Polly J. (spiritedbabe59) reviewed The Last Child (Johnny Merrimon, Bk 1) on + 106 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 22
I loved this book. The plot twists and turns through the life of Johnny Merrimon. You like him and want to do all you can to help him on his mission of finding his twin sister. It's one of those books that keeps you looking in one direction and while weaving the true plot in the background -personally those are my favorite kinds. The language is wonderful, almost poetic at times. I've not read Hart's other books, but they are on my list now. I'm a huge fan.
Helpful Score: 14
I couldn't put this down! Read it all in one sitting! Fantastic writing, grips you from the beginning and doesn't let go!
Bertie W. (bertie0228) - , reviewed The Last Child (Johnny Merrimon, Bk 1) on + 73 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 14
Book was fantastic, well written and will keep you turning the pages. I could not believe the ending, Great read
Helpful Score: 7
This book is a must read. In fact, once you start reading, you will have a very difficult time putting it down. There is a reason why it was on the NYT best seller list. There are surprises throughout the book. Great thriller even for those that are faint of heart. Well written with several subplots that keep the reader wanting more.
Helpful Score: 3
Excellent! Very involving story, great characters, excellent suspense, well-plotted and moves right along. There were several passages that had me bowing my head over the book, murmuring "Oh, nooo!" Definitely recommended, and I will absolutely read this author again!
Helpful Score: 2
Best book I read in 2010! If you like the Southern Gothic genre with a little bit of Thomas H. Cook and David Baldacci, this is for you. I read it in 2 days, couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 2
Wow - seldom do I give a book a "5", but this one earned it. Couldn't put it down - great character development, and just when you think you've got it figured out, you don't . . . excellent! My first book by this author, and I will most certainly be seeking out his previous two novels.
Terri E. (stocktonmalonefan) - reviewed The Last Child (Johnny Merrimon, Bk 1) on + 58 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book is the best piece of fiction I've red in a very long time. It kept me hooked all the way through--not an easy task. It's well written, suspenseful and original. I totally enjoyed it and would recommend it to all!
Helpful Score: 2
Just to let people know, I am an avid book reader. I am also a huge critic when I read a book. I read John Hart's Down River, and I thought it was O.k, not a good as a lot of people were saying about it. With that said, The Last Child was one heck of a book. It had so many twist and turns in it.High recommened.
Helpful Score: 2
Folks, this is a really good book. I couldn't put it down. I recommend it highly to everybody. You will not believe the ending! I would like to read more of John Hart's books; a good writer!! Genny
Helpful Score: 2
an excellent mystery/thriller read. It begins as a simple story when a boy's twin sister disappears. Cast into grief,, his mother depressed and addicted to drugs. Johnny Merrimon hates the man who introduced drugs to her and wishes that man were gone. His heart's desire is to find his missing sister and return her to his mother. In addition, his father has vanished. The mother believes that he has abandoned them. As Johnny searches for his sister, the detective who worked the case of his missing twin, fears for his safety. The story is complex as the police, under the direction of Clyde Hunt who fears that Johnny's search will lead to his death. Hunt is obsessed by his failure to help Johnny and his mother so much so that his colleagues and his supervisor believe he is losing it. As body after body is uncovered, Hunt and Johnny discover that there are two murderers. One killed Johnny's father and the other killed his sister. Can Johnny survive with Hunt's help? Read this exciting book and discover the ending for yourself.
Helpful Score: 1
One of the best books I have ever read.
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this book was great!! It kept me guessing until the very end.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a pretty good book. The best part of it was the exploration of what happens to a family after a child is lost. That complete breakdown.
Helpful Score: 1
I really llike Joh Hart's writing style and found this book a really good read at times even hard to put down. This was the first of his that I read and I havecontinued to read 2 more by this same author.
Helpful Score: 1
LOVED this book...I have never read John Hart and really am not attracted to mysteries but this is GOOD! Just the right amount of twists and turns...
A boys twin sister is missing and he decides to use all his 13 year old skills to find her...
will he?
A boys twin sister is missing and he decides to use all his 13 year old skills to find her...
will he?
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Totally the best book I read in 2010. I borrowed the book to so many people because I knew everyone of them would love it, and I was right!
Helpful Score: 1
Read this book over the course of a 24-hr period because I just couldn't stop reading it! It took me a few chapters in before I was really hooked, but than it played out like a suspense/thriller movie. The plot is superb and has a some interesting twists that keeps the reader guessing until the end.
