The King of Lies

Starred review from January 16, 2006
Hart's stunning debut, an exceptionally deep and complex mystery thriller, compares favorably to the best of Scott Turow. Jackson Workman Pickens, whom most people call "Work," is a struggling North Carolina criminal defense attorney. Work has wrestled with inner demons for most of his life, especially after the death of his mother and the disappearance of his wealthy father, Ezra Pickens, a highly successful lawyer who took him into his practice. Trapped in a loveless marriage and haunted by poor emotional choices and his sister's psychological trauma, Work finds himself under suspicion when his father's corpse surfaces more than a year after Ezra was last seen alive. Work's quest for the truth behind his father's demise opens old wounds and forces him to face the consequences of his own decisions. Few readers will be able to resist devouring this tour-de-force in one or two sittings—or clamoring for more John Hart. 75,000 first printing; 10-city author tour.

July 10, 2006
These days most novels are performed, not narrated. The skillful actors who have made audiobooks their art form take on multiple voices—male and female, old and young. Chandler's careful reading is generally disappointing. His lack of vocal range is all too obvious. Lawyer and murder suspect "Work" Pickens sounds exactly like his female nemesis, Detective Mills. Work's wife, Barbara, could be his brother. Oddly, the homeless Max, a minor player in this thriller, has the most distinctive voice. Another problem is that Chandler's performance is devoid of the lovely North Carolina lilt, which is an essential component of this novel, much as John Grisham's South looms large in his characters' psyches. Too frequently, Chandler seems to suffer from dry mouth as his tongue separates audibly from the roof of his mouth. Water, please! On a more positive note, Chandler reads Hart's delicious similes and clever phrasing with slow elegance. Hart's writing sparkles throughout, and this is a compelling story, one the reader won't turn off, despite a performance that doesn't matches the brilliance of the novel. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's Minotaur hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 16).

Starred review from March 15, 2006
This powerful debut literary thriller starts off slowly but builds momentum like a runaway train. Jackson Workman Pickens, -Work - to his friends, an unambitious criminal defense lawyer in a small North Carolina town, has some serious baggage. He's lost his mother; his father, Ezra, has been missing for more than a year, leaving Work to deal with his psychologically damaged sister; and his marriage is on the rocks. Ezra, a prosperous attorney of questionable ethics and Work's boss, made a lot of enemies, so when his body is found, pretty much everyone is a suspect -but only one man is charged with the murder. Small-town ostracism and a social-climbing wife only add to the difficulties of trying to find out the truth behind the murder, which eventually opens a Pandora's box for Work. The writing is beautiful and the story is gripping, but it is the character study of a damaged Southern lawyer that puts this debut novel on the must-read list. Highly recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 1/06.]" -Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2006
Adult/High School -Jackson Workman Pickens, or Work, has always lived in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, a respected attorney. His life as he knows it -the law practice he shares with his father, the beautiful home and socialite wife -is a tribute to Ezra Pickens -s ideas of success. When Ezra is found shot to death, Work is ambivalent about helping the police find the killer, afraid that the path will lead to his younger sister, Jean. Only he and Jean know how abusive their father was and how his actions ultimately led to their mother -s death. Work -s reticence only serves to reinforce the lead detective -s belief that he is the guilty party, especially since he stands to inherit over $15 million. As Work becomes more enmeshed in a web of circumstantial evidence, he learns that his sister -s partner, Alexandria, was convicted of killing her own abusive father, and he begins to fear for his sister -s safety as well as his own. Hart has crafted a mystery with fully developed characters and a fast-paced and intelligent plot. He not only gives readers plenty of action and suspense, but also delves unflinchingly into the dynamics of family relationships. Teens who enjoy Grisham and Turow will want to be among the first to read this exciting new voice in the mystery genre." -Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2006
North Carolina lawyer Work Pickens is dismayed to learn that the body of his father has been found, 18 months after he went missing. Ezra Pickens, a man with many enemies (not to mention a very disharmonious relationship with his son), was murdered. Along with trying to track down his father's killer, Work has to shuffle a bitter wife, an unhappy lover, and a disgruntled sister--all the while dealing with the certainty that someone close to him is a murderer. This is a first novel that lunges off the page, just grabs the reader by the throat and won't let go. In the legal-thriller genre, which increasingly features protagonists transparently designed to be wildly individualistic, Work Pickens earns his individualism. And Hart is a fine stylist, turning phrases with a panache that recalls Raymond Chandler. Here's Work describing how he feels in his father's large house: "I rattled in it like a quarter in a tin can." Readers will breathe in this fine novel like a breath of fresh air and, immediately after finishing it, wish for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)