/*Starred Review*/ North Carolina lawyer Work Pickens is dismayed to learn that the body of his father has been found, 18 months after he went missing. Ezra Pickens, a man with many enemies (not to mention a very disharmonious relationship with his son), was murdered. Along with trying to track down his fathers killer, Work has to shuffle a bitter wife, an unhappy lover, and a disgruntled sister--all the while dealing with the certainty that someone close to him is a murderer. This is a first novel that lunges off the page, just grabs the reader by the throat and wont let go. In the legal-thriller genre, which increasingly features protagonists transparently designed to be wildly individualistic, Work Pickens earns his individualism. And Hart is a fine stylist, turning phrases with a panache that recalls Raymond Chandler. Heres Work describing how he feels in his fathers large house: I rattled in it like a quarter in a tin can. Readers will breathe in this fine novel like a breath of fresh air and, immediately after finishing it, wish for more. -- David Pitt (Reviewed 03-15-2006) (Booklist, vol 102, number 14, p31)
Adult/High School –Jackson Workman Pickens, or Work, has always lived in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, a respected attorney. His life as he knows it–the law practice he shares with his father, the beautiful home and socialite wife–is a tribute to Ezra Pickens’s ideas of success. When Ezra is found shot to death, Work is ambivalent about helping the police find the killer, afraid that the path will lead to his younger sister, Jean. Only he and Jean know how abusive their father was and how his actions ultimately led to their mother’s death. Work’s reticence only serves to reinforce the lead detective’s belief that he is the guilty party, especially since he stands to inherit over $15 million. As Work becomes more enmeshed in a web of circumstantial evidence, he learns that his sister’s partner, Alexandria, was convicted of killing her own abusive father, and he begins to fear for his sister’s safety as well as his own. Hart has crafted a mystery with fully developed characters and a fast-paced and intelligent plot. He not only gives readers plenty of action and suspense, but also delves unflinchingly into the dynamics of family relationships. Teens who enjoy Grisham and Turow will want to be among the first to read this exciting new voice in the mystery genre.–Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA --Kim Dare (Reviewed August 1, 2006) (School Library Journal, vol 52, issue 8, p144)
/* Starred Review */ Hart's stunning debut, an exceptionally deep and complex mystery thriller, compares favorably to the best of Scott Turow. Jackson Workman Pickens, whom most people call "Work," is a struggling North Carolina criminal defense attorney. Work has wrestled with inner demons for most of his life, especially after the death of his mother and the disappearance of his wealthy father, Ezra Pickens, a highly successful lawyer who took him into his practice. Trapped in a loveless marriage and haunted by poor emotional choices and his sister's psychological trauma, Work finds himself under suspicion when his father's corpse surfaces more than a year after Ezra was last seen alive. Work's quest for the truth behind his father's demise opens old wounds and forces him to face the consequences of his own decisions. Few readers will be able to resist devouring this tour-de-force in one or two sittings—or clamoring for more John Hart. 75,000 first printing; 10-city author tour. (May) --Staff (Reviewed January 16, 2006) (Publishers Weekly, vol 253, issue 3, p34)
/* Starred Review */ This powerful debut literary thriller starts off slowly but builds momentum like a runaway train. Jackson Workman Pickens, “Work” to his friends, an unambitious criminal defense lawyer in a small North Carolina town, has some serious baggage. He's lost his mother; his father, Ezra, has been missing for more than a year, leaving Work to deal with his psychologically damaged sister; and his marriage is on the rocks. Ezra, a prosperous attorney of questionable ethics and Work's boss, made a lot of enemies, so when his body is found, pretty much everyone is a suspect—but only one man is charged with the murder. Small-town ostracism and a social-climbing wife only add to the difficulties of trying to find out the truth behind the murder, which eventually opens a Pandora's box for Work. The writing is beautiful and the story is gripping, but it is the character study of a damaged Southern lawyer that puts this debut novel on the must-read list. Highly recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 1/06.]—Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL --Stacy Alesi (Reviewed March 15, 2006) (Library Journal, vol 131, issue 5, p68)
Patchy debut thriller about a son who emerges from his father's shadow.Working within the Southern Gothic tradition, lawyer-turned-novelist Hart depicts his North Carolina characters as haunted by dark secrets from the past. Most haunted of all is protagonist Jackson Workman Pickens (Work). His mother died a few years back after falling down a staircase. Now his father, Ezra, a crude, bigoted, powerful lawyer, has turned up at a shopping mall with two bullets in the head. Ezra's will puts $15 million in trust for Work, on the condition that he remain actively involved as a lawyer. Besides making Work a prime suspect, the bequest plays up Ezra's power over his son's life. Will Work finally become his own man by walking away from the money and his unhappy marriage, turning to longtime mistress Vanessa Stolen? To complicate matters further, Work is certain his sister Jean murdered their father. He fears her conviction will drive Jean to a third attempt to kill herself. As he unravels the case, Hart fires with both barrels, stylistically and substantively. His language is often overripe and soap-operatic. "Stay away from my husband, you white trash whore," Work's wife screams. But Work can't resist Vanessa's breasts, "manna from some other man's heaven." Finally revealed, the darkest secret of all shocks and surprises.Spicy but not exactly nutritious. (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2006)

http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/bookUI: 141650

Cataloging source: DLC

http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate: 1965-

http://library.link/vocab/creatorName: Hart, John

Index: no index present

Literary form: fiction

http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred: True

http://library.link/vocab/subjectName

Murder victims' families
Fathers and sons
Fathers
North Carolina

Label: The king of lies, John Hart

Instantiates

trueThe king of lies

Publication

New York, St. Martin's Press, 2006

Control code: 974384

Edition: 1st ed.