Helpful Score: 1
A real page turner. Plots and turns keep you guessing. Yet the ending is plausible and fits in with the story. Great read!
Helpful Score: 1
This is a horrible book - in a good way. It's well written with superb characterization & a mystery that kept me wondering until the very end, but the basis of the story, child abuse & abduction, was heart-wrenching. I don't like books about kids being hurt & yet this one captivated me.
The drive of the main characters was incredible, yet believable. They were flawed & noble, driven & swept away by events & powers outside their control. A cop haunted by a case he can't solve. His passions & compassion tearing his life, both official & personal, apart. A boy who can't stop looking for his abducted twin & treads the fine edge of insanity. A mother who is demolished by her losses struggling to continue for what she has left & the media circling like sharks. Secrets, mysteries, & lies abound. Who is good or bad isn't always easy to figure out.
I can't say much without spoilers. Just read it. If you like murder mysteries, this is one of the finest. Why only 4 stars & not 5? I never want to read it again & it added nothing to my life save for entertainment, but it was a hell of a ride.
The drive of the main characters was incredible, yet believable. They were flawed & noble, driven & swept away by events & powers outside their control. A cop haunted by a case he can't solve. His passions & compassion tearing his life, both official & personal, apart. A boy who can't stop looking for his abducted twin & treads the fine edge of insanity. A mother who is demolished by her losses struggling to continue for what she has left & the media circling like sharks. Secrets, mysteries, & lies abound. Who is good or bad isn't always easy to figure out.
I can't say much without spoilers. Just read it. If you like murder mysteries, this is one of the finest. Why only 4 stars & not 5? I never want to read it again & it added nothing to my life save for entertainment, but it was a hell of a ride.
Helpful Score: 1
John Hart is one of the best authors I have ever read! The Last Child is a great story about a 13 year old boy who is trying to find out what happened to his twin sister. It is suspenseful and a book you will not be able to put down until finished!
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. The ending was very surprising.
Some surprises, a moving tale of love and how tragedy can destroy individuals and families alike. Perplexing at times, sad at others, Hart put together a plot that kept me interested and somewhat captivated by young Johnny. Harts characters take on a variety of personas. It was a troubling read at times, but well worth the endeavor as Johnny effortlessly seeks to solve the mystery of his missing twin sister.
Loved this book! John Hart is an awesome author! I would have never guessed the ending! Excellent!!!!!
Great book. This was definitely a page turner for me. I was a little nervous about reading mystery/suspense book about such young children, but it was written really well, and I would recommend this book in a heartbeat.
Great Book One of the best I have read
An intricate, powerful story of loss, hope, and courage in the face of evil. Well written and great story.
Excellent book! It kept me on edge until the end. I have now put orders in for his other books hoping they will do the same.
I loved this book and could not put it down. The author has a lot of twist and turns in the story and certainly did not end like I thought it would.
I feel it is one of the best that I have ever read. I passed it along to my three sisters and they gave it very high points.
I would recommend it highly.
I feel it is one of the best that I have ever read. I passed it along to my three sisters and they gave it very high points.
I would recommend it highly.
Loved this book!
Great mystery, even though I didn't think I was a fan of mysteries! Great writer and wonderful read.
Great mystery, even though I didn't think I was a fan of mysteries! Great writer and wonderful read.
Great plot. Couldn't put it down!
I loved this book. Stayed up late because I just had to know what happened. Very good pace and the characters were very well developed. They felt like people I could have actually known and felt bad for...or hated. Looking for a good book.....pick this one up.
Theresa K. (Tesstarosa) -
When Johnny Merrimon was thirteen, his twin sister, Alyssa, was kidnapped. Its now a year later and his life has changed completely. Everyone presumes his sister is dead, his father has left the family, his mother is addicted to pills and seeing an abusive man, Ken Holloway, (who is also one of the richest and most influential men in the county) and theyve lost their home.
But Johnny wont give up hope and prays for three things: find his sister, his fathers return and that someone kills Ken Holloway. Johnny has a map of the town and uses it to track who he has questioned about his sisters disappearance. He constantly skips school to bike around town to find out what really happened to his sister.
At the same time police detective, Clyde Hunter, is still trying to solve the disappearance of Alyssa Merrimon. He also knows that Johnny is trying to do an investigation of his own and that its dangerous for Johnny to do this. Hes given Johnny and his mother his card with his number many times so they can call him. But they dont.
Then, another girl goes missing. And, a man tumbles over a bridge where Johnny is and tells him that he found her. Johnny is sure the her is Alyssa, but the detectives think he might mean the girl that went missing.
