and is heavy with plot twists. It is even more rare in that it does both throughout the book. Hart wonderfully captures the semi-rural county in the NC sand hills the books takes place in. The use of multiple POVs better exposes the motivations and emotional damage of the characters. Hart does particular well with the difficult task of putting the reader inside the head of a very emotionally damaged boy. He does all of this while constantly yanking the plot in a different direction as new events take place and new clues are uncovered.

Unfortunately, it is this very strength that ultimately detracts from the book. Hart goes so far to hint at so much that the final reveal is forced to be less salacious than hinted at in order to be surprising. It also happens more as a matter of coincidence than due to the actions of the characters. It works on one level in that it encourages us to think more deeply about the characters and provides some deeper meaning but is a bit weak as a plot twist.

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Amazon Customer

Kept me guessing until the end!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 14, 2022

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This book is great for a book club with different age groups. My daughter of 13, my neighbor in his twenties, my mom in her 70's and myself,50 all loved the book and found it an easy read.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

David Gee

Another girl gone in this vivid, visceral thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 1, 2016

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It's six months since I discovered John Hart, reading IRON HOUSE, his most recent novel (there's a new one out next month). IRON HOUSE blew me away. THE LAST CHILD is his previous book, similarly set in North Carolina. 13-year-old Johnny Merrimon's twin sister was abducted a year ago and never found. His father has disappeared; his grief-wrecked mother has taken up with a bullying property magnate. Johnny spends many hours scouring the area looking for clues to his sister's disappearance. Another abduction and an encounter with a black vagrant who seems to know something spur the boy on. One local detective also refuses to let the case go cold and tries to watch over Johnny and his mom.

This is not a new theme but John Hart gives the story a Southern Gothic twist that makes it feel fresh and exciting. His prose style is as rich as Stephen King's: one suspicious local man "was sixty-eight, with bristled hair, two loose teeth and eyes like raw oysters." There's a riverside cemetery scene with an atmosphere that calls Charles Dickens to mind. The suspense builds to a vivid, visceral climax that tears at your heart strings.

Hart is a real find. Thrillers don't come any better than this. I can't wait to read the next one.

[Reviewer is the auithor of THE BEXHILLMISSILE CRISIS]

4 people found this helpful

ELI (Italy)

Disturbing but very entertaining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 31, 2010

Verified Purchase

As a fan of mysteries/thrillers (Coben, George, Cornwell to name but a few), this is my first book by John Hart and I shall certainly look into more of his books!

An intricate, painful story about a 12 year old girl, Alyssa, disappearing into thin air. Her twin brother Johnny, now 13, never stops looking for her, tries to keep strong, although his world has been shattered to say the least: his father left soon after the abduction and his mother is so anguished and upset that she cannot but hide from the world in a sort of catatonic state. Most times, she does not even realize Johnny is around. Detective Hunt, who has been following the case since it started, is still obsessed and frustrated by the lack of news and he is the only person who looks out for Johnny and tries to keep him out of trouble. Then bad news happen again: another girl disappears from the area...

This book has all the qualities a good thriller should have: edge-of-the-seat suspense, a good psychological insight about all the characters, conveying their feelings perfectly, heart wrenchingly at times, an unexpected epilogue and all loose ends become clear. My only criticism: a bit far-fetched in some of the situations involving Johnny and his personal search for his sister, not entirely believable for a 13 year-old in my opinion. However, a very good thriller nevertheless and quite a page-turner.

One person found this helpful

Indi

Excellent read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

Excellent read

One person found this helpful

Steven P.

A wonderful book from a great author

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

The headline sums up this purchase! A wonderful read from an author that I have recently discovered. I shall be reading many more John Hart books!

Gerry 'M'

John Hart is one of the very best!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

I had doubts about this book when I started reading it, but remembering my enjoyment of 'Down River' I stuck with it - and was very glad I did! It is a truly remarkable read, which gradually gathered momentum until I found it impossible to switch my Kindle off. John Hart is an exceptional writer and kept me guessing until the final chapter. I am currently half way through 'Iron House' - which is another John Hart 'Tour de Force'!

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