John
Hart made a superb debut in 2006 with THE KING OF LIES, a novel
that was by turns a mystery, a thriller and a psychological study.
DOWN RIVER, his sophomore effort, is equally as impressive,
assembling a cast of unforgettable characters in a story of
passion, greed and deception.

DOWN RIVER returns to Rowan County, North Carolina, the situs of
THE KING OF LIES. Hart’s setting is more rural this time,
though emotions run just as high and deceit runs just as deep. The
book centers on Adam Chase, the son of an extremely wealthy
landowner who refuses to sell the 1,400-acre family farm to
developers, despite intense pressure from the community. Five years
prior to the events in DOWN RIVER, Chase had been tried for and
acquitted of the murder of a teenager in Rowan County, a death that
many continue to hold him responsible for. Indeed, his own
stepmother testified against him at the trial. Following his
acquittal, Chase fled to New York, leaving behind his embittered
father as well as Robin Alexander, the love of his life and one of
his few steadfast supporters.

In the present, Chase has reluctantly come back to Rowan County at
the cryptic request of boyhood friend Danny Faith. His return
exacerbates the emotional maelstrom that surrounds his family.
There are many, including the local sheriff, who feel that he is
nothing but a murderer who escaped justice, and his presence merely
increases the resentment that many already feel toward the
steadfast refusal of Chase’s father to sell the property.
When another murder occurs in Chase’s proximity, it seems as
if he either brings a curse with him or he has killed ---
again.

This latest death touches off a slow unraveling of the Chase family
secrets, buried in a series of deceitful acts initiated with good
intentions but tainted by evil. Before the events of the book have
come to an end, Chase will learn things about his family --- and
himself --- that in some ways would be better left unknown yet in
other ways would give him the opportunity to face his future
unencumbered.

Hart’s work invokes the spirit of the best of southern
literature. DOWN RIVER puts readers in the mind of topics explored
by Thomas Wolfe, Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner, with a
contemporary vision and edge that is memorable and haunting. Hart
is a deep and strong talent whose future offerings will be greatly
anticipated and welcomed.