Iron House

A Novel

By: John Hart

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

Length: 15 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

An old man is dying. When the old man is dead, they will come for him. And they will come for her, to make him hurt.

John Hart has written three New York Times best sellers and won an unprecedented two back-to-back Edgar Awards. His books have been called “masterful” (Jeffery Deaver) and “gripping” (People) with “Grisham-style intrigue and Turow-style brooding” (The New York Times). Now he delivers his fourth novel—a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping thriller no listener will soon forget.

He would go to Hell....

At the Iron Mountain Home for Boys, there was nothing but time. Time to burn and time to kill, time for two young orphans to learn that life isn’t won without a fight. Julian survives only because his older brother, Michael, is fearless and fiercely protective. When tensions boil over and a boy is brutally killed, there is only one sacrifice left for Michael to make: He flees the orphanage and takes the blame with him.

To keep her safe....

For two decades, Michael has been an enforcer in New York’s world of organized crime, a prince of the streets so widely feared he rarely has to kill anymore. But the life he’s fought to build unravels when he meets Elena, a beautiful innocent who teaches him the meaning and power of love. He wants a fresh start with her, the chance to start a family like the one he and Julian never had. But someone else is holding the strings. And escape is not that easy.

Go to Hell and come back burning....

The mob boss who gave Michael his blessing to begin anew is dying, and his son is intent on making Michael pay for his betrayal. Determined to protect the ones he loves, Michael spirits Elena—who knows nothing of his past crimes, or the peril he’s laid at her door— back to North Carolina, to the place he was born and the brother he lost so long ago. There, he will encounter a whole new level of danger, a thicket of deceit and violence that leads inexorably to the one place he’s been running from his whole life: Iron House.

©2011 John Hart (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

What a great book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Iron House to be better than the print version?

Didn't read the print version

Have you listened to any of Scott Sowers’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

yes--One of his best!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This story takes more twists and turns and is engrossing from begining to end!

Not his best but still worth the download.

This story was quite different than I was expecting from Hart. But, the writing just as vivid and beautiful as always. I will say that the love interest in this was a little more overwhelming than I prefer, but I still couldn't stop listening. Love Scott Sowers narration.

Fantastic

I am not sure why some people think the book has a slow start, it doesn’t. There is intrigue, action, plot twists galore all wrapped up in excellent writing. I do agree that the girlfriend is annoying and whinny but that may have been intentional and it certainly doesn’t detract from the book.

Narrator and Author a Good Team

Although the plot has some rough spots, this book is a good example of how putting the right narrator with the right author can help compensate for weak points. Scott Sowers has an incredible range of voices that makes the characters come alive. Hart does a nice job of creating the backstories for the characters so that their actions are credible. Some plot points are a stretch, but the story works in the end. Overall, a good audio book that moves along smoothly.

Excellent!

Don't miss this one! You won't be sorry! It's a verry creative and enjoyable summer read!

Another great work by John Hart

I've read / listened to all of John Hart's books. All have been great and Scott Sowers does an excellent job narrating the story. Check out all four of Hart's works - you will not be disappointed!

5 Star

Would you listen to Iron House again? Why?

Very well written book. You could tell the writer had authentic knowledge of the fictional settings. I also liked the multiple plots that tie in to one another. If John Hart is reading this, Your Friend Clint Robins, referred me to the book and it far exceeded expectations.

A Good Story, Too Violent

This is a well-written book, well read by the narrator. The characters and situations are entertaining and convincing, if a bit far-fetched. My problem was with the excruciatingly detailed violence, much of it focused on torture. I don't need to hear 5- to 10-minute, graphically harrowing descriptions of what happens to a character's constituent parts as a body is pierced, pulled, wired, broken, violated in ever more imaginative ways and and then strung up to die slowly. These scenes, and there were several, didn't advance the plot or increase my understanding of the characters. I found myself skipping ahead several times, and didn't miss much of the story, that I could tell.

Disappointed After the First Two

About halfway though Iron House I checked to see when it was written, so sure was I that this had to be an early work before his writing improved. I was shocked to see this came after Down River and King of Lies. This seemed to be a book I would expect to be a first. Even crossed my mind that he had already written Iron House before the other books and after being rejected was resurrected thanks to the success of the other two. Though the story was good the dialog of the characters was was poor. I could overlook stereotypes if what they're saying is at all entertaining. I began to say the lines before the reader did, so simple and expected were the conversations. The word 'complicated' was used far too much. The worst of several bad characters was Eliana . She came across as mentally deficient rather than just from another country. I was forgiving of all the over the top stretches of the imagination but when I got very close to the end I just had to stop. Won't ruin it for you but you'll know what I mean when you get there. Despite this being a pretty harsh review I still recommend it for the story and I haven't given up on John Hart. In fact, I believe about about to start The Last Child.

John Hart does it again!

What did you love best about Iron House?

It was well written and well narrated.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the different aspects of the story and how they all came together at the end.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was difficult to put this book down. I wanted to continue listening to the end.