• Redemption Road

  • A Novel
  • By: John Hart
  • Narrated by: Scott Shepherd
  • Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (2,884 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Redemption Road  By  cover art

Redemption Road

By: John Hart
Narrated by: Scott Shepherd
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.74

Buy for $24.74

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The first and only author to win back-to-back Edgars for Best Novel. Every book a New York Times bestseller. After five years, John Hart is back.

Since his debut bestseller, The King of Lies, reviewers across the country have heaped praise on John Hart, comparing his writing to that of Pat Conroy, Cormac McCarthy and Scott Turow. Each novel has taken Hart higher on the New York Times Bestseller list as his masterful writing and assured evocation of place have won readers around the world and earned history's only consecutive Edgar Awards for Best Novel with Down River and The Last Child. Now, Hart delivers his most powerful story yet.
Imagine:

A boy with a gun waits for the man who killed his mother.

A troubled detective confronts her past in the aftermath of a brutal shooting.

After thirteen years in prison, a good cop walks free as deep in the forest, on the altar of an abandoned church, a body cools in pale linen…

This is a town on the brink.

This is Redemption Road.

Brimming with tension, secrets, and betrayal, Redemption Road proves again that John Hart is a master of the literary thriller.

©2016 John Hart (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"This is a dark book, made all the darker by Shepherd's stagy interpretation."--AudioFile Magazine

“The depth of emotion in Hart’s words is palpable, and listeners will feel every nuanced sentiment that the characters are experiencing.”--Library Journal

What listeners say about Redemption Road

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,722
  • 4 Stars
    757
  • 3 Stars
    264
  • 2 Stars
    84
  • 1 Stars
    57
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,767
  • 4 Stars
    616
  • 3 Stars
    182
  • 2 Stars
    53
  • 1 Stars
    25
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,581
  • 4 Stars
    662
  • 3 Stars
    249
  • 2 Stars
    79
  • 1 Stars
    57

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning, Gripping, Remarkable

In the beginning few chapters I found the narration lacking and I could not understand where the story was going. Yet without realuzing it, I was gripped by both the narration and completely emersed in the novel.

Having read and listened to John Hart's previous works, I never dreamed he was capable of a novel of this magnitude. Redemption Road puts him in rare company. Thomas Harris and Joe Nesbo come to mind.

Its a complicated tale with several layers of mystery and intrigue. The characters are as intriguing as their secrets.

Scott Shepherd does a wonderful job narrating. 5 stars gatuntees I will be listening to this many times over the years.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

69 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Darkly Disturbing

Small doses: That's how to listen to "Redemption Road".

If you have a tendency toward melancholy... Choose another book. This is my first listen to a Hart novel. At first it reminded me of early James Lee Burke when he was still poetical instead of polemical. Scott Shepard reinforces that feeling with the way his throat seems washed in south-of-the-Mason/Dixon-line ambiguity.

In a lot of ways, particularly in character development, this is a masterpiece. But the book's dark shadows are littered with torture and corpses to make my shuddering finger repeatedly punch the pause button. It was the disconcerting mire of psychological gloom that I found both disturbing, yet intriguing.

Imagine you're caught in the curiosity crawl of gridlocked vehicles forced to slowly pass a ghastly accident. And imagine you can only peer at the bloody puddles and torn bodies for moments and yet like a tongue beckoned back to a wobbly tooth... Your attention keeps returning to the carnage, anxious for order and explanation.

Do I recommend "Redemption Road"? Say yo've just eaten a m eat that's unexpectedly spiced with explosive jalepenos. Startled by its fiery impact, you still carefully ate it all, surprised that the napalm bites were oddly delicious. To you! Now, would you recommend the dish? To whom? With what sort of warning?

Okay, how's this? "Redemption Road" may be hazardously angsty. .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

63 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Thrilled John Hart is Back

John Hart has not published a new book in 5 years so I could not wait for this one to arrive. I was not disappointed at all. His first 2 books (both Edgar Award Winners), "The King of Lies" and "Down River" are excellent. I am sure this book will also be nominated for an Edgar - deservedly so.

