reviews
Sep 29, 2011
Daniel
rated it: 
My first book by John Hart, "Iron House" makes me feel like I wish I had read his other books too. And I will.
Iron House is the most amazing blend of literary eloquence in writing and graphic narration/description I've ever read. The reviews say "riveting" and other terms reserved for the bestsellers of our day, and believe me, they're all true.
I honestly didn't know what to expect as I picked up this novel but the reviews spoke well of it and I liked the title. More...
Iron House is the most amazing blend of literary eloquence in writing and graphic narration/description I've ever read. The reviews say "riveting" and other terms reserved for the bestsellers of our day, and believe me, they're all true.
I honestly didn't know what to expect as I picked up this novel but the reviews spoke well of it and I liked the title. More...
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Dec 11, 2011
Vannessagrace
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Iron House is a great work of horror!
Iron House is a sheer work of genus! John Hart gave me what I like in horror thrillers. He gave me the waling through dark corridors with sounds that set my nerves on edge. He made me give thought about wanting to see what’s around the corner and he did this all without gore and slice and dice. Rarely will readers find an author who knows how to stimulate readers imaginations to stretch beyond their comfort zones.
During the winter in the North Carolina mount
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Jun 15, 2011
Valerie
rated it:
Time heals all wounds - or does it? For Michael and Julian, time is an enemy, that rips the past into the present, and places the future in uncertain jeopardy...
Michael and Julian begin as orphans at Iron House - a decrepit boys home in the North Carolina mountains. Facing down bullies and inept caretakers, Iron House is more of a prison than a home to the young boys. When Michael apparently kills one of the bullies who torments his younger, weaker brother Julian, he runs to protect Ju More...
Michael and Julian begin as orphans at Iron House - a decrepit boys home in the North Carolina mountains. Facing down bullies and inept caretakers, Iron House is more of a prison than a home to the young boys. When Michael apparently kills one of the bullies who torments his younger, weaker brother Julian, he runs to protect Ju More...
Jul 02, 2011
Lee
rated it: 
John Hart's fourth novel doesn't start in first gear.( This is not out yet (07/12),I won an ARC on "First Reads" ) This one starts with the peddle to the floor, and the tension stays all the way through. In this tale of two brothers, Michael the tougher, protective older one, and Julian, weaker and tormented by other boys at the orphanage. When the life Michael had, blows up in his face, and has to get out of town fast,with the mob in hot pursuit, with the woman he loves. Not seeing hi
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Jul 13, 2011
Kim
rated it:
This was a terrific book! I read it in just a couple of days. John Hart does a great job keeping the reader guessing until the end. I have to say that my favorite "characters" in the book were the Land Rovers. I plan to check out his other books just to see if they feature Land Rovers as prominently too.
Loved this book!
Loved this book!
Dec 28, 2011
Gloria
rated it:
Iron House was originally built in the Western North Carolina mountains as a psychiatric facility for Civil War veterans, later to be converted into an orphan asylum, one that was poorly supervised and maintained. Into the home came Michael and Julian as babies. Through the next decade Michael, the stronger brother, sought to protect his younger sibling who was continually victimized by five bullies. Then Julian reached the breaking point, stabbing the leader of his tormenters. Knowing his b
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Dec 07, 2011
Jonah
rated it: 
I was looking forward to reading John Hart’s Iron House because I have enjoyed all of Hart’s other novels. Though the novel started slowly for me (not due to a lack of action, but more due to a lack of believability), I got into it after about 100 pages.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. Like Hart’s other books, it felt a little bit more literary than, say, a James Patterson novel. In this case, the literary feel can be attributed in part to Hart’s many references to Ernest Hemingway’s More...
Overall, I enjoyed the story. Like Hart’s other books, it felt a little bit more literary than, say, a James Patterson novel. In this case, the literary feel can be attributed in part to Hart’s many references to Ernest Hemingway’s More...
Oct 22, 2011
Frederick
rated it: 
Although I am impressed by John Hart’s talents as an author, I was disappointed in his work in Iron House. He is capable of much better writing, as evidenced in his former excellent novels.
This story is somewhat complicated, but the saga of a “bad man-gone-good-because-of-true love” is familiar, and in Hart’s hands the old story gets an entertaining treatment. My reservations lie in the credibility of many aspects of the story. Michael, the hit man and beloved “adopted” son of a feared More...
This story is somewhat complicated, but the saga of a “bad man-gone-good-because-of-true love” is familiar, and in Hart’s hands the old story gets an entertaining treatment. My reservations lie in the credibility of many aspects of the story. Michael, the hit man and beloved “adopted” son of a feared More...
