Thirteen-year-old Johnny Merrimon has to face things no boy his age should face. In the year since his twin sister's abduction his world has fallen apart: his father has disappeared and his fragile mother is spiralling into ever deeper despair.

Johnny keeps strong. Armed with a map, a bike and a flashlight, he stalks the bad men of Raven County. The police might have given up on Alyssa; he never will. Someone, somewhere, knows something they're not telling.

Only one person looks out for Johnny. Detective Clyde Hunt shares his obsession with the case. But when Johnny witnesses a hit-and-run and insists the victim was killed because he'd found Alyssa, even Hunt thinks he's lost it.

And then another young girl goes missing . . .

A thirteen year old boy turns vigilante to investigate the abduction of his twin sister

About the Author
John Hart was born in North Carolina in 1965, and lives with his wife and two young children in Rowan County, where The King of Lies is set. He has degrees in French, accounting and law, and worked as a banker, stockbroker and attorney before beginning his writing career. The King of Lies is his first book.

Reviews
'The Last Child is as satisfying as his previous books' * Guardian *
'Just once in a while a thriller comes along that makes you want to run out in the street and proclaim how good it is ? John Hart's third novel is one of those. Written with power, precision and an iron grip on character it makes him out as one of the outstanding talents of his generation ... it grips you by the throat and never lets go' * Daily Mail *
A gripping thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat * The Sun *
'Hart is emerging as one of the biggest new American talents in the psychological thriller field, and should be joining Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay on the bestseller lists' * Bookseller *
'Third novel from this rising US author' * Bookseller *
'I absolutely love this man's writing, and by that I mean all aspects of it: plotting, characterization and its lyrical quality ... John Hart has joined the highest ranks of crime fiction writing. Thank heavens he's a young man so we'll have his novels to enjoy for many years to come' * Deadly Pleasures *
'EDGAR Allan Poe Award winner John Hart does something in his latest book that few manage successfully: write a compelling thriller with a child as the main character... Hart, a former lawyer from the US deep south, writes finely detailed prose with a literary edge, a fine sense of atmosphere and just the right touches of creepy southern gothic' * The Weekend Australian *
'The main character in award winning author John Hart's thriller The Last Child, is a teenage boy turned vigilante, driven by the abduction of his older sister a year ago...a superb page- turner' * Illawarra Mercury (Australia) *
'A roiling, boiling, seething stew of passion and conflict' * Courier Mail, (Australia) *
'Brilliantly written with plenty of twists and clues' * Crimesquad website *
'A masterly and suspenseful thriller' * Good Book Guide *
'The Last Child leaves the reader awed and troubled, and wondering how on earth the author is going to follow such a tour de force' * Shots magazine *
'A masterly and suspenseful thriller' * Good Book Guide *


Awards
Winner of CWA Silver Dagger Award 2009 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780719522215
Author John Hart
Format Paperback
Page Count 480
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 380g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 128mm * 32mm