John Hart’s New York Times bestselling debut, The King of
Lies, announced the arrival of a major talent. With Down
River, he surpassed his earlier success, transcending the
barrier between thriller and literature and winning the
2008 Edgar Award for best novel. Now, with The Last Child,
he achieves his most significant work to date, an
intricate, powerful story of loss, hope, and courage in the
face of evil.
Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a
warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with
whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of
loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a
lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself
isolated and alone, failed by the people he’d been taught
since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is
still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is---confident
in a way that he can never fully explain.
Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to
explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate,
terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might
think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for
Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He
watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when
Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it,
Hunt has no choice but to intervene.
Then a second child goes missing . . .
Undeterred by Hunt’s threats or his mother’s pleas, Johnny
enlists the help of his last friend, and together they
plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history
of violence that goes back more than a hundred years.
There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on
his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter
every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it
will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will
test both boys to the limit.
Traveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom,
between hopelessness and faith, The Last Child leaves all
categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of
unique power.