Oct 20, 2011
Okay. Let's see. How to put this . . . I did quite enjoy this novel. However, if it were made into a film, I would most definitely not want to watch it. Ordinarily, I'm not the sort of person who minds violence in books, although I do avoid film violence, because the images stick in my head when I'm trying to fall asleep--which is not a pleasant experience. The violence I tend to come across in books, while described in moderate detail, is not enough to keep me awake at night, but Iron House was
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Oct 17, 2011
Steve
rated it:
If John Hart has a problem as a writer, it's that he's too skillful for his own good. This book takes incredible chances, and some of the ending is so forced that it strains the "willing suspension of disbelief," as earlier critics called it. But Hart's characters are so powerful and his prose so solid that I can forgive him.
Michael is a former career hitman who has fallen in love with a woman who knows nothing about his past and vows to go straight. With his name and the More...
Michael is a former career hitman who has fallen in love with a woman who knows nothing about his past and vows to go straight. With his name and the More...
Sep 13, 2011
Mo
rated it:
From ReadingWithMo: http://www.readingwithmo.com/2011/08/rev...
I first became acquainted with John Hart when I read The Last Child back in March of 2010. I remember being truly surprised at how great that book was. John Hart combined thriller, romance, and mystery into an emotionally charged reading experience. I was hoping for something equally as great with Iron House. I got what I wanted.
John Hart knows how to craft interesting characters. I think his success with this is More...
I first became acquainted with John Hart when I read The Last Child back in March of 2010. I remember being truly surprised at how great that book was. John Hart combined thriller, romance, and mystery into an emotionally charged reading experience. I was hoping for something equally as great with Iron House. I got what I wanted.
John Hart knows how to craft interesting characters. I think his success with this is More...
Aug 28, 2011
Marsha
rated it:
John Hart stands head and shoulders over other thriller writers for his lean and evocative writing and his richly nuanced characters. A very satisfying read.
Iron House is about brothers who grow up in Iron House, an orphanage out of Lord of the Flies.
Julian, the younger brother, is weak both physically and emotionally and is thus a magnet for brutality. His brother Michael will do anything to protect him. The boys are separated when Michael shoulders the blame for a just murd More...
Iron House is about brothers who grow up in Iron House, an orphanage out of Lord of the Flies.
Julian, the younger brother, is weak both physically and emotionally and is thus a magnet for brutality. His brother Michael will do anything to protect him. The boys are separated when Michael shoulders the blame for a just murd More...
Aug 11, 2011
Alla
rated it:
“Iron house” by John Hart follows Michael, a hitman working for the mafia who had just quit the business when his only friend Otto—the powerful crime boss dies—and Michael has the crime boss’s son, Stevan, and his goons going after him for killing his father. Not only are they willing to go after Michael, but also blow up the restaurant where his pregnant girlfriend Elena works. And it doesn’t stop there. As Michael and Elena go on the run, Stevan and the mafia threaten to find and kill the only
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Aug 06, 2011
Miles
rated it:
Two babies left to die in an icy creak. Two boys who must fight to survive. Two men, two very different lives. One unbreakable bond.
When a twelve-year-old boy murders his tormentor in their brutal orphanage, his older brother takes the blame and runs to New York - into the heart of organized crime. Two decades later, Michael returns to North Carolina with a sentence on his head, the mob in hot pursuit and his long-lost brother in trouble of a different kind. With vast sums in play, po More...
When a twelve-year-old boy murders his tormentor in their brutal orphanage, his older brother takes the blame and runs to New York - into the heart of organized crime. Two decades later, Michael returns to North Carolina with a sentence on his head, the mob in hot pursuit and his long-lost brother in trouble of a different kind. With vast sums in play, po More...
Aug 01, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
I discovered John Hart last year when I read "The Last Child," which I found particularly good. More literary than most thrillers, Hart did a great job with setting, characters, language, and plot.
However, I LOVED this new book. Hart really pumped up the intensity on this one! And his writing is so beautiful and fluid that he has a way of making you overlook that you just read several pages of slaughter and mayhem!
Michael has been a survivor, a fighter, and a k More...
However, I LOVED this new book. Hart really pumped up the intensity on this one! And his writing is so beautiful and fluid that he has a way of making you overlook that you just read several pages of slaughter and mayhem!
Michael has been a survivor, a fighter, and a k More...
Jul 25, 2011
Wendy
rated it:
I read John Hart's first three books, and immediately pre-ordered this one! However, I must say this is my least favorite. Two brothers are brought up in an orphanage in appalling conditions, where the younger one, Julian, is tormented, beaten and tortured by gangs of boys, while his older brother Michael does his best to defend his weaker brother.
But on the day a mysterious woman comes to adopt the two boys, an incident occurs that splits the boys lives into two directions. Julia More...
