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

Loved this book!

What did you love best about Iron House?

All of the dysfunction and the way he showed the darkest side of the villains. The touture part was very evil and graphic and I am almost embarrassed to say it was excellent. Loved they way it all came together at the end......I won't give it away.

What did you like best about this story?

This was his best book so far. The darkness and twists this book takes is great. I loved that they were all dysfunctional, and why, and they persevered under horrible circumstances and became successful in spite of it.

What does Scott Sowers bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He did a great job with the different voices, you knew which character it was.

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

Absolutely!

Any additional comments?

I would love to listen to more like this ~ loved it!!!

Excellent

Where does Iron House rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best I heard in a long time!! Kept me interested, did not want it to end.

Wow! What a Listen!

I have listened to John Hart and Scott Sowers in the past and enjoyed the collaboration. This time my expectations were truly surpassed with the performance of them both. I didn't want it to end and I would welcome the return of any characters that made it out of this book alive to return for the sequel. This story was so exciting and the characters so complex...that I didn't know who to like or who to despise. Nothing is clear cut in this one. And it works!

Loved it and excellent listengin!

I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it. The narration was also done very well.

Love John Hart

His books are amazing and the narrator is fantastic. This one was hard to stomach. Elena is such an obnoxious person, it took too much away from the book.
She is thrown out there as a loving and good person but in reality all she thinks about is her and making sure that she is the most important person in his life at all costs.
3 was generous And I only gave it because of how much I love John Hart and the narrator

couldn't stop listening

I listen to books when I am at the gym.This book was great entertainment, a wonderful escape at the end of a day, and made me want to go to the gym so I could listen to it.

Hart and Sowers are a perfect match

Would you listen to Iron House again? Why?

No, but I will watch for more audiobooks that pair Hart and Sowers. I have listened to others and have read everything by John Hart.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the touching loyalty between the two brothers and the extremes to which the characters took this relationship.

What about Scott Sowers’s performance did you like?

Scott Sowers has an amazing range of voices that brings the characters to life. Very few male readers can do a convincing female voice. Too many readers adopt this kind of breathless limp voice that is supposed to serve all females. Not Sowers....he makes you forget that a male is reading the passages.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was so moved by the cruel and heartless treatment the young boys endured at Iron House. I'm sure that it reflects a reality about which I am not aware. How they survived all of that is well portrayed in the book. Hart is a master of both suspense and incredible sensitivity.

Any additional comments?

There were times when I had to turn down the sound and get past the scenes of torture. If I were reading an actual book, I probably would have skimmed and skipped through them. This was Hart's most incredibly raw and violent work to date....and others haven't exactly been tame. But the writing is just so good!!!

Surprising, dark, exciting, touching

Where does Iron House rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Iron House?

The discussion between Michael and Jessep.

What about Scott Sowers’s performance did you like?

Great voice, and good at accents.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

John Hart is an amazing author. Fell in love with his writing with the Last Child and Downriver.

Characters worth discovering

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No one explores the intentions and deeper motivations than John Hart. I grew up in a disrupted family short of the level of violence in this tale. I connected with the power of family as a motivator for life long actions for each character.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was cliche but still plausible. There were deeper layers to discover if you allowed yourself to find them. John Hart doesn't state the obvious and I appreciated discovering my own understnading of the charcaters.

What about Scott Sowers’s performance did you like?

Decent accents

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The last 90 minutes were filled with emotion.

Any additional comments?

some have objected to the level of violence and it was off putting. It was necessary for the plot to come full circle and to the karmic conclusion.

Don't Expect 'Last Child' Characters

I did not discover John Hart until last year. Once I did, I was hooked. I listened to every Hart book ever recorded back-to-back and then began a year long vigil in anticipation of Iron House. I realize now that it was Hart's incredibly insightful characterizations that had me enthralled. About a third of the way through Iron House, I reluctantly admitted to myself that I was disappointed. I wasn't staying up half the night listening... unable to turn it off. But... I kept listening. Turning a hit man (and his friends/family) into loveable characters worthy of a readers emotional investment is no easy task. I am glad I stuck with the story. By about half way through, Hart had me once again. In the end, I actually had tears streaming down my face (an extreme rarity for me) and was swept away by what I can only describe as a bittersweet close. As with all his books, the plot was fresh, imaginative and convoluted. The end? Never saw it coming. Scott Sowers did a great job. He sounds like a North Carolinian to me. As a former professional voice talent from NC, I am sensitive to these things. I highly recommend this book... you just have to be a little patient. You will be glad you did!