Down River

by John Hart

Going back is never easy . . . Adam Chase has spent the last five years in New York trying to forget. When he left North Carolina, Adam left for good. Now he has no choice but to return - and being remembered as a murderer doesn't help.

Within hours of arriving, Adam is beaten up, accosted and has to face the hostility of those closest to him, including Grace, the young woman he cannot forget. Nothing has changed. And then people start turning up dead. For a man only just acquitted of murder, Adam's homecoming does not go well. And he has a dark streak, a history of violence.

Everyone doubts. No one trusts him. And as the past threatens to overshadow the present, Adam becomes the prime suspect for the new murders. He alone can clear his name.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Book Club

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2007

About the author

JOHN HART is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, and of THE UNWILLING, which will be released on February 2, 2021. The only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels, Hart has also won the Barry Award, the Southern Independent Bookseller’s Award for Fiction, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and the North Carolina Award for Literature. His novels have been translated into thirty language and can be found in over seventy countries. “My only real dream,” John declares, “has been to write well and to be published well.”

He lives in Virginia with his wife, two daughters, and four dogs.

There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 tender, emotionally connected stars to John Hart's Down River

This is my third John Hart Novel in as many months. It’s safe to say I’m a fan. So much so, in fact, that after reading The Last Child (still my reigning favorite Hart novel), I bought his entire backlist.

Adam Chase is an enigma. He’s angry and even violent at times, but he’s also fiercely loyal and sensitive. Writing a complex main character is one of John Hart’s biggest strengths. Another is setting. Down River takes place in John Hart’s hometown, one not too far from my own hometown. Storytelling is another of his talents, and Down River was no exception. Adam Chase has a story to tell the reader. Is he guilty of murder? If not, just who did it and why? The words are powerful. The setting is dark. The plot will keep you guessing. I enjoyed my time spent Down River.

This was a Traveling Sister read, and a special one at that. The discussion always adds to my reading experience. Please visit the Traveling Sister blog for lots of amazing reviews: https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....

[Canadian Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed me some grit so I went to the Hart Man.

Adam was exiled from a small town for a crime he didn’t commit. 5 years later, he has returned, hoping to resolve some unanswered questions. What he finds is a further mystery to be unravelled with more questions, compounded by a death he’s naturally presumed to have committed.

Hart never fails to deliver a brawl, some bruising, a body or two, some raunch, a little love interest, and a twist or two or three. Family, not at its finest, severely broken and dysfunctional.

This wasn’t my favourite - it’s an earlier work of his. A little too convenient at times but still delivered a rapid paced ride Down River. 💦
3.75⭐️

[Paula K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down River is the second book I have read by John Hart. What a storyteller he is. Set in Rowan County, North Carolina, Adam Chase returns home after living in New York for five years. Acquitted of a murder charge prior to leaving, and abandoned by his family, he finds the county and his family still unforgiving upon his return. And then the bodies start showing up.

Hounded by the police who consider him a prime suspect, Adam starts hunting for the real killer or killers. The author expertly takes the reader exploring into the dark side of each character, the choices each has made and how they have lived with the consequences.

This is an excellent story of what length people will go to for greed, revenge and family and whether forgiveness is obtainable. Through the development of his characters, secrets are revealed a little at a time. Interestingly, whether good or bad, I enjoyed each character he introduced throughout the book.

Highly recommend.
5 out of 5 stars.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first John Hart novel and One of My Favorite Reads of the Year.
What took me so long?!

This book has it all! It’s Character-Driven Fiction, with non-stop action, and pulse pounding suspense.

When Adam Chase arrives back in his hometown in Rowan County, North Carolina after a long absence, he knows that nothing good will come of his return, and yet, he can’t stay away. Acquitted of murder five years ago, he is no longer welcome in Rowan County, not by his family or any of the town folk.

In the last five years, a lot has gone on in Rowan County, and people are angry. Many at his family, many at Adam personally.

His return sparks an uprising. Assault, secrets, even murder.

Everything Adam holds dear is at stake, including his family, and his friends. How far will a man go to take care of his own?

A gripping character-driven mystery/suspense that had me glued to the pages from the very first.John Hart won an Edgar Award for this novel (his first) and I can see why. It was absolutely phenomenal! I am now reading The Last Child and can’t wait to read the rest of his backlist.

Thanks to Hoopla for loaning me the audio.