All of Hart's books are standalone - no series. New characters with each book so you can read them in any order. Detective Elizabeth Black was the main character in this story. I found her to be so frustrating and then fantastic at various parts of the story, I will just say she left me conflicted, but intrigued. There are lots of characters, but Hart does such a good job with character development, I was able to keep up with everyone throughout the story.

In this story, Hart allows the villain to narrate at times. Still, you are never sure "whodunit". I was still guessing to the end. I don't want to give anything away, but will let you know that once it got started, I couldn't stop listening.

Hope Hart is busy writing his next book. The narration was excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

What a treat!

This is a slow starter, time for you to relax, kick back and get into the rhythm of a fine story teller. I wasn't sure I had a mystery but the author delivers as promised.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I can't explain those 5 star reviews

To be honest, I couldn't wait for it to end. Perhaps other John Hart novels are all they are cracked up to be, but this book reads like he didn't have a single editor or friend critique it before publication. I read a lot of mysteries, and I wouldn't consider myself to be overly critical. I just want an entertaining story. None of the characters in Redemption Road are likable, nor or they dynamic or multi-dimensional in any sense. The plot is far-fetched, predictable, and far too slow since we had to indulge detailed explorations of each character's tortured soul in between moments of minimal action. No tension is built because every character is so despairing from chapter 1 that there is nowhere for them to go. The narrator'a voice is pleasant, and it does seem the author made an attempt to elevate his prose--there is an occasional line that works. But most of the time, I was groaning aloud at the self-indulgent phrases like "...and then the world was all darkness and strange men," or "his eyes were filled with something inexplicable and cold." Not verbatim quotes, but you get the idea. The metaphors are lazy and, frankly, it felt like being trapped in 12 hours of a freshman-level creative writing workshop. Trust me, there are many, many other 3.5 star mysteries available on Audible that will be a more enjoyable listen than this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My first review after 6 years on audible .

What made the experience of listening to Redemption Road the most enjoyable?

The author kept me waiting for each word , Greek narration , i've listen to almost 1000 what's on audible and this is my first review , highly recommended .

What other book might you compare Redemption Road to and why?

The glass rainbow by James Lee Burke

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not up to his usual stuff.

Didn't much care for it. I have read all of author's books and typically love them. Figured out the serial killer pretty early on (and I'm usually lousy at that) and had to suspend disbelief constantly. I found the main storyline, along with the myriad subplots, for the most part, ridiculous. I kept falling asleep while trying to listen to it in the evening and the narrator read so slowl I sped it up to 1.5; I have never had to do that. In a nutshell: unbelievable characters (or should I say, caricatures), and really stupid actions/inactions by them. I felt like I was stuck in a really bad B-movie, and I kept saying/thinking things like, "no one would act like that, she wouldn't say/do that, this is just plain stupid...." Well, you get the idea.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The bad news just keeps on coming

Would you try another book from John Hart and/or Scott Shepherd?

I have read/listened to several book by John Hart. This one was depressing. A never ending series of pain, suffering, and assaults. The narrator's delivery made the book even more depressing. He used the same voice for every character and his tone just kept you down.
It was relentless.

Would you be willing to try another book from John Hart? Why or why not?

I will read other books by John Hart. Redemption Road is overall a good book. Just not hopeful or uplifting in anyway.

How could the performance have been better?

First I'd suggest using different "voices" for different characters. At times it was hard to tell which character was talking. Second, more variance in tonal delivery. Even if the story is a big downer - a varing tonality would make it more engaging. I had to work at staying through the story. I almost quit several times. But I wanted to know where the story ended.

Could you see Redemption Road being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting story

Loved this one. In fact, was up all night listening. Hart continues to be a favorite.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of a kind

Would you listen to Redemption Road again? Why?

I've been an Audible Customer for 4 years and listen to roughly 3 books a month. This book is one of the most engrossing stories I've had the pleasure to experience, the kind of book that makes an hour long commute go by in minutes. I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Which character – as performed by Scott Shepherd – was your favorite?

Scott Shepherd did an amazing job....I was a big fan of Cry Baby.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful