Iron House

Starred review from May 16, 2011
This rich, impressive contemporary thriller from two-time Edgar-winner Hart (The Last Child) focuses on two brothers, Michael and Julian, both raised and abused at the Iron House of the title, an orphanage in the mountains of North Carolina. As a boy, Michael flees the place and ends up on the streets of New York City, where Otto Kaitlin, "the most powerful crime boss in recent memory," rescues him and fashions him into an accomplished killing machine and a surrogate son. When Kaitlin dies, his real son, Stevan, fueled by a mixture of jealousy and greed, sets out to destroy everything the now grownup Michael has. Stevan kidnaps Michael's girlfriend, Elena, and threatens emotionally fragile Julian, a creative, tortured genius who is now living at the North Carolina mansion of his adoptive parents. Hart deftly interweaves a complex family history story with Stevan's intense, bloody quest for vengeance. Though the book occasionally feels overplotted, its powerful themes and its beautiful prose will delight Hart's fansâand should earn him many new ones. 200,000 first printing; author tour.

July 25, 2011
Hart's ambitious new thrillerâa unique mixture of Dickensian plotting, violent action, and hardboiled attitudeâbenefits from Scott Sowers's relentless narration. The novel follows Michael, an oddly moral hit man who's on the run (with his pregnant girlfriend in tow) from his former mob associates. The sadistic criminals are seeking revenge and hunting for a treasure that once belonged to their recently departed mob boss. Meanwhile, Michael is searching for his frail brother, Julian, whom he has not seen since their childhood, which was spent in the grim Iron House orphanage in the mountains of North Carolina. Michael's quest leads him to a compound belonging to Julian's wealthy and powerful foster parents, where he uncovers the corpses of other Iron House orphans. Sowers's rat-a-tat delivery captures the spirit of the novel, complimenting Hart's clean prose, maintaining suspense, and clarifying the book's complex backstory. A Thomas Dunne hardcover.

Scott Sowers's dramatic style and husky voice heighten the tension in this thriller about two brothers with physical and emotional scars from childhood abuse they experienced at Iron House orphanage. Michael's girlfriend Elena's pregnancy sets him on a treacherous path to end his life as a Mob hit man and give his child a chance for a good life. Brother Julian's inner darkness permeates his work as a writer of children's books and undermines his ability to function. A mobster plays on their shared Iron House history to avenge his personal losses and thwart the brothers' hopes for normal lives. Sowers clearly communicates the complex emotions of the characters. He deftly uses accents to distinguish the characters and give them depth and credibility. N.K.L. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine