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)

Overemphasized every word

The extra emphasis on every word spoken by the narrator really hurt this book. Not a bad story if you can get over that hurdle.

love it

excellent book, great plot, keeps you guessing till the end, lots of twists along the way. Definitely recommend it.

Great story

Did not care for narrator. He lacked definition and awareness of the character by talking like an narrator and not being the character.

Excellent

Debut novel for the author. Excellent thriller, good characters and you genuinely believe there could be several people that committed the crime.

Well written and narrated.

Listened to this book on a road trip and really enjoyed it!

OK

I found this book alright but felt highly misled by the comparrison of this author to Pat Conroy. That comparrison was what led me to purchase this book and I had very high hopes for this book because of that comparrison. Missing are the rich details of an intricately woven story. Missing was the rich character development creating characters that remain with you for the rest of your life and missing was the intelligent wit woven through even the most serious of Pat Conroy's works.

Slow start, but a nice book

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

yes- i found myself recommending it to my wife. I think that John Hart is very descriptiveinitially. It really makes love or hate his main character, but from the use of first person narration to the detailed personality presentation - one thing is sure- you are actively involved in the book and not a reader...

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

i think the start was slow- many details, I couldn't understand when he was going with the book, I wondered how it was published... Then, right in the middle, everything changed... I haven't realized how much I was involved in the story and Hart started rocking my world... The second half of the book is really fast pace...

What about David Chandler’s performance did you like?

I am not sure- his pace was great, there are not many voices and not a lot of intonation... But I guess it doesn't matter much.... The content leads the thoughts much better than any interpretation can... I gave 4 stars as there was some annoying lip smacking
in the second part

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

No - first few hours I almost quit... I really encourage people to losten for 6 hours before quitting... I don't regret it....

Twists and Turns

Loved it. It was recorded years ago so some parts have noises not heard in newer recordings but very good story. Really like the narrator.

Gripping, edge of your seat mystery

Loved the narrator, the book was a great, well written account of mystery in every turn that kept you on the edge of your seat

Couldn't wait for the story to end

Unlike my favorite books that I wanted to go on and on, here I couldn't wait for it to end.

The main character's life revolves around women, his dead mother, his wife, his lover, his law enforcement nemesis but is overshadowed by a ruthless father. I struggled to believe that anyone so powerless could be so, well, powerless and yet go on and on about psychology. "Just do something," I couldn't help but plead. And there is an unbelievable ending. Can the reader actually believe that the weak sister actually gets strong and goes off to live a happy life in Vermont with a damaged woman, who set her own father on fire and frightened staff at a mental hospital?

The performance is not good. It needs editing. The last word in a chapter bumps up too quickly on the following chapter number and worse of all, besides some obvious stumbles in "voices," it is so distracting to hear the narrator swallow.

Starts out horrible, but ends up amazing.

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

The beginning is garbage. It's hard to follow, and seems poorly written. If not for the awesome narrator, i'd probably have given up. But by a few hours in, it got real good. Great story and a good mystery.

Any additional comments?

Fantastic Narrator. My favorite.