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The King of Lies
The King of Lies
Author: John Hart
John Hart creates a literary thriller that is as suspenseful as it is poignant, a riveting murder mystery layered beneath the southern drawl of a humble North Carolina lawyer. When Work Pickens finds his father murdered, the investigation pushes a repressed family history to the surface and he sees his own carefully constructed façade begin...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780312341619
ISBN-10: 031234161X
Publication Date: 5/16/2006
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 76

3.9 stars, based on 76 ratings
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

earlsgirl avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 188 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
Excellent writing for a first book! I enjoyed the development of the characters and the plot with a summer-in-the-south mood and atmosphere. Reminiscent of Turow. Great ending! I never saw it coming, but as a rule I don't figure out the end of books anyway. Dwells a little bit too much on the main character's introspection, but overall, a book I would recommend.
reviewed The King of Lies on + 67 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Here is a new author with his first novel, received to great acclaim. It is not your usual whodunit--while the question of who did it seemingly points to "the obvious one," there are enough twists to keep you guessing till the end, and it is not who you thought it would be. On a different and higher level, it is almost a coming of age of a thirty-something adult. In this case, the protagonist learns truths about himself, his family, his friends, and his enemies as he finally discovered who murdered his father. In doing so, he is set free from the constraints that have hampered him and kept him unfulfilled and without zest for life. The author is a lawyer and writes of what he knows best, with the hero also a lawyer. In my opinion, this writer has a great future.
KansasSunflower avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 329 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This is a can't-put-down book. I stayed up late into the night reading it. A totally different kind of lawyer/murder mystery story, but beautifully written, well-developed characters, some of whom are likable, some of whom aren't. I highly recommend this book.
luvbooks avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 126 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
An excellent first book by John Hart. Very intriguing with many twists and turns. You won't want to miss this one!
reviewed The King of Lies on + 49 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This book was such a page-turner!Themes of children not living up to their parent's expectations as well sibling devotion.A murder plot that has many twists.It is written by a lawyer but does not get overly technical.I especially loved that it was set in my hometown so I had vivid visuals.This story will make a wonderful movie.
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reviewed The King of Lies on + 144 more book reviews
Thought the book was very well written-kept you wanting to read. Loved the ending.
dutchmade avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 10 more book reviews
John Hart's debut novel was far from the reviews on the dust jacket. I found it to drag in many part. I enjoy fast paced books, which this is not. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and read another in hope he improves with age. The story was good, but it just was slow.
reviewed The King of Lies on
This book was better, than "Down River", which was a very well written book, but "The King of Lies" had me hooked from front to back, amazing!!! can't wait to read The Last Child, which I hear is just as mind bending, John Hart is a riviting author, couldn't stop reading "The King Of Lies" from front to back..... Thank you for such good writing.... I do hope that you continue to write.... PLEASE!!!


Curtis Rhodes
Sandiinmississippi avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 265 more book reviews
A little hard to form an opinion on this book though I certainly enjoyed it. The writing is alternately engaging and plodding. Hart turns a phrase very gracefully and he hides deep meaning in some of his sentences. You can really feel the emotion driving his story of family angst. The plot, however, leaves something to be desired. Yes, his dad was a mean sucker and his sister is a confused, possibly psychotic mess. His wife appears to simply be a bitch. Trouble is, that leaves us wondering what he is? And the paucity of activity throughout leaves us reviewing the same events over and over in a rather whiny manner. Hard to keep sympathy with any of the characters. It is interesting, it is deeper than most novels like this, but still the whole thing left me unsatisfied.
noisynora avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 130 more book reviews
This book was great - my second book from John Hart. Good story, kept you guessing, lots of twists and turns -excellent!
gigi avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 355 more book reviews
A slow start, but once it got going, WOW! It really gets cracking!
gamaw avatar reviewed The King of Lies on + 99 more book reviews
This is the second book of John Hart's that I have read and it is very good. He is an excellent writer and knows how to put the reader into the middle of his character's lives. An excellent book by an excellent writer. I will most certainly read everything that he has written.
reviewed The King of Lies on + 7 more book reviews
A good read, like most of the book that John Hart writes.
emeraldfire avatar reviewed The King of Lies on
Jackson Workman Pickens - 'Work' to his friends - is an unambitious lawyer in a small Southern town. He also has some serious baggage. His mother died a year ago in a fall down the family's colonial staircase and his father, Ezra, has been missing ever since.

Work is left to deal with his psychologically damaged sister, his father's legal caseload and his own rocky marriage. Power and greed make many enemies, especially for a man as cruel as Ezra Pickens, so when his body turns up almost everyone in town is considered a suspect - but only one man is charged with the murder! With time, his wife and public opinion against him, Work embarks on his toughest case yet: proving his own innocence. His investigation will uncover a web of intrigue that he couldn't have imagined - and he soon realizes that no one is above suspicion - even those he loves.

I did really enjoy this book, even though, in my opinion, the story could have been wrapped up earlier. I thought it was a good plot with beautiful writing. I give it an A!


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