But on the day a mysterious woman comes to adopt the two boys, an incident occurs that splits the boys lives into two directions. Julia More...
Jul 23, 2011
JoAnne
rated it:
IRON HOUSE
John Hart
Wow! What a fantastic read! Be prepared for a great ride!
This impressively masterful thriller is riveting with all the components of steady building tension and a plot rich with a complex family history.
Having already been a fan of Mr. Hart’s previous books, I was looking forward to a good read. Needless to say, I was immediately captivated and lost sleep, so he exceeded my expectations.
Two orphaned brothers who were raised and abused in the IRON More...
John Hart
Wow! What a fantastic read! Be prepared for a great ride!
This impressively masterful thriller is riveting with all the components of steady building tension and a plot rich with a complex family history.
Having already been a fan of Mr. Hart’s previous books, I was looking forward to a good read. Needless to say, I was immediately captivated and lost sleep, so he exceeded my expectations.
Two orphaned brothers who were raised and abused in the IRON More...
Jul 21, 2011
Lacey
rated it:
Iron House, although violent and disturbing, is still a story of love and hope. Michael evolves to understand that love and family means more than just ensuring loved ones stay alive. Hart engages the curiousity of the reader from the beginning with a mysterious introduction into the world of Michael: a mafia hit man man trying to exchange his past for a more normal future with the woman he loves, Elena. The book quickly evolves and Michael finds himself unable to mask his history. His past
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Jul 18, 2011
Chris
rated it:
Iron House sucked me in fast and it was hard to put down. I was in the mood for a good page-turner and this book left me satisfied.
Michael is a trained killer with a heart who has fallen in love and wants out of the mob business after his girlfriend, Elena, tells him she's pregnant. As a teenager Michael had been taken in by a mob boss who'd heard about the tough orphan who controlled his own little piece of the streets of New York City after fleeing from a brutal orphanage in North Ca More...
Michael is a trained killer with a heart who has fallen in love and wants out of the mob business after his girlfriend, Elena, tells him she's pregnant. As a teenager Michael had been taken in by a mob boss who'd heard about the tough orphan who controlled his own little piece of the streets of New York City after fleeing from a brutal orphanage in North Ca More...
Jul 13, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
That was just plain old clever, excellent writing. How could you sympathize with Michael, a cold blooded murderer? Because he wants out and is ready to leave his past behind him. But he has a whole past he has tried very hard to completely forget. His roots are much, much more sad than he ever imagined.
I wondered how the author could possibly connect Michael's past and pitiful childhood with his mob activity. Okay, so Stevan and Jimmy don't want Michael to quit. Michael is good at his More...
I wondered how the author could possibly connect Michael's past and pitiful childhood with his mob activity. Okay, so Stevan and Jimmy don't want Michael to quit. Michael is good at his More...
Jul 11, 2011
Stephanie
rated it:
After having read a series of thrillers back to back and feeling various degrees of disappointment/dissatisfaction, Iron House by John Hart fully redeemed the genre for me. I only meant to thumb through the first couple of pages before turning to bed, but found myself unable to put it down. 147 pages later, I was reluctantly forced to give it up for the night, but eagerly finished it the next day.
Absent are the gaping holes in logic, the inconsistent style, ridiculous dialogue, and an More...
Absent are the gaping holes in logic, the inconsistent style, ridiculous dialogue, and an More...
Jul 04, 2011
Linda
rated it:
"A good book should leave you . . . slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it." ~ William Styron
I ran across this quotation from William Styron while in the process of reading Iron House and thought that it was particularly apt—I was more than slightly exhausted after reading this really fine thriller. I have been an admirer of John Hart’s work since The King of Liars. Iron House is several steps beyond that first novel in complexity and scope.
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I ran across this quotation from William Styron while in the process of reading Iron House and thought that it was particularly apt—I was more than slightly exhausted after reading this really fine thriller. I have been an admirer of John Hart’s work since The King of Liars. Iron House is several steps beyond that first novel in complexity and scope.
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Jun 26, 2011
Freida
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Michael and Julian are orphan brothers left to fend for own lives at Iron House. Michael is the strong one and Julian is the one picked on, beaten, and tormented. Michael always takes care of Julian and he takes care of it when Julian kills one of the tormentors. This requires Michael to leave, but Julian is adopted. Many years later Michael has grown up as the enforcer for a powerful mob boss and Julian as the pampered son of a powerful Senator.
When the mob boss dies not only Mich More...
When the mob boss dies not only Mich More...
Jun 25, 2011
Chad
rated it:
I have read all of John Hart's previous books and loved every one. Not surprisingly, Iron House is a gripping story with unforgettable characters, family secrets, