Critical Praise

"This is a first novel that lunges off the page, just grabs the reader by the throat and won't let go."

—Booklist (Starred)

"If you value Harper Lee, James Lee Burke, Truman Capote, and Michael Malone… it’s time to add John Hart to your bookshelves."

—Otto Penzler, New York Sun

"Hart's stunning debut, an exceptionally deep and complex mystery thriller, compares favorably to the best of Scott Turow."

—Publishers Weekly (starred)

"[An] ambitious debut thriller…a gripping performance."

—People Magazine

"Hart’s work invokes the spirit of the best of southern literature."

—Bookreporter

"A top-notch debut, Hart's prose is like Raymond Chandler's, angular and hard."

—Entertainment Weekly (Grade A)

"Hart is a fine stylist, turning phrases with a panache that recalls Raymond Chandler."

—Booklist (starred)

"The writing is beautiful and the story is gripping."

—Library Journal (started)