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emilia128's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
elaine_angello's review against another edition
WANTED TO STICK WITH IT, BUT SOOOO SLOWWWWWW....
discoverygirl99's review against another edition
4.0
After two of the bookstore emails I get recommended this author, I decided to pick up his first book. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it at the store I was at, so I opted for this one instead. And let me tell you, I'm not sorry I did! This book definitely lived up to its Edgar Allen Award worthiness. The characters were flawed and passionate and the plot kept you from putting the book down. I am a fan of mysteries and can, from time to time, figure out who did it before the story is over. With this book though, that was definitely NOT the case. I love a good twist at the end (as long as its not TOO out of left field!) and this was a great one. Even better was the fact that not everything was completely resolved at the end. You knew that these people's lives were still evolving and I really like that.
scrappymags's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable mystery, well-written! Love that Hart's characters are so flawed, each in so many different ways/levels that it captures dysfunction clearly. But that led a great authenticity to the story and made it enjoyable.
nutti72's review against another edition
5.0
This book generated a lot of discussion in my book club. Adam Chase comes back to town after a friend asks him to. He left after being acquitted of murdering a classmate of his step siblings. His reappearance generates a whole lot of buzz in town, not all good. When bad things start happening to people he cares about Adam must find out the real culprit.
skoore's review against another edition
3.0
Down River was a good book. It was a good mystery, detective book. It was well written with good characters and not very long book. I will read another book from John Hart.
teastastestubsandtales's review against another edition
5.0
I literally could not put this down; the story line was so intricate. The characters were riveting and I could not wait to see what was around the next bend, to figure out the next surprise, the next twist. A dark story, with elements of hope and possibilities!
quilly14's review against another edition
3.0
Adam Chase, called by an old friend for help, is back in his home town five years after being accused of murder there. But after he shows up, people he cares about are getting hurt.
I found this at Bookman's about a year ago. I knew I'd read Hart's The Last Child, and I vaguely remembered enjoying it, so I snagged this one.
What we have here is a compelling thriller with one major flaw: the protagonist is annoying as hell. Adam Chase is the ultra-competent action movie hero type that always knows what to do. While there isn't a ton of action in the book, Chase goes charging into every bad situation and always comes out ok, just like Arnold in his heyday. Rather than take the clues he finds to the police, he "handles it" himself.
That happens often enough in fiction, but for some reason I just didn't buy it here. It might be because the book was in first person. It felt like I was listening to some drunk at the end of the bar tell me about the crazy adventures he's had.
lmiller's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0