Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am an inveterate reader, starting with comic books at a very early age, progressing quickly to the Tarzan novels, and then to the Hardy Boys. At age 66, according to my own calculations, I have probably read over 5,000 novels. I read to learn about the world outside of the small town in Wisconsin I grew up in, I read for entertainment, I read to escape reality, and I read to learn. I read to pass the time on airplanes, in terminals, in hotel rooms, on various beaches, and while recovering from numerous surgeries. An author has to be really, really good to get my attention and he/she has to work at all aspects of his/her work to present a novel worth remembering -- and worth recommending to others. My preferred genres include horror, mystery, thrillers, and detective novels. Some of the best books that I have ever read include: "Boy's Life" (Robert McCammon), "The Stand" (Stehen King), "The Girl Next Door" (Jack Ketchum), "Mystic River" (Dennis Lehane), "The Cabinet of Curiosities" (Preston and Child), and "The Anvil Chorus" (Shane Stevens). Other authors I enjoy include: Lee Child, Robert Crais, Nelson DeMille, Stephen Hunter, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Ken Follett, George Pelecanos, John Sandford, Tom Wolfe, Lawrence Block, and Greg Iles. The first test an author has to pass is to come up with the story, preferably something unique and based on reality, yet full of twists and turns that are believable but not contradictory. A great author doesn't want to cause any suspension of disbelief. He/she has to present interesting characters who are well developed and are able to think and act as required in the story line. The environment where the story takes place has to be described well enough to allow the reader to put himself/herself in the story alongside the main characters. The author has to research all of the bits and pieces that he/she includes in his/her work in order to make all of his/her descriptions accurate. One poorly researched and described event can ruin the author's credibility. And the author has to introduce his/her story and then consistently build on it until it gains momentum and rushes to its conclusion -- all the while throwing in subtle distractions to keep the reader thinking but not enough to give away the ending. "Terrible events always have small beginnings." After the dramatic conclusion is presented, an unwinding (denouement or epilogue) has to wrap things up and describe the new normal that the characters have entered. The inclusion of humor in all its forms can add considerable punch to a story. Readers who don't take the time to buy and read "Redemption Road" will miss John Hart's best work (so far). Seldom have I read a book where all the characters carry such heavy baggage, damaged by past events or manipulated by people close to them. Their burdens have cast them into a world of darkness with only the barest sliver of hope dangling in the distance, a glimmer that seems to get farther away as the story progresses. Mr. Hart's imagery is stark, his verbage gut wrenching, and he paints a dark picture of bad thoughts, strong emotions, hopelessness, and with no way out. Physical and psychological torture is not just used to gather information, it is used as a tool to inflict permanent damage. The bad guys are really bad and even the good guys seem to lack many redeeming qualities. Birds of a feather tend to flock together -- but sometimes vultures eat their own. You want the characters to survive against the insurmountable hurdles thrown at them. You want love in all its forms to conquer all -- but it appears that instead it could all end in flames and darkness. Reading this story is like jumping on a chainsaw. Body parts and pieces of psyche are torn apart and scattered everywhere. The sounds of screaming and tearing work their way deeper into your mind until you become -- what? A small piece of your former self? Unconnected fragments too small to be reassembled? A mind, a body, ruined one tiny piece at a time? Or can they survive everything thrown at them and live a new life together as permanently damaged individuals? Imperfect people struggling with severely damaged minds and bodies tend to have difficulty finding common ground. And what about faith? John Hart has written a complex novel that throws a lasso around you, capturing and holding the reader while he has his way with you. His writing is clean and taut, causing your emotions to rise and fall with what his characters endure. You will be surprised, you will cry, you will become angry, and you might even laugh once in a while. But the best thing that you can do is to pick up this book and strap yourself in for a long and terribly bumpy ride. This is the first book I've read since "The Exorcist" that kept me up all night until I finished it as the sun came up. And I'm still thinking about it.