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grammalynn's review
1.0
At about page 120 I started skimming, at page 186 I’d had enough and went to the last 2 chapters and I found I’d read enough. I’m glad I only paid $1 at the Friends of the library bookstore. I bought another of his books, they both will be going back. It seems like plenty of people like his books, I’m not a fan.
laheath's review against another edition
3.0
Some of his subject matter is difficult to read about, but he does write a good mystery/thriller.
bjerz's review
5.0
What a wonderful book, and incredible writer! The King of Lies is the first John Hart book I have read and I am totally hooked. Hart writes like a cross between Scott Turow and James Lee Burke, combining court procedurals and lilting descriptions of the South. An example: "I walked outside and found the wind: it gusted against my face as if to scrub it clean."
The King of Lies tells the story of Jackson Workman Pickens, "Work" to his friends, whose father is found murdered and he is in line to inherit millions. The police think he did it, he thinks his sister did it, and the mystery deepens as long-buried family secrets are revealed. Throughout the story Work explores his feelings of inadequacy and hatred and learns to live his life on his own terms. It is a wonderful combination of gripping Southern mystery and coming of age.
The King of Lies tells the story of Jackson Workman Pickens, "Work" to his friends, whose father is found murdered and he is in line to inherit millions. The police think he did it, he thinks his sister did it, and the mystery deepens as long-buried family secrets are revealed. Throughout the story Work explores his feelings of inadequacy and hatred and learns to live his life on his own terms. It is a wonderful combination of gripping Southern mystery and coming of age.
kristinrob's review
4.0
This was my secong John Hart novel, after "Last Child." It was excellent, and I'm looking forward to reading "Down River."
Two themes I noticed between the two books - brother/sister relationships and car wrecks/drunk drivers.
Two themes I noticed between the two books - brother/sister relationships and car wrecks/drunk drivers.
kristeneden's review against another edition
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 - {King of Lies} by John Hart is the story of a North Carolina lawyer, Work, who is told the body of his missing father has been found. Out of fear his sister, Jean, was the killer, Work will do what he needs to for Jean to stay out of prison - even if it means he has to take the fall.
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I enjoyed reading King of Lies, and would have enjoyed it more had it not been so terribly long. While the story moves pretty fast, all of the extra description is painful for someone with a low level of patience. I just skipped probably 100 pages in total, and didn’t feel as though I missed anything.
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What i DID enjoy about this book is it didn’t end with the Big Reveal like all other books do. I always tend to hate that, because I want to know what life is like once the dust settles for the characters. I will pick up another Hart book, but probably not for awhile. I need less description in my books.
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I enjoyed reading King of Lies, and would have enjoyed it more had it not been so terribly long. While the story moves pretty fast, all of the extra description is painful for someone with a low level of patience. I just skipped probably 100 pages in total, and didn’t feel as though I missed anything.
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What i DID enjoy about this book is it didn’t end with the Big Reveal like all other books do. I always tend to hate that, because I want to know what life is like once the dust settles for the characters. I will pick up another Hart book, but probably not for awhile. I need less description in my books.
jgn's review against another edition
3.0
For the first half, I was really unimpressed. The narrator was a first-class whiner. But the plot kicks in at about the 60% mark, and it was worth it. Not sure I’ll ever read another one by Hart, though: the bloat was crazy. A lot of the tone was something Jim Thompson would accomplish in 200 pp.
cspiwak's review against another edition
3.0
this was a well written mystery, particularly considering it was a first novel. Characters were somewhat developed, plot had some twists and turns. I must say , though, that I didnt particularly enjoy it. It was noir, which I usually like, but I found it difficult to like the protagonist. spoilers follow-
His dad kills his mom, he hushes it up- ok
he watches the girl get raped, he's a child, what do I expect him to do
he cheats on his wife- well -its ok- she was cheating far worse
he gets a dog , even though he knows that his last dog was forced to live entirely in the backyard by his trampy wife
his friend the private detective brings a couple of women along to their meeting, seemingly so they can sleep with them, even though he knows the guy is married, again, he knows him so seemingly something he was open to in the past?
he marries his wife rather than the woman he loves, but keeps the other woman hanging on and drops by for emotional support and sex when he wants it
the one person who is really nice to him, the doctor, he borrows his car so he can leave the area, therefore opening up the doctor to a charge of abetting
Supposedly he loves his sister, I guess that's something
His dad kills his mom, he hushes it up- ok
he watches the girl get raped, he's a child, what do I expect him to do
he cheats on his wife- well -its ok- she was cheating far worse
he gets a dog , even though he knows that his last dog was forced to live entirely in the backyard by his trampy wife
his friend the private detective brings a couple of women along to their meeting, seemingly so they can sleep with them, even though he knows the guy is married, again, he knows him so seemingly something he was open to in the past?
he marries his wife rather than the woman he loves, but keeps the other woman hanging on and drops by for emotional support and sex when he wants it
the one person who is really nice to him, the doctor, he borrows his car so he can leave the area, therefore opening up the doctor to a charge of abetting
Supposedly he loves his sister, I guess that's something