John Hart keeps on surprising me! I recently read one of his books and now, here I am again reviewing another novel he wrote!

Although The King of Lies initially seems like a straight forward murder mystery, Hart somehow manages to convert it into a story of redemption and self discovery. Hart’s ability to embody his characters and dissect their secrets, their shame and their pain, allows the reader to gain insights into their motivations and reactions to their situation. I think this is why Hart has become one of my ‘go to’ authors.

Workman Pickens is a southern country lawyer. His father was a successful lawyer and Work, as he is known to all his friends, carried on the tradition because it was what his father and his wife, Barbara expected of him, but his heart isn’t in it.

Then a year ago, Work’s mother died in a tragic accident. His sister, Jean, who along with Work witnessed their mother’s death, became even more distant and angry, and his father, who left the scene of the accident after receiving a phone call, went missing and was never seen again. In the wake of his mother’s death and his father’s disappearance Work has tried to maintain his father’s practice but he is losing clients and the practice has become just shell of what it once was. His wife, Barbara, continues to try and maintain pretenses and to climb the social ladder but Work’s disinterest in these activities is causing major rifts in their relationship.

Then the District Attorney calls Work to tell him that his father’s body has been found at an old abandoned mall. Although Work expected that his father was dead, he is shocked to find that his father had been killed with two shots to the head and chest.

Although Work knew that his father had been well to do, it comes as a complete surprise that the estate is valued at over fifteen million dollars. Soon the police are circling ever closer to Work, suspecting that he killed his father for his money. As he tries to fend off the ever increasing police scrutiny, Work begins to worry that his sister or her lover might have been somehow involved in their father’s death. As the investigation continues, Work must confront the realities of that fateful day when is mother died, find a way to mend the broken relationship with his sister and face into his dysfunctional relationship with his father, while he tries to find his father’s killer.

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this Book to: Sharon and Marian

Book Study worthy? Sure

Read in ebook format