[Zoeytron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy does everything just right.  I'm referring to the author, John Hart.  It's the way in which he is able to place you right in the story.  In the police interrogation room, you are privy to the stinky reek of vomit, sweat, antiseptic, and black mold.  If you are out of doors, you can't miss the snarls of kudzu creeping and enveloping everything in its path.  Propped up on a bar stool in the Hard Water Tavern, well, you get my drift.

Major and minor characters alike are fashioned with care, luring you into this story's well-spun web of mystery and deceit.  I didn't like all of them, but they seemed real.  And since when do we need to actively like everyone?  That would be absurd. 

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hart combines mystery and family drama, while mining the dark side of human nature and delivers an intricate plot that is more character-driven than thematic.

In tone, pacing and mood, I was reminded of Pat Conroy’s writing. The reflective angry young man, the love/hate relationship with the place of his birth and early life, as well as, the complexities of small town life. There is an undercurrent of greed, violence hides behind every jagged rock and the lies flow easily.

But it is the family dynamic that soars. The prodigal son returning after years of estrangement, the wicked stepmother and half siblings battling addictions and suicidal depression. It’s a cauldron of dysfunction bubbling over and diving in could prove lethal.

Hart is one of my favorite mystery novelists, his eloquence elevates the genre into the literary realm, and here he delivers another tour de force of complicated relationships and tangled emotions. This was his second novel and I’ve read more of his recent work and can see the evolution of his writing, but it still stands up to time.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved

[NILTON TEIXEIRA · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book the word angry was used 40 times, and anger was used 47 times.
I cannot express how angry I’m with myself for wasting my time reading this book.
Anyways, as my fellow readers praised this book, and as this one also won (gasp!) an Edgar Award, I will not point all the faults and my disappointment.
This is the author’s second book and the 6th book that I have read.
I highly praised “Redemption Road”, “The King of Lies” and “The Last Child”. I enjoyed “Iron House” and “The Hush”, but this one I can’t recommend to anyone I know.

PS. John Hart has also won the Barry Award, the Southern Independent Bookseller's Award for Fiction, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, the Southern Book Prize and the North Carolina Award for Literature.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is such a pleasure to read John Hart's books. Yes, they are mysteries, but they are also "literature." The North Carolina setting is atmospheric, and the characters come alive.

Adam has come home after a five-year exile. He had been accused, tried, and acquitted of a murder he did not commit, but still not very many people believe him. There are a lot of skeletons in Adam's family, and John Hart deliciously and slowly lays them bare. There are more murders, deceit, and heartbreak, but also strong love and friendship. The question is will the family recover and heal?

I liked Adam and understood where he was coming from. I also liked his father, in spite of the history. Brother Jamie sometimes rubbed me the wrong way.

I'm looking forward to the next book!

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. No, no, no. Overwrought, overly dramatic, just...too much. I read the first 100 pages, was irritated, then read the last 20 pages and felt like i did ok with skipping the rest.

The main character is accused of killing a young man 10 years ago and is totally sold out by his stepmother. His father doesn't back him and he can't figure out why. He leaves without a word to anyone, goes to NY, leaves his detective lover behind (who is VERY ANGRY THAT HE LEFT) and then comes back (don't know why) to mend fences and figure out who killed the dude. There's all kinds of FAMILY DRAMA and he is VERY ANGRY and NOBODY IS HAPPY TO SEE HIM. So much drama! So over the top! Bleh. I loved King of Lies, I don't remember it taking itself this seriously, but I just couldn't get behind everything being connected and all of the family ties coming apart. Dark family secrets! Love children! Untrustworthy siblings! Vengeance! Mean daddies! Hart wrote with too heavy a hand and pissed me off. Just...no.

I seem to be in the minority, so i'm curious if anyone else reads it and agrees with me. But if you read it and hate it, don't say I didn't warn you!

[Marialyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some writers just have that wonderful flair of being able to explore characters, set a theme that is addictive, and thrill you with their words. I am finding John Hart is such a writer.

In this novel, we meet Adam Chase, who narrowly escaped being convicted of murder, accused of such by his step mother, and condemned by the town he lived in. Adam left the town, left the woman he loved, and left behind the land he loved along with leaving his father and step siblings. For five years, he stayed away until he is summoned back by his friend. Within hours of his return he is badly beaten, and days later bodies turn up dead and of course Adam is suspected of their murders.

Adam does have a violent streak but he does try to reconnect, not always successfully with his family, his town, and the woman he loves. He fights a battle to return to where he belongs against what seemed like odds stacked against him.

