The King of Lies

By: John Hart

Narrated by: David Chandler

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

It drags a bit towards the middle...

Overall it is not a bad book. The story is interesting enough so that you really discover the killer right at the end, which is good. The problem is that the main character is so obsessed with one angle of the story through most of the book that it gets really anoying and boring and it drags a bit. In my view it is inconceivable that a normal person would not even consider alternatives to the facts, so the character made me feel like I was wasting my time. But through some perseverance I was surprised with an unexpected ending, which made the book worth it.
Another point to consider is the poor editing of the audio, which lets trough too many saliva sounds from the narrator. I only listened to the book while driving as the soung got a bit muffled by the car engine.

Excellent book

First book I read by this author and it won't be my last. Great story, moves along pretty well, I couldn't put it down. Couldn't predict what happened. Well written

The ending was unexpected...,

The story seemed a little slow to start and I put off listening for a few days and I'm so glad I did. The story kept building and I kept listening. There was a lot of foul language in some parts.
Could they have been left out ? I am not sure.

I know one thing, I am going to look for another story by Join Hart.

I enjoyed this story

This book is not the traditional mystery. The turns kept the listener wondering. I was pleasantly surprised.

Good story, but...

Would you try another book from John Hart and/or David Chandler?

I don't think so. Hart's descriptions are a little over the top melodramatic, and Chandler reads in almost a total monotone. Either situation would make me avoid another book, but the combination is just weird! Too bad because the story is pretty interesting.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Chandler pronounced words correctly. Otherwise...and I don't know if it is his fault or the editor's but the swallowing sounds at certain points were distracting.

Could you see The King of Lies being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Um, no.

THE KING OF LIES

Highly recommend this book. great legal thriller. kept me interested all the way to the end.

great mystery

What makes a great mystery for me is not knowing what will happen next. So be it with the novel. it keeps you wanting to read on.

Great book

Well written book, the characters were very believable. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Chandlers books.

Oh what a tangled web...

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

Not finished but so far, holding my interest.

Any additional comments?

There are sessions/chapters, that it's gets a bit annoying listening to the reader swallow,hear the spittle collected and breathing. Have to really try and tune it out but I've heard worse.

best

this is my first John Hart book. it is one of the best I've ever listened to. great narrator too. I look forward to hearing all the rest of his books.