I really enjoyed this book. The story takes multiple twists and turns. How all the pieces fall together is shocking. The good guys arent always good and those who are thought to be bad arent always bad.
And, to a degree, Johnny does get his three wishes.
But Johnny wont give up hope and prays for three things: find his sister, his fathers return and that someone kills Ken Holloway. Johnny has a map of the town and uses it to track who he has questioned about his sisters disappearance. He constantly skips school to bike around town to find out what really happened to his sister.
At the same time police detective, Clyde Hunter, is still trying to solve the disappearance of Alyssa Merrimon. He also knows that Johnny is trying to do an investigation of his own and that its dangerous for Johnny to do this. Hes given Johnny and his mother his card with his number many times so they can call him. But they dont.
Then, another girl goes missing. And, a man tumbles over a bridge where Johnny is and tells him that he found her. Johnny is sure the her is Alyssa, but the detectives think he might mean the girl that went missing.
I really enjoyed this book. The story takes multiple twists and turns. How all the pieces fall together is shocking. The good guys arent always good and those who are thought to be bad arent always bad.
And, to a degree, Johnny does get his three wishes.
Every now and then you pick up a book that you don't want to stop reading. You don't want people to talk to you and make you stop, you don't want to stop and do your chores, you have to stop and go to sleep but do it looking forward to tomorrow when you can pick up your book again. This was that book for me. Hart did it all. A mystery that took a few side trips but was eventually solved. Characters that were developed and made you care about them. A story of friendship and misunderstandings and lies and love and human frailties. Johnny is a twin. His twin sister did not make it home from school a year ago. She set off on her own when her dad was late and never arrived. Mom fell apart. She could not deal with it and blamed the dad. One day the dad didn't come home. Johnny was left to fend for himself, do for his mom as best as he could while she wallowed in grief, tried to burn the family pictures, stayed drugged and was being kept by a man who was domineering and even violent. Johnny was determined to find his sister and turn back the clock to his happy family. He was twelve or thirteen but could drive the car to get groceries, cleaned their clothes, and investigated the known sex offenders in the town while his mom was knocked out from pills.
Johnny did his research. Johnny had maps and notes he took when he spied. Johnny has his best friend to skip school with. Johnny has a police investigator interested in his well being and that of his mom. This author ties up all the loose ends. Great book I'm recommending to my book club.
Johnny did his research. Johnny had maps and notes he took when he spied. Johnny has his best friend to skip school with. Johnny has a police investigator interested in his well being and that of his mom. This author ties up all the loose ends. Great book I'm recommending to my book club.
I think of this book as a "guy's book", but my heart continually went out to the main character and his mom. This kid was not going to be deterred by injuries or adults who "knew better"
A very good read
A very good read
I almost put this book down because I found the beginning so depressing. ButI kept at it, and while it doesn't et anymore upbeat, it gets mesmerizing. Lost children, lost husbands, drunk cops, stoned mothers, bad guys, brave sons, you name it, it's in here. With a storyline that changes more than once, but never loses its way. Heartbreaking with heart pounding twists.
It was an OK book. I had a hard time dealing with the activities this 13 year old boy was into. I did enjoy the story line but felt it could have gone quicker.
Riveting!!
I totally liked this book. It is different. Twis and turning plot, U can reccomend it to anyone.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
I currently have so little reading time but this was a book I did not want to put down and couldn't wait to pick back up. It is an emotional read with mystery, tragedy, heart and hope.
intriguing, believable
Great book, a page turner!
an exciting read
The third John Hart book. As good as the first two, maybe better. The best book I have read recently. Highly recommended.
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It's about a young teen boy who had his twin sister abducted a year previous. Johnny goes on hi own searching for her. Detective Clyde Hunt is also searching for her. I found this book very hard to put down. It just had one twist after the other. It is a very good thriller. I recommend it highly.
The reviews glowed about this book and I wanted to love it, but I couldn't make it past page 65. It was way too slow for me and I just didn't care about what was going to happen, I just couldn't hang in there!
This was a great book. Well written.
I "really" became part of this story. The twists were welcome. I read it in three short nights. It usually takes me five.
Am reading all his books now.
Very tight story line
Very tight story line
great read it was sad but he found his family.
This was an ok book for me, but very slow... it took me forever to get through it, I felt like it was very drug out, I am glad I'm done with it so I can find something else... I'll not reread it...
ANDRE' E. J. (Expeditious) -
Simply OUTSTANDING READING!!!