Mr Hart creates a wonderful theme of family and how they are not always blood related. His characters are laid bare and he creates an intriguing story of lies and often deceit and shows the reader how far some will go for money, family, and revenge.

Thanks to my Traveling Sisters who read with me as we all seemed to very much enjoy this novel. They and our discussions of course made it even better.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by this author. It was excellent...immensely enjoyable with a fine sense of place and full of local color. I loved the way the author uses (what I assume to be) colloquial expressions and narratives throughout this very Southern novel. He's a good storyteller. I'll have to find other John Hart books to read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam Chase is a pariah in his hometown in NC. He left 5 years ago after a "not guilty" verdict in his trial for murder of a very popular young man in the town. A sizable amount of people still believed he was a murderer, and the charges had left a deep rift in the family. I left the only people I have ever loved, the only place I 'd called home. He escaped to a city and just existed until he got a call for help from a friend , Danny Faith, and despite his initial reluctance he decided to head home where his heart and soul yearned to be close to the river where so much of significance had happened in his life ...things can change, that's what I told myself. Mistakes can be undone, wrongs righted. That's what brought me home

Adam didn't count on the lingering resentment against him, the anger at his father that still seethed within him, and the hurt that resided in some he had left behind. His friend was MIA and a horrible assault occurs that people are too quick to want to pin on Adam. There is lots going on and Adam finds himself smack in the middle of things and trying to stay out of jail.

This is a richly told story, both of the people, action, and the land. It had more substance than I had anticipated especially dealing with the difficult family dynamics of the Chase family. Southern fiction and a suspenseful murder mystery rolled together. My review cannot adequately convey all that I felt about this well-done novel. A worthwhile read.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Chase left home 5 years earlier after he was acquitted of a murder where his step mother was the star witness for the prosecution. It is obvious the townspeople still view him as a murderer as he is brutally beaten shortly after arriving back in town. His Father, who sided with his wife is not sure how to behave to his son he had lost. His old girl friend is a cop who begins helping him find the true killer.
This Edgar Award winning novel is absolutely outstanding. What a fantastic and literate mystery!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been taken by all things John Hart. This is my third book by this author.

Adam Chase is The Angry Young Man. Hart portrays his character as the wayward son returning home to a small North Carolina town after a five year absence. Previously, Adam had been arrested and tried for the death of another young man in that same town. Although acquitted, his own family and the town itself still believe that Adam committed the crime. As Ricky Ricardo would say: "There's a lot of 'splainin' to be done here."

Adam simmers and marinates in anger 24/7. In truth, I did not like the character of Adam. There, I said it. Perhaps John Hart's intention was to make this so. From childhood on, Adam has walked into continuous cesspools of causal factors to shellac him with layers of rage and vexation. He sees the world in darkness and he builds unscalable walls to keep the darkness in.

It is John Hart's writing that kept me engaged in this story even when Adam fought so hard to keep me out. The supporting characters keep the storyline aloft and flowing. You will come to see how each one is essential in applying shades of color beyond blurred lines.

There's a story to tell here. Where, exactly, is home? And can we ever truly return to our own concept of what constitutes just that? John Hart will take you down this river of raw emotions and Adam will finally face the reflections that stare back at him through those very, very dark waters.

[Charlie Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

La Rivière rouge
4.5 ⭐

Español / Français

Otra gran novela de John Hart, quizás algo por debajo de “No hay cuervos” pero que también se llevó el mismo premio, EDGAR. El único escritor en conseguirlo con dos novelas consecutivas.

Aquí, Hart nos presenta una historia de familia en las tierras de Carolina del Norte.


Una historia de secretos inconfesables, rencores y celos que con el paso de los años se hacen más grandes. Al mismo tiempo hay una presión exterior que quiere cargarse a esta familia.

Una mezcla explosiva entre esta familia con traiciones y muerte en el interior y la presión del pueblo y autoridades para que vendan sus tierras a una compañía eléctrica.

Adam Chase, decide volver a casa después de haber sido acusado en el pasado de un crimen que no cometió. Declarado no culpable, al volver se da cuenta que lo siguen considerando culpable, tanto su familia como el juez y policía.

Un thriller familiar, algo atípico cuando uno se espera la clásica trama de asesino y su persecución. En este, la cosa es diferente, es Adam el que tiene que descubrir el misterio de su familia. Como dice Hart al final del libro, en todas las familias hay disfunciones e historias inimaginables que solo se pueden dar dentro de ella. Un entorno donde caben el amor, el odio y el perdón, por eso es tan interesante escribir sobre los problemas familiares.

