The Last Child
5 journalers for this copy...
I was fortunate to get an advanced reader's copy of this before it was published. I loved it and couldn't stop raving about it. It has a 4.5 star customer rating on Amazon.com. When I found this in paperback this week, I had to pick it up to share here.
Here's what I posted about the book on Amazon:
I dare you to read the prologue of this book without getting totally pulled into the story. My heart was pounding by page 2, and I think my boss might want to have a talk with Mr. Hart because I went in to work a couple of mornings on very little sleep because I couldn't put this book down until I got to the last word.
Johnny Merrimon was once a happy child. He and his twin sister, Alyssa, lived with their beautiful, vibrant mother and strong, caring father. Then Alyssa goes missing. She's seen being pulled into a mysterious van, and a year later, Johnny's life is completely different. His mother is bullied into passivity by a rich, abusive man who keeps her strung out on drugs and treats her like a possession. Johnny knows in his heart that he can find his sister, bring his father home, and save his mother, and for months he plays a dangerous game of spying on local child predators, convinced that at least one of them knows what happened to his sister. Detective Hunt is the haunted cop who cannot break out of his obsession with Alyssa's case - and the beautiful mother - to save his own family from falling apart. Jack is the wounded best friend who idolizes Johnny and tries to mask his own pain with the alcohol he steals from his cop father.
Hart could have taken the easy way out and turned this into a suspenseful but heartwarming story of mystery and redemption. Instead, he creates complex, rich characters and places them in terrifying, soul searching situations. Johnny is a child living with nightmares, and he reaches into ancient mysticism, searching for strength and clues to help him heal his family. He's seen too much of the harsh reality of life for someone his age, and this dark desperation colors all the events in this book.
I was, simply put, blown away by this book. It is well written, intelligent, and impossible to forget. A week after finishing it, I'm still thinking about it. Hart is now on my must-read list, and I look forward to reading his next novel.
Trade paperback, 419 pages
From the back cover:
Johnny Merrimon was thirteen when his twin sister disappeared. Now, one year later, she is presumed dead. His mother is devastated, his father is gone, and life will never be the same. But Johnny has a map, a bike, and a plan. He's going to find his sister, even if he has to track down eveyr dangerous character in the county—a do-or-die mission that troubles police detective Clyde Hunt. He's also been searching for Johnny's sister, and he knows to what dark places a case like this can lead. But even Hunt can't imagine how far Johnny will go to learn the truth—or what he will find when he gets there.
Here's what I posted about the book on Amazon:
I dare you to read the prologue of this book without getting totally pulled into the story. My heart was pounding by page 2, and I think my boss might want to have a talk with Mr. Hart because I went in to work a couple of mornings on very little sleep because I couldn't put this book down until I got to the last word.
Johnny Merrimon was once a happy child. He and his twin sister, Alyssa, lived with their beautiful, vibrant mother and strong, caring father. Then Alyssa goes missing. She's seen being pulled into a mysterious van, and a year later, Johnny's life is completely different. His mother is bullied into passivity by a rich, abusive man who keeps her strung out on drugs and treats her like a possession. Johnny knows in his heart that he can find his sister, bring his father home, and save his mother, and for months he plays a dangerous game of spying on local child predators, convinced that at least one of them knows what happened to his sister. Detective Hunt is the haunted cop who cannot break out of his obsession with Alyssa's case - and the beautiful mother - to save his own family from falling apart. Jack is the wounded best friend who idolizes Johnny and tries to mask his own pain with the alcohol he steals from his cop father.
Hart could have taken the easy way out and turned this into a suspenseful but heartwarming story of mystery and redemption. Instead, he creates complex, rich characters and places them in terrifying, soul searching situations. Johnny is a child living with nightmares, and he reaches into ancient mysticism, searching for strength and clues to help him heal his family. He's seen too much of the harsh reality of life for someone his age, and this dark desperation colors all the events in this book.
