Down River

How far would you go to protect your family?

Could you forgive those who have wronged you? And even if you could, can you ever truly go home?

Billed as a novel for those who enjoy books by Raymond Chandler and John Grisham, John Hart's second book, 'Down River', is a dark and atmospheric trip into the heart of North Carolina - and the world of an increasingly dysfunctional family.

What's it about?

Adam Chase has had a hard life. His mother died in traumatic circumstances when he was young; years later he was accused of a violent murder he didn't commit. Despite being acquitted, the inhabitants of his home town - including his stepmother - persist in believing that Adam got away with murder.

When a phone call forces him to remember everything show more he left behind, Adam reluctantly returns home only to find that murder seems to stalk him. Within days the local police are seeking to arrest him again and it seems only Adam can find the true killer...

What's it like?

Fast-paced. Entertaining. A little cliched.

From the moment Adam returns he's swept back into old feuds and relationships. It seems almost every man wants to punch him out and almost every woman wants to kiss him - except his stepmother, who refuses to even see him.

Adam is tough. The local men are equally tough and their hobbies seem to be guns, gambling problems and hard drinking. When Adam reflects on his time on remand, his attitude is typically masculine:

'I had three fights in the first week. It took a broken hand and a concussion to earn my place in the pecking order. I wasn't at the top, not even close, but judgement had been made.
'Tough enough to be left alone.
'So, yeah, I remembered.'

While I have no problem with tough guys I did find Adam's relationship with ex-flame Robin quite frustrating. She's furious he left; he blames her for not joining him; despite all this, she still wants to jump his bones; then she has to agree to prioritise him above her own needs and her career in order for them to be together. Because that's what a woman in love with a Man does. (There's a very twentieth century feel to this book!)

Final thoughts

This is classic gritty southern gothic. Everyone has secrets and there's plenty happening to keep the twists coming thick and fast. The final reveal came as a surprise to me and I really liked the misdirection Hart employs. There's a strong sense of lives lived under pressure, high stakes and disintegrating neighbourhoods. The family tensions are convincing and, although I saw a major plot twist coming long before Adam, there's plenty of threads to keep readers intrigued.

An easy, entertaining and atmospheric read, which may make you question America's gun laws. show less

Oh HELL yes. John Hart is very quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. He's doing what Dennis Lehane used to do back in his [b:Mystic River|21671|Mystic River|Dennis Lehane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407109549s/21671.jpg|1234249] days.

That is, offer a mystery that's also gorgeously written. To be fair, I find Hart's mysteries aren't necessarily all that hard to figure out, but you know what? With writing like this, with characters like this, I don't care. I'll read anything the guy writes.

John Hart knows how to write about families and all of their complicated dynamics. There are so many layers to Adam Chase’s family. The story opens with Adam returning home to North Carolina after a 5 year absence. He was exiled from his community following his acquittal for murder. The story deepens as Adam faces his childhood, his family’s past, a girlfriend he left behind, and the unknowns of his future. The bulk of this novel addresses suffering, physical and emotional. There’s an ever present curiosity about forgiveness.

William Faulkner, another Southern writer, said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." Adam Chase, the protagonist of Down River, learns that the hard way when he returns to his North Carolina home after a five-year absence. It doesn't completely surprise Adam that he doesn't get the warmest welcome -- he left after being acquitted of a brutal murder, but there are still many townspeople who believe him guilty. Even those who are essentially glad to see him are still resentful of his abrupt departure.

Then there are more troubles -- the boyhood friend whose phone call brought Adam home seems to be missing, and a young woman who lives on the Chase farm is brutally attacked. Adam is both suspect and investigator, aided by Robin, show more his old girlfriend who is a local police detective.

I'd term this an excellent example of the Southern Gothic genre. It has all the hallmarks -- family dysfunction, mysteries out of the past, and violence ready to break out at any minute. I'm not sure who the other nominees were, but I'd find it hard to quarrel with Down River's selection as Edgar Best Novel of 2008. Then again, my husband absolutely hated it. Give it a try and see what you think. show less

If you are an adrenaline junkie, "Down River" is not the book for you. If you are looking for a mystery with layers peeled away like the skin of an onion while learning more about the main characters with each layer unfurled, then this offering by John Hart is right up your alley. This book is what I would consider a character driven mystery, and while we learn more about the character, the tumblers to solve the mystery drop into place.