La Rivière rouge

Un autre grand roman de John Hart, peut-être un peu en dessous de "The last child" mais qui a également remporté le même prix EDGAR. Le seul écrivain à l'avoir remporté avec deux romans consécutifs.

Ici, Hart nous présente une histoire de famille dans la campagne de Caroline du Nord.


Une histoire de secrets inavoués, de rancunes et de jalousies qui s'amplifient au fil des années. En même temps, il y a une pression extérieure qui veut détruire cette famille.

Un mélange explosif entre cette famille avec la trahison et la mort en son sein et la pression de la ville et des autorités pour vendre leurs terres à une compagnie électrique.

Adam Chase, décide de rentrer chez lui après avoir été accusé dans le passé d'un crime qu'il n'a pas commis. Déclaré non coupable, il revient pour constater qu'il est toujours considéré comme coupable par sa famille, le juge et la police.

Un thriller familial, quelque peu atypique quand on s'attend à l'intrigue classique d'un meurtrier et de sa traque. Dans celui-ci, les choses sont différentes, c'est Adam qui doit découvrir le mystère de sa famille. Comme le dit Hart à la fin du livre, dans chaque famille, il y a des dysfonctionnements et des histoires inimaginables qui ne peuvent se produire qu'en son sein. Un environnement où il y a de la place pour l'amour, la haine et le pardon, d'où l'intérêt d'écrire sur les problèmes familiaux.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because it was an Amazon.com recommendation and received very good reviews from Amazon readers. It goes to show that you should take reviews with a grain of salt and ask questions such as, "what other books did you think were as great as this one?" If the answer includes John Grisham, then tread carefully.

While John Hart is a better overall writer than Grisham, I can only describe this book as 'grishom-esque', i.e., a pre-screenplay.

Southern gothic in a predictable pedestrian sort of way, the novel is a thriller about Adam Chase, who is, several years earlier, falsely charged with -- and later acquited of -- the murder of a local high school student. Chase returns to his small hometown, which has a long memory and still looks upon him with suspicion. Needless to say, his return coincides with the start of a series of violent crimes and he becomes suspect number one. Naturally, the fiancee he left behind also happens to be a local cop.

This novel, is at best, mildly entertaining beach reading. Because when you can see the ending coming one-third of the way through the book, you should at least be sipping a margarita.

A bit of a post-script: I should add that I read this book after having finished "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan. Perhaps this was unfair to Mr. Hart, as McEwan is a fabulous, almost sublime, writer, with a delicate touch.

[Jonah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m officially a John Hart fan. He’s got me hooked.

I got Hart’s novel The Last Child as a birthday gift last October and pounded through it, enjoying it immensely (see previous review). When looking for a book as a gift for my dad earlier this April, I stumbled across The King of Lies and purchased it for him, and soon thereafter, I picked up Down River, my thought process being that we’d read our books and then swap. Both of us were done with our respective novels in less than three days! That brings up my first point with regard to Down River—Hart has mastered the art of the suspenseful, plot-driven novel that keeps the reader turning pages. And I appreciate that about him.

What sets Hart apart, however, is that his novels do have some literary merit beyond the intriguing plot. As the Publishers Weekly review inside the novel notes, “This book should settle once and for all the question of whether thrillers and mysteries can also be literature.” Down River is particularly literary in that it addresses key themes, and Hart’s gritty prose is atypical for this “type” of author.

A final point worth making is that some intriguing intertextuality exists between Down River and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Similar issues of loyalty, acts of infidelity, and “big reveal” plot twists are present—if you’re ever bored, I suggest reading one right after the other and noting the connections. Both books are good, and the act of analysis will keep your brain fresh!

[Shelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this 2.5 stars. It was ok and parts were good. But overall it wasn't great. The characters were just ok and each had a zillion problems to the point of ridiculousness. It was a bit hard to determine "who done it" since so many of them were screwed up! Big build ups of all these issues and then the character would fizzle out. When you finally figure out the killer….it's a let-down. Once again this author was formulaic and just tried to put too much into the story instead of building character development and letting the story unfold. I can see that there is a target audience for writing like this. It has a good rating. I just like a more believable story. This is the third book I've read by this author and The Last Child is his best by far, in my opinion.

[DeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story although at times I was worried how it was going to turn out. The Southern setting was perfect as was the dysfunctional family. John Hart is a talented writer, I need to read his earlier book now that he's on my radar.

Dark and powerful -- great story and I did not see the ending coming at all. Great ending.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This gets two stars instead of one only because I was entertained for the short term. It only took me two days to finish it, and it was entertaining. Like a movie, starring Ashley Judd, that I might watch on tv someday a few years after it hits the theaters....

[Donne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second John Hart book that I’ve read, and the storyline is similar to the first one I read: a man coming home, after a long period of time, to a small and dying southern town, seeking redemption from the people he loved who betrayed him. It’s a good theme and the first book was a great read with some surprising twists and a shocking end. This one turned out to be more of the same, just different characters and a different plot.

It had the requisite crooked and corrupt characters complete with the typical racist @$$#*!%$ parading as law enforcement and/or civil servant officials. It’s a cheap shot but an easy one, although, these types of characters can just as often be found in large urban cities as they are in small, rural, southern towns.

Anyway, this was more a character driven story, rather than an action-packed, fast-paced mystery/thriller. The author unfolded the story and revealed the characters along with all their flaws and defects and their histories with their choices and mistakes. The ending has some surprising twists and shocking end. Adam and Robin's story didn't end the way I thought I would, which was disappointing.

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed King of Lies a lot, and was under the impression that Hart gets better with each novel.

I lasted 84 pages before giving up in exasperation. I'll use some spoiler tags even though they occur early and are pretty minor:

I could not buy into no one giving the guy the benefit of the doubt. So he was acquitted of a crime for which it seemed only circumstantial evidence and his stepmother's word were against him, yet it seems everyone still thinks he got away with murder. Then he's suspected of rape (after a poorly written encounter with the victim) and even after the victim is hugging him in the hospital, they STILL doubt his innocence. It was after they cuffed him at the meth lab farm (when it was obvious he was not the criminal at large here) that I slammed the book shut with an "ARRRRGH!!!"

Worst book I started this year and by far the biggest disappointment I've had in an author in a long time.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fourth John Hart novel and he has never disappointed. He writes a mystery/thriller as literature. Murder, mayhem and dysfunctional families woven into a great story by a masterful writer. Easily five stars.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Down River's protagonist, Adam Chase, returns to his southern home after a five year exile, following his an acquittal of murder charges. Adam and his family are pariahs: his father, a wealthy farmer with substantial land holdings is resisting the power company's attempt to acquire land to build a plant. This novel centers around Adam's family and their friendships. I enjoyed the novel and the tension as bodies continue to pile up, with many thinking Adam is the culprit. I think the comparisons to Grisham are unfair -- similar to Greg Iles.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why am I just now discovering this author? This book was a real page turner. I am anxious to discuss it with other book lovers at the Troy Community Center on June 1. I will definitely be checking out some of his other books...Iron House, The Last Child and Redemtion Road for sure.

[♪ Kim N · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been really good, but it ended up being too melodramatic for my taste. Every scene is written for maximum emotional impact and that gets tiring after awhile.

[Fred Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story and characters. I enjoy Mr. hart's books immensely.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam Case returns to his home town in Rowan County, North Carolina five years after being found not guilty of murder. One of the reasons for leaving home was that the main prosecution witness against him was his step mother. He was also saddened because his father didn't take his side.

Adam's former girlfriend, Robin Alexander is now a detective on the local police department and still cares for him.
No sooner has Adam arrived in town then he is beaten by Zeb Faith and two others. The message is clear, Adam is not welcome in town and many townsfolk want his father to sell his land because if he did sell, surrounding land would increase in value based on a possible land development proposed for the area.

This is much more than a mystery novel. I feel that Hart may be influenced by the fellow North Carolian, Charles Frazier, author of "Cold Mountain." There are similiar detailed character descriptions and care for the man of integrity who will continue his search against all odds. Both Inman of "Cold Mountain" and Case of this story have that trait. In addition, Inman's love, Ada, and Case's sister, Miriam have a similarity in that fate seems to deal them a setback. It's how they deal with it that make the books different.
Wonderful story. Deserving of the Edgar Award for best mystery in 2008.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ooof, I felt like the author was trying just a little too much. He was close to being good sometimes, and then he would throw in some line that made me cringe a little. I know he also had a lot of drama going on with his main character, and that required a lot of other characters to keep the drama going, but I think he was juggling a few too many. Maybe we could have cut out a few of the bad guys, like maybe the judge? And I understand Jamie and Dolf were serving purposes as red herrings, but they both soooo obviously did not do any of the crimes that I felt like they weren't as necesary either, especially Jamie. I can see some people really liking this book, but for me, I felt like, Meeeehhhhh, almost the entire time.