I was, simply put, blown away by this book. It is well written, intelligent, and impossible to forget. A week after finishing it, I'm still thinking about it. Hart is now on my must-read list, and I look forward to reading his next novel.
Trade paperback, 419 pages
From the back cover:
Johnny Merrimon was thirteen when his twin sister disappeared. Now, one year later, she is presumed dead. His mother is devastated, his father is gone, and life will never be the same. But Johnny has a map, a bike, and a plan. He's going to find his sister, even if he has to track down eveyr dangerous character in the county—a do-or-die mission that troubles police detective Clyde Hunt. He's also been searching for Johnny's sister, and he knows to what dark places a case like this can lead. But even Hunt can't imagine how far Johnny will go to learn the truth—or what he will find when he gets there.
After a significant delay on my part, I'm now ready to send this gem of a book on a world tour. The mailing order for the bookray is:
Please observe some generic bookray/bookring etiquette—journal the book once you receive it. PM the next in line to get an address ahead of time. Journal again once you've finished the book and sent it on its way.
Please try to keep the book a "reasonable" amount of time. If something comes up before it's your turn that makes you think you won't be able to read the book and send it on within a month, PM me and I'll try to put you somewhere else on the list.
Please feel free to ship via whatever is the least expensive method in your country.
Hope you all enjoy the book!
- lauraloo29 (Canada to US)
Scarlett07 (US to Canada)
Brookler (Canada to UK) Book is here!
abigailann (UK to UK) (asked to be skipped)
AliceF (UK to Portugal)
Kizmiaz (Portugal to Portugal)
silvia-pco (Portugal to Spain)
cygni (Spain to The Netherlands)
ana-b (The Netherlands to Finland)
Appelsiini (Finland to France)
Icila (France to Australia)
Tinina67 (Australia to Malaysia)
greenkaeru (Malaysia to China)
tohweiee (China to Spain)
e-sr (Spain to US)
Rrrcaron (US to US)
acountkel (US to US)
easterngirl71 (US...final stop of this ray)
Please observe some generic bookray/bookring etiquette—journal the book once you receive it. PM the next in line to get an address ahead of time. Journal again once you've finished the book and sent it on its way.
Please try to keep the book a "reasonable" amount of time. If something comes up before it's your turn that makes you think you won't be able to read the book and send it on within a month, PM me and I'll try to put you somewhere else on the list.
Please feel free to ship via whatever is the least expensive method in your country.
Hope you all enjoy the book!
Arrived today! I have a few rings here. I'm keeping them moving. :)
Wow! Excellent read! Lots of twists and turns.
Sorry, I held onto it longer than I planned. I have the next address already and will pop it in the mail next week. Thank you for sharing!
Sorry, I held onto it longer than I planned. I have the next address already and will pop it in the mail next week. Thank you for sharing!
I received this in the mail yesterday and am looking forward to reading it as soon as I finish the book I'm reading now. Should start it next week sometime.
Thanks!
Thanks!
I very much enjoyed this book. I stayed up late last night to finish it because I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I will be recommending this book to others, thanks so much Mellion108! I have notified the next person and as soon as I get the address, I'll send it out.
This just came, thanks. Starting it will be a great way to begin the new year!
Wow, what a fantastic book! As others have said, I stayed up 'way too late, unable to put it down. I don't understand why this book is under the Horror category instead of Mystery/Thriller; I didn't find anything "Horror" about it, much to my relief. Well written with many unforeseeable plot twists, and highly developed characters, this book delivers a complex story that doesn't let go. The best I've read in a long time!
Glad you liked the book, Brookler. The book ended up in the Horror category because, well, nearly every single one of the books on my shelf changed in some way with the new BXing version. It's now fixed!
This book is now on its way to AliceF (abigailann having asked to be skipped).
Recieved in yesterday's post... thanks! Been looking forward to this for, ooh, ages :-) Will /try/ to read it quickly, but can't guarantee it, so will keep this page informed.
