John
Hart’s debut, THE KING OF LIES, was compelling and lyrical,
with Janet Maslin of The New York Times declaring,
“There hasn’t been a thriller as showily literate since
Scott Turow came along.” Now, in DOWN RIVER, Hart makes a
scorching return to Rowan County, where he drives his characters to
the edge, explores the dark side of human nature, and questions the
fundamental power of forgiveness.

Adam Chase has a violent streak, and not without reason. As a boy,
he saw things that no child should see, suffered wounds that cut to
the core and scarred thin. The trauma left him passionate and
misunderstood --- a fighter. After being narrowly acquitted of a
murder charge, Adam is hounded out of the only home he’s ever
known, exiled for a sin he did not commit. For five long years he
disappears, fades into the faceless gray of New York City. Now
he’s back and nobody knows why, not his family or the cops,
not the enemies he left behind.

But Adam has his reasons.

Within hours of his return, he is beaten and accosted, confronted
by his family and the women he still holds dear. No one knows what
to make of Adam’s return, but when bodies start turning up,
the small town rises against him and Adam again finds himself
embroiled in the fight of his life, not just to prove his own
innocence, but to reclaim the only life he’s ever
wanted.

Bestselling author John Hart holds nothing back as he strips his
characters bare. Secrets explode, emotions tear, and more than one
person crosses the brink into deadly behavior as he examines the
lengths to which people will go for money, family, and
revenge.

A powerful, heart-pounding thriller, DOWN RIVER will haunt your
thoughts long after the last page is turned.

DOWN RIVER © Copyright 2011 by John Hart. Reprinted with
permission by St. Martin’s Minotaur. All rights
reserved.