Published by St. Martin's Press Genres: Contempory, Fiction, Mystery, Southern, thriller, War
Format: ARC, eBook
Oh, war, I despise
‘Cause it means destruction of innocent lives
War means tears to thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go to fight
And lose their lives
I said, war, huh good god, why’all
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing say it again
– Song lyrics from War by Edwin Starr
The French family has been torn apart by War. One son (Robert) went to Vietnam and lost his life. Another son (Jason) enlisted and had his life destroyed. He came home a decorated killer, an addict and at odds with his family. Gibby is the youngest son, dubbed the good one, the one his Mother wants to protect. But all Gibby wants is to get to know the only brother he has left. Together Jason and Gibby make plans but we all know that best-laid plans can go awry.
When a young woman is murdered, Jason is arrested and Gibby is one of the few who believe in his brother’s innocence. Determined to conduct his own investigation and clear his brother, Gibby soon learns that he is in over his head and danger is out there watching, lurking, planning….
Family, love, loss, grief, anger, anguish, pain, violence, addiction, friendship. loyalty – you name it, it’s all here written in John Hart’s beautiful writing. He proves time and time again that he is a master storyteller. The book started a little slow but once all the characters were introduced, I was hooked and unwilling to stop reading. Hart has woven a tale with many layers that focuses on the elements that I named above. This is crime fiction, which is also part coming of age, part family drama, part tale of redemption, part murder mystery, and part romance. This book was thought-provoking, emotionally stirring and riveting. This book had tension, suspense, and raw emotion. This book is gritty and raw with heartbreakingly tender scenes as well. There is a depth of emotion lying within the family and the individual members. He lays bare their pain and heartache. He also knows how to create characters readers want to root for, even if they have done bad things. He creates multidimensional characters and realistically describes their conflicted feelings, their thoughts and their love for each other.
I highly recommend this book (and his other books as well).
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.