The story begins as Adam Chase drives back into his home town in Rowan County, North Carolina. We learn that Adam has not been there for five years, that he has not even been in contact with anyone there - not even his main squeeze Robin Alexander, who has worked her way up to detective on the small show more police force. We come to find out that the reason Adam left was a murder trial in which he was the defendant, acquitted but none the less considered guilty by most of the town - including his step mother who testified against him. This latter fact caused a rift between Adam and his father Jacob, a rift Adam did not see as being able to be mended.

The reason Adam returned to Rowan county was a cryptic message from Danny Faith, one of Adam's oldest and dearest friends. Adam almost did not return, but in the end felt he owed it to Danny. He had not been in town 24 hours when he had a run in with Danny's father Zebulon, who not only felt Adam was guilty of murder, but also felt the wealth of the Chase family was the reason Adam did not go to jail. After an ambulance ride to the emergency room, Adam was picked up by Robin, who let him know she was over him and the offer of her apartment did not come with any fringe benefits. Adam, however, was not able to locate Danny Faith and was told he went to Florida to hide from an assault and battery charge from his ex-girlfriend.

But it seemed as if Adam's presence dug up some all to fresh memories, despite the five year interlude. Not long after his inglorious return to his childhood home, a severe beating there had him under police suspicion once again. Later, a body is found, and the local sheriff was out to implicate Adam. Things surely did not look good for him. Add into the mix that half the town wanted Jacob to sell 1400 acres to the power company for a new plant to be built, and the town was boiling over with accusations and hatred. But the worse things got for Adam, the deeper he dug. And just when you thought you might have figured out the mystery, another layer was peeled away and you were back to square one.

I really enjoyed this book. It is not every author that could pull this story off the way John Hart did. I really wanted things to turn out right for Adam (not saying they didn't) and became frustrated with him at times, especially for his inability to control his temper. It is not every novel that can keep me invested in the experiences of the characters, but "Down River" did this and more. I recommend this to any mystery buff who is looking for something a little bit different. show less

Adam Chase returns to Salisbury, NC, five years after being acquitted of murder but exiled by his father. There is a lot going on inside Adam, and he has a lot of unfinished business to attend to. His old flame, Robin, hs become a hard-core detective; his friend Danny, who had urged him to come back, is missing. Then there is his father, and the stepmother who testified against him five years ago... a lot to deal with. When a teenaged girl with whom he had a special relationship is attacked, Adam is a suspect, and must work to clear himself of the assault as well as other crimes, all the while dealing with the assumption that he is guilty not only of these new incidents, but also in the murder for which he was acquitted. In the process show more of defending himself and those he loves, Adam unravels an improbable collection of secrets about his family and neighbors.

Hart does a wonderful job of creating tension immediately and keeping it at a high pitch. The pace at which he reveals different facts is very well managed. Adam is a mostly credible character, whose fate we care about, although he does charge into situations with little forethought. His loyalty to his friends is admirable, his difficulty in dealing with his family understandable. His father is well drawn as well. Overall a very satisfying mystery, and a bit more. show less

Adam Chase left his home in North Carolina five years ago after he was acquitted of a murder that took place on his family's farm. It didn't take him long to realize that "not guilty" isn't the same thing as "innocent". As an added complication, his step-mother testified against him during his trial, and her story hasn't changed in the intervening years. When Adam returns home, he finds that even though people and places look familiar, many circumstances have changed. Everyone in the family was wounded to some degree by the trial and its aftermath. While they feel the pull of family ties and affection, the familial bond has been damaged by past events. The tension they all feel increases as more violent crimes coincide with Adam's show more return.

The suspense in this novel is psychological. I wasn't dreading what was going to happen next; I was dreading what Adam was going to learn next. I felt the tension between Adam's need to know the truth and his fear of what the truth might be.

This was one of those books that was hard for me to put down. It contains more bad language than I prefer to read, but it doesn't seem to be included for its shock value. The dialogue seems natural. I did notice some repetitiveness in descriptive passages (for instance, an awful lot of people seemed to sit around with their palms up), but overall the writing flowed and carried me along with it, just like the river mentioned in the title. show less