Extent: 310p.

Isbn: 9780312341619

Lccn: 2005049774

Label: The king of lies, John Hart

Publication

New York, St. Martin's Press, 2006

Control code: 974384

Edition: 1st ed.

Extent: 310p.

Isbn: 9780312341619

Lccn: 2005049774

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Reviews

Review

/*Starred Review*/ North Carolina lawyer Work Pickens is dismayed to learn that the body of his father has been found, 18 months after he went missing. Ezra Pickens, a man with many enemies (not to mention a very disharmonious relationship with his son), was murdered. Along with trying to track down his fathers killer, Work has to shuffle a bitter wife, an unhappy lover, and a disgruntled sister--all the while dealing with the certainty that someone close to him is a murderer. This is a first novel that lunges off the page, just grabs the reader by the throat and wont let go. In the legal-thriller genre, which increasingly features protagonists transparently designed to be wildly individualistic, Work Pickens earns his individualism. And Hart is a fine stylist, turning phrases with a panache that recalls Raymond Chandler. Heres Work describing how he feels in his fathers large house: I rattled in it like a quarter in a tin can. Readers will breathe in this fine novel like a breath of fresh air and, immediately after finishing it, wish for more. -- David Pitt (Reviewed 03-15-2006) (Booklist, vol 102, number 14, p31)
Adult/High School –Jackson Workman Pickens, or Work, has always lived in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, a respected attorney. His life as he knows it–the law practice he shares with his father, the beautiful home and socialite wife–is a tribute to Ezra Pickens’s ideas of success. When Ezra is found shot to death, Work is ambivalent about helping the police find the killer, afraid that the path will lead to his younger sister, Jean. Only he and Jean know how abusive their father was and how his actions ultimately led to their mother’s death. Work’s reticence only serves to reinforce the lead detective’s belief that he is the guilty party, especially since he stands to inherit over $15 million. As Work becomes more enmeshed in a web of circumstantial evidence, he learns that his sister’s partner, Alexandria, was convicted of killing her own abusive father, and he begins to fear for his sister’s safety as well as his own. Hart has crafted a mystery with fully developed characters and a fast-paced and intelligent plot. He not only gives readers plenty of action and suspense, but also delves unflinchingly into the dynamics of family relationships. Teens who enjoy Grisham and Turow will want to be among the first to read this exciting new voice in the mystery genre.–Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA --Kim Dare (Reviewed August 1, 2006) (School Library Journal, vol 52, issue 8, p144)
Hart's stunning debut, an exceptionally deep and complex mystery thriller, compares favorably to the best of Scott Turow. Jackson Workman Pickens, whom most people call "Work," is a struggling North Carolina criminal defense attorney. Work has wrestled with inner demons for most of his life, especially after the death of his mother and the disappearance of his wealthy father, Ezra Pickens, a highly successful lawyer who took him into his practice. Trapped in a loveless marriage and haunted by poor emotional choices and his sister's psychological trauma, Work finds himself under suspicion when his father's corpse surfaces more than a year after Ezra was last seen alive. Work's quest for the truth behind his father's demise opens old wounds and forces him to face the consequences of his own decisions. Few readers will be able to resist devouring this tour-de-force in one or two sittings—or clamoring for more John Hart. 75,000 first printing; 10-city author tour. (May) --Staff (Reviewed January 16, 2006) (Publishers Weekly, vol 253, issue 3, p34)
This powerful debut literary thriller starts off slowly but builds momentum like a runaway train. Jackson Workman Pickens, “Work” to his friends, an unambitious criminal defense lawyer in a small North Carolina town, has some serious baggage. He's lost his mother; his father, Ezra, has been missing for more than a year, leaving Work to deal with his psychologically damaged sister; and his marriage is on the rocks. Ezra, a prosperous attorney of questionable ethics and Work's boss, made a lot of enemies, so when his body is found, pretty much everyone is a suspect—but only one man is charged with the murder. Small-town ostracism and a social-climbing wife only add to the difficulties of trying to find out the truth behind the murder, which eventually opens a Pandora's box for Work. The writing is beautiful and the story is gripping, but it is the character study of a damaged Southern lawyer that puts this debut novel on the must-read list. Highly recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 1/06.]—Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL --Stacy Alesi (Reviewed March 15, 2006) (Library Journal, vol 131, issue 5, p68)
Patchy debut thriller about a son who emerges from his father's shadow.Working within the Southern Gothic tradition, lawyer-turned-novelist Hart depicts his North Carolina characters as haunted by dark secrets from the past. Most haunted of all is protagonist Jackson Workman Pickens (Work). His mother died a few years back after falling down a staircase. Now his father, Ezra, a crude, bigoted, powerful lawyer, has turned up at a shopping mall with two bullets in the head. Ezra's will puts $15 million in trust for Work, on the condition that he remain actively involved as a lawyer. Besides making Work a prime suspect, the bequest plays up Ezra's power over his son's life. Will Work finally become his own man by walking away from the money and his unhappy marriage, turning to longtime mistress Vanessa Stolen? To complicate matters further, Work is certain his sister Jean murdered their father. He fears her conviction will drive Jean to a third attempt to kill herself. As he unravels the case, Hart fires with both barrels, stylistically and substantively. His language is often overripe and soap-operatic. "Stay away from my husband, you white trash whore," Work's wife screams. But Work can't resist Vanessa's breasts, "manna from some other man's heaven." Finally revealed, the darkest secret of all shocks and surprises.Spicy but not exactly nutritious. (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2006)

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