Elizabeth is trying to solve decades-old murders and current murders, while protecting those she loves and trying to save her career. ( )

Why didn't I save this book for my holidays !! This is just the sort of book I love to read on a sun lounger with time on my hands and no housework or work to distract me.....

My first John Hart novel and thanks to my goodread friends whose reviews pointed me in the right direction with this one. Redemption Road is a novel with an intriguing storyline, great characters and a dark and sinister element to the story.
There is a lot of action going on in this book and while I listened to this one on audio I had to switch half ways through to kindle version as I found it difficult to keep track of the story however this was a case of me and not the narrator. Heart's writing is flawless and the man has a talent for stroytelling, I loved the constant twists and turns in the Novel and felt there was never a lull in the action. Characters are well drawn and some are dark and gritty but each one has his/her story.

I did however guess the identify of the killer very early on in the novel but it didn't take from my enjoyment of the story.

A dark and gritty read, with serious themes involving, rape religion and torture and and reminded me of books like [b:Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter|7948230|Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter|Tom Franklin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1292689648s/7948230.jpg|11552215] and [b:Bull Mountain|23398919|Bull Mountain|Brian Panowich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417982638s/23398919.jpg|42955428]. ( )

great murder thriller! ( )

This is a book that you will not want to put down once you start reading it. Because of other obligations, I had to put the book down; although, I certainly didn't want to. do so.
Adrian Wall is being released from prison after 13 long years for a crime that one detective (Elizabeth Black) did not think he had committed. A young boy Gideon sneaks out of his house, hops a train and goes to a bar where most released prisoners stop. Gideon believes that Wall killed his mother and now he wants revenge.
The book has enough mystery to keep one guessing until the very end; there's possible romance and enough crookedness to keep everyone intrigued. ( )

Thriller

DNF….the writing is fine, easy to read. The characters are awful and make no sense. Couldn’t finish. ( )

John Hart is an excellent crime fiction author. If I read this genre, and I do occasionally, I prefer him. This plot revolves around a newly released ex-cop
convict, an attempt to murder him, a cop who doesn’t think he did it, and an evil prison warden. The major crime involves murder of beautiful women left as a sacrifice on the altar of an abandoned church. ( )

Three storylines were at least one too many !! A serial killer, evil prison warder and kidnapper/rapists all connected to the same group of people ??? ( )

I was totally blown away by this book. The depth of characterization, the plotting, and ability to bring locations to life made for one of the best books I’ve read in a while. Absolutely outstanding. Can’t wait to read more by the author. ( )

This book was dark and sad, with a lot going on all the time. It seemed like things would never settle down, and good people kept getting hurt. But I couldn't have stopped, even if I wanted to. And even though I was sure I knew who the killer was early on, I was never sure, and when proven correct, it didn't detract from the mysteries.

The characters seemed very alive. The good ones were flawed in various ways, and some of the bad ones weren't all bad in other ways. But that didn't detract from their good, or evil, and some of the bad ones were pure evil with no redeeming qualities.

I'm not sure what I thought about the ending. It wasn't what I expected, but perhaps it could be considered a happy and positive ending, considering the circumstances. I don't want to say too much about that, though. You can decide for yourself on that, anyway.

I also enjoyed the narration of the audiobook. It reminded me a little of John Corbett's character in Northern Exposure, Chris Stevens. Part of that may be the book's style of writing; it has that rambling tone of Chris and his radio show. Reminds me of how much I loved Northern Exposure. ( )

I know this one is just me and not the book or the author. I know that, because all my well-respected contacts have rated it 5-stars and loved it. That is the reason I read it right to the end. I wanted to love it, but I don't. One of my best friends will stop the world when it is time for Criminal Minds to come on TV. I wouldn't watch it again if someone paid me to. No right or wrong, just different tastes. If you like Criminal Minds, I'm betting this book would be wonderful to you. Mr. Hart can write.

Thing is, I like some mystery/thriller and even detective novels. I like smart, witty characters and sudden unexpected turns of plot. I don't even mind a little murder and mayhem if it serves purpose. So why not this one? Here is my why:
1. I figured out who the killer was about half way in and none of the red herrings changed my mind. I just knew where this was going.
2. I believe there is corruption in the system and that people get framed. But there was just too much here for me to swallow. The Warden and his gang seemed completely unrealistic to me. They came off as more of 1930s corruption types, in a system that had no checks and balances, where convicts could die in prison or exit with extreme signs of abuse and no questions be raised.
3. Detective Black never seemed real to me. She is lead by her emotions too much to be a great cop and her attachment to both the kids and Adrian seemed contrived.
4. Beckett, yet another bad cop, with a flimsy excuse.
5. Millions of dollars in stolen money. But it is OK for the two cops to keep it, because after all they have suffered and the actual thief is dead and did his time. Seriously?
6. Millions of dollars means we can just disappear onto the other coast and live happily ever after. The trail of bodies behind us will just be forgotten. No one will even seek us out for an explanation...after all the bad cop, Beckett, and the kid can explain it all. Seriously?


I give it 2-stars instead of 1-star because I know I am not a fan of the genre in general and because he writes in an engaging way that keeps the story moving forward at all times. But, I'd rather read an old John Grisham or better yet, give me Wilkie Collins or Sherlock Holmes. ( )

My review of Redemption Road is now up on Fresh Fiction!

"A mind blowing story!"

This book surprised me, it was not the John Hart book I wanted to read, but this one was available to me so I said yes because it looked interesting. And wow, what a book....

Read the whole review here! ( )

He writes real ( )

This book, man. This book. Holy cow.

Now, I'm gonna say right up front (with no spoilers), of course there's a mystery as to who the real killer is, and right from the get-go, there was really only one person I didn't want it to be, because, to me, it's too cliche, too obvious. And dammit, it was that character.

So, for that reason, normally, I'd knock a star off, maybe even two. But the rest of this book is just a gorgeously-written masterpiece. As I stated a few days ago, I got about a quarter of the way in and knew I wanted to read everything else this guy wrote. His handling of characters, his effortless writing, his astute observations, all of it...just...wow.

Seriously, there's some writers of fiction, then there's some masters. John Hart? This guy's a master. ( )

I love these books...

I rarely write a recommendation...too much energy to expend. However, I LOVE John Hart's books. They make me crazy, they make me sad, they make me hopeful. I loved this book. So much wrong, so much humanity, so much grrrr...so much finally, happy. ( )

I think John Hart is a superb writer, having already won two consecutive awards for best mystery novel. Redemption Road is excellent, following the career of small town Detective Elizabeth Black. Obsessed with a disgraced police officer Adrian Wall, who saved her life once, the book starts with his release from prison after a thirteen year sentence for a murder for which he claims innocence. The victim’s son, Gideon, wants revenge against Wall and heads off to kill him. Elizabeth herself is under scrutiny for executing two perps with 17 shots, in rescuing a kidnapping/rape victim, Channing, the daughter of a wealthy family. Finally, a serial killer, in on the loose, leaving the body of a young woman where Adrian Wall’s victim was found thirteen years ago. Like Hart's prior novels, everyone has their secrets, most especially Elizabeth, whose trauma haunts her. I loved some of the characters, especially the aged lawyer, Crybaby Jones, and hated the bad guys. Hope we don't have to wait five years for Hart's next one. ( )

Let me preface this by saying that I do not usually read novels with dark subjects. I like my reading escapes to be free from disturbing material. I found it difficult to read. It contains scenes of torture, unlawful imprisonment, serious physical assault, kidnapping, murder, attempted rape, actual rape (though not explicitly described), the shooting of a child, assault of a child, the assault of an elderly man, and more. Some villains, the warden and his guards, are supremely evil, sadistic, and merciless. Two of the characters are victimized more than once and have you saying to yourself, 'Really? Again? This is too much'. Also, I figured out the identity of the serial killer long before it was revealed, so it didn't keep me guessing after awhile, and then it was all about the violence. The violence itself was a main character in the novel. At that point I only wanted to keep reading so I could see if the villains got their comeuppance. Did I care about the main characters Liz and Adrian? Well, since their lives before they were victims were just recounts of past attributes, I connected to them only as much as you could connect to two victims who were just large, despondent, angry, open wounds walking. I pitied them, wanted the violence in their lives to stop, and wished them luck in their future psychotherapy.

So why did I give it 3 stars? Well, I started reading it (apparently without ever reading the flap synopsis!) because I liked another book by John Hart. After I accepted the fact that it was going to be violent and disturbing, I found it to be written fairly well. However, I enjoyed the past novel of John Hart King of Lies more than Redemption Road. There was a more believable plot in King of Lies, and more character development. I found his use of such gratuitous violence in Redemption Road to be a bit lazy. I compare it to comedians who use obscenity too much to get a laugh. Some could say this novel is tame compared to others of this genre, I can't speak to that, like I said, I avoid disturbing content. This one got past me.

So when you give a book 3 stars here it means "I liked it." That doesn't really ring true with me, I can't really say I enjoyed it, yet I gave it 3 stars because despite my own dislike of the subject, the writing deserves 3 stars for fans of this genre. If I read another John Hart novel, I will definitely read the synopsis more thoroughly, and I think I'll read something lighter by another author for my next read. ( )

Redemption Road. John Hart. 2016. I skipped a day at the gym and stayed up until after one two nights in a row to finish this book. John Hart’s books are like that. A policeman, framed for the murder of a woman, is released from prison only to be accused of another murder, and is forced to go into hiding. He is helped by a policewoman who is determined to discover who the murderer is. Hart has been compared to Pat Conroy, and I agree with that comparison. The characters are compelling—you see and feel for them immediately, and they stay with you. The action is suspenseful and non-stop. And the complicated plot is revealed with perfect timing. Wounded people finally find peace. Intense violence. ( )

Redemption Road is a powerful, intoxicating tale that manages to be both disturbing and beautiful at the same time. Elizabeth Black is a cop under pressure. She just pumped 18 bullets into two black suspects while rescuing a young girl and refuses to talk to investigators. In the meantime, Adrian Wall, another North Carolina cop whose career went even further off the tracks, is released from prison after 13 years of torture. He still claims innocence, but few believe him. A young boy wants revenge, a young woman struggles to deal with her abduction and rescue, and behind the scenes evil is everywhere.

The characters make this novel a fascinating read. They’re all broken in different ways and trying very hard to hold themselves together. If you're looking for a book that will emotionally capture you with both story and characters, this fits the bill. I thought it was a great story and an excellent audio narrated by Scott Shepherd. ( )

Please note that I gave this book 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 stars on Goodreads.

So I would rather read an overly ambitious book that failed in the execution, than one that was not ambitious enough that failed. Does that make sense? I have read some glowing reviews about "Redemption Road" from fellow reviewers and I was hoping that I was going to love this one too. But due to me figuring out who the real murderer was around the 20 percent mark and waiting for everyone else to catch up was annoying. And honestly, I didn't really like the two characters the book focused on (Elizabeth "Liz" and Adrian). I thought the overall ending really didn't work because I saw so many flaws that it just ruined it for me. I would still read if you are a fan of earlier Pat Conroy books since Hart's style reminded me of him a lot.

The book starts off with a man who abducts a young woman. Since we are privy to his thoughts (terrible) we know that things are about to end badly for her. And they do. From there the storyline shifts to a suspended police officer (Elizabeth) who is dealing with the fallout from shooting two unarmed black men who had abducted and raped an 18 year old girl (Channing).

We also go from a young boy (Gideon) who is dealing with his alcoholic father that is still grief stricken over the murder of his wife 13 years ago. Gideon is focused on waiting for the man who he blames for ruining his life (Adrian).

And then we have Adrian who is being released after being sentenced for the murder of a young mother and wife who is still haunted by his past and all he his ordeals while in prison.

That's a lot going on. And the book does not shift between all of this seamlessly (unfortunately).

With an active investigation into Elizabeth we find out that she is hiding something (it didn't take long for me to figure out what was going on with her and the shooting) but then we start to slowly unravel her past and why she is estranged from her father and only talks sporadically to her mother. I honestly did not get Elizabeth at all. She was frustrating because in the end she was doing something that I thought was very foolish that I had a hard time with because of the circumstances.

Adrian though he is an ex-con does not seem to be smart about what he is doing. I mean at one point there is a death directly attributable to him and even though as a reader I knew what he had been through, I had a hard time with Elizabeth kind of just shrugging the whole thing off.

Channing I really liked the most next to Gideon. Probably because Channing is a survivor and she honestly sees how superficial her family is now. With her mother wanting to pretend nothing is wrong, and her own father unable to talk to her, you can see why she keeps seeking out Elizabeth. Sadly in the end, Channing shows herself to be more mature than Elizabeth.

Gideon we get only pieces of interacting with him in the beginning of the book, but he comes into his own towards the end, and once again I found him to be more solid in this book than the other two adults.

There are other characters we focus on during this book, Elizabeth's partner, a warden at the jail that housed Adrian, Adrian's defense attorney. There were a lot of moving pieces that really didn't work for me. I loved Adrian's lawyer, but thought the warden should go and take I am an evil person lessons from someone. He started to come off as cartoonish after a while.

Regarding the plots, I also didn't like the author throwing in Ferguson and other deaths by black men as a reason why the prosecutor would just charge someone with murder. I mean the reality is that even when an unarmed black man or woman is shot in the U.S. nine times out ten the jury refuses to convict the officer, that is if charges are even brought. Sorry, that whole thing ticked me off. The fact that the two men were called "animals" by Elizabeth and everything else that went with it sat wrong with me the whole book. I loathed these two characters, but finding out the backstory with everything made me really disgusted with both of them (the men) but still I see justice as always being done in a courtroom, not someone running around lone wolfing it and taking matters into their own hands. Reading about what really happened, I don't for a minute believe that a prosecutor would have brought a case. I am supposed to believe for one freaking second?

And it is said repeatedly that Elizabeth had a thing for Adrian and she still does. I am just baffled by it, because there were a lot of words, but when the two of them were near each other and actively interacting there was no chemistry. If anything, because of Elizabeth's past and how she first met Adrian I could see how she pretty much saw him as a hero and went on to hero worship him. But the whole thing was unhealthy and if there was some acknowledgement of that, I would have liked the book better.

We also have a serial killer in the midst and the author clumsily ties everyone all together in the end. The why behind the serial killer at one point kind of made me give an exasperated sigh. The whole reveal danced towards unbelievable at that point. When other bad guys popped up I just wanted the whole book to be over.

Though Hart gets complimented on showing a darker side to the south (North Carolina) I didn't get that here. He doesn't spend a lot of time on the town that everyone lives in. I didn't get a sense of the community. I just got a sense of places, we focus on a church, quarry, silo, etc. and that was it. I just needed to get a better visual on the layout of everything.

I really didn't buy the ending and it was hard for me to swallow based on the events that came before. ( )

Great book! ending is a little blah...and perhaps too many murders. ( )

4.5 stars!

This is a deep, dark and gritty read. So gritty you can feel it on your face. I loved it!

Redemption Road is an example of storytelling at its finest. Elizabeth is a suspended police officer under investigation for killing two men that were holding and raping a young woman over a period of two days. In my opinion, she deserved a medal. However, the way the men were killed was kind of torture-y, which is where the problems begin. From there on out, John Hart manipulates the mind of the reader, doling out crucial pieces of information as the story goes on. I had no idea where everything was going to end up and I love when that happens.

There are some very serious themes here involving religion, rape, shame, and torture. These are not themes I normally seek out, but once I began reading Redemption Road, I could not turn away. In fact, I was up until 1:00 AM this morning because I had to find out, I had to know what happened. The reason I deducted a half star was because, and this REALLY IS A SPOILER, (so please don't click it if you don't want to know), the ending was a happily ever after type deal and to me it was incongruous with the darkness and grit of the rest of the story. Even though what happened was exactly what I wanted and wished for these characters, I did not feel that the ending truthfully served the story.

Despite that one thing, I loved this book. I loved the characters in all of their beat up, dirty glory and I just wanted to hug all of them. And one of those long hugs too, where you cling to each other for a while, you know? Elizabeth, Adrian, Channing and Gideon-I'll be thinking of them all for a while, I know I will. If you read this book, you'll be thinking about them too.

Highly recommended for those readers that don't mind getting down and dirty. If you can handle the grit, the payoff is a big one.

*Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for this, my honest review.* ( )

Strong but definitely damaged lead characters....but their flaws make them sympathetic characters and you root for them against the town truly bad guys. A serial killer that stays hidden for years surfaces in a grim way.....it's a dark story filled with characters with dark pasts, but they strive for redemption and hope in spite of the tragedies of their lives. Some violence, but it's not about the violence, it's about the emotional impact. Recommended for those who like a strong thriller. ( )

Terrific! John Hart never disappoints! ( )

This is probably the best author I have read in a long time. I bought this book due to the review on the cover from David Baldacci. His writing is not a formula like so many; same plot, different city. ( )