A black sheep's homecoming triggers violence, murder and much sensual heat. Adam Chase returns to his North Carolina home, prompted by a cryptic phone call from old friend Danny Faith, after five years of self-imposed exile in New York. Adam stood trial back then for the murder of local football hero Gray Wilson and, though he was acquitted, his beautiful stepmother Janice testified against him, and much of the town thought he was guilty. Adam thinks often about reconciling with his father Jacob, a hardworking farmer nearing retirement. Danny's out of town, but his father Zebulon shows his ill will toward Adam by helping beat him up. Adam's old girlfriend, Robin, now a cop and nursing a grudge about his abrupt departure, takes him in temporarily. More trouble follows. Grace Shepherd, the teenage daughter of Adam's oldest friend Dolf, is attacked near the river shortly after Adam (on whom she had a childhood crush) talks to her. Adam's half-brother Jamie has a gambling addiction and an alcohol problem, and his half-sister Miriam suffers from suicidal depression. Things hit rock bottom when Adam discovers Danny's partially decomposed body, and Dolf is arrested for his murder. Adam decides he has to solve the crime. A sizable supporting cast of offbeat characters thicken the atmosphere and mystery. Steamy Southern Gothic has much in common with Hart's successful debut (The King of Lies, 2006), but its juicy melodrama often slides into pretentiousness. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Because of his violent past, Adam Harston becomes the prime suspect when people start turning up dead in his small North Carolina hometown. Hart (The King of Lies) lives in North Carolina. National tour. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Hart surpasses his bestselling debut, The King of Lies (2006), with his richly atmospheric second novel, which offers a tighter plot, more adroit pacing and less angst. Five years earlier, Adam Chase was arrested for murder, largely on the basis of his stepmother's sworn testimony against him. He was acquitted, but nearly everyone, including his father, still thinks he did it, and Adam's deep bitterness has kept him away from home ever since. Now, at the request of a childhood friend, he's back in Salisbury, N.C., where all the old demons still reside and new troubles await. The almost Shakespearean snarl of family ties is complicated by a very modern struggle between economic progress and love for the land, between haves and have-nots. Throughout, Hart expertly weaves his main theme: that by their freedom of choice, humans are capable of betrayal but also of forgiveness and redemption. This book should settle once and for all the question of whether thrillers and mysteries can also be literature. 150,000 first printing; 15-city author tour. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

"*Starred Review* King of Lies (2006), Hart's debut, was gripping and stylishly written, but it pales in comparison to this complex, emotionally charged novel. Adam Chase returns home to small-town North Carolina after five years living in New York City. He left his hometown or, in fact, was run out of town after he was acquitted of murder. He has returned home because his family is there and because everyone he has ever loved is there. But when his oldest friend goes missing, and Adam is beaten to a pulp by his friend's father's stooges, he begins to regret his decision. As he tries to reconnect with family and friends, Adam learns that some people he's known all his life are hiding dark secrets and that the truth surrounding the murder he was accused of five years ago is more frightening and closer to home than he could have imagined. Down River is a beautifully constructed story of personal redemption, family secrets, and murder a small-town epic, if there is such a thing. Hart dexterously juggles a large cast of characters and several intricate plotlines, and when he starts to tie together the threads of the various stories well, that's when the real magic begins. A truly splendid novel with a deep emotional core."--"Pitt, David" Copyright 2007 Booklist