The King of Lies

By: John Hart

Narrated by: David Chandler

John Hart creates a literary thriller that is as suspenseful as it is poignant, a riveting murder mystery layered beneath the southern drawl of a humble North Carolina lawyer. When Work Pickens finds his father murdered, the investigation pushes a repressed family history to the surface and he sees his own carefully constructed facade begin to crack.

Work's troubled sister, her combative girlfriend, his gold digging socialite wife, and an unrequited lifelong love join a cast of small town characters that create no shortage of drama in this extraordinary, fast-paced suspense novel.

Hart's mastery of prose and plot belie his newcomer status as he explores the true heart of a man. An illuminating anatomy of a murder and the ripple effect it produces within a family and a community, The King of Lies is a stunning debut.

©2006 John Hart (P)2006 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Mystery Writers of America 2007 Edgar Nominee, Best First Novel by an American Author

"[A] stunning debut, an exceptionally deep and complex mystery thriller....Few readers will be able to resist." (Publishers Weekly)
"This is a first novel that lunges off the page, just grabs the reader by the throat and won't let go....Hart is a fine stylist, turning phrases with a panache that recalls Raymond Chandler." (Booklist)

Better than a Grisham novel

This book is one of the best books that I've listened to in my two+ years of membership with Audible. The plot is well developed, the reader is excellent, and the story draws you in to the point that you can't put the book down. Excellent book. Highly recommended.

Best book this year!!

Where does The King of Lies rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5

What was one of the most memorable moments of The King of Lies?

When Work bought the puppy

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, however the narrator could have done a better job distinquishing between the characters

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed the character development and the overall story. Surprise ending was a bonus!

Not a bad first novel, but misses on many elements

To be honest, this one should have swept me off my feet and didn't. The story has all the elements that hit us close to home, betrayal, family abuse, murder, and true love. The author has a great command of the language, but is hooked on clichés and soap operas. The characters are rough-carved and you don’t really get too close to any of them. Our hero is a self-made wimp, the son of a domineering father, who can’t seem to get from one scene to another without making every mistake in the book. We are left to near the end of the book to reveal the villain, and it comes as no surprise. Any experienced mystery reader will see it coming from about chapter ten. The novel is full of mistakes and left out details, none of which get revealed. Full of zig-zagging, endless travel, often without meaning. It’s a messy first-novel, but still I kept turning pages. I didn’t care if the protagonist won, in fact he didn’t. He sort of stumbles around and fate makes all the decisions. But I’m intrigued enough to read another Hart novel. We’ll give him another chance.

They picked the wrong reader. David Chandler does a great job with the CJ Box novels, but is totally miscast reading what should have been a Southern novel read by a southerner.

Great story. Reader not narrator.

After I finally got over the awful reading, I finally started to enjoy the story and a great story it was. I do have to admit I am thankful for the 30 second forward button. Work had a tendency toward long verbose musings.

Never disappointed

You will never be disappointed by a John Hart book. He is a masterful storyteller with the ability to see both dark and light in men's souls

Well-crafted novel

This writer is definitely gifted at defining characters at a visceral level. I detested most of the protagonists; found the story and mystery compelling and listened almost nonstop to the end. Some of the descriptions of the emotional dialogue between the hero and his mistress were a littly trying but this ia small complaint. I recommend this book.

KC Kumar

I loved the book and it kept my attention. You can't miss this audible book if you love suspense.
KC

Keeps your interest

Was a good read from beginning to end. Enough going on to keep wanting to read more. Well writen and

compelling story

This was a very good listen. The characters were well developed and the storyline was good. the ending was also not predictable. Performance was also quite good. Recommended.

The King of Lies

Love anything by John Hart. Well written and very interesting. Marvelous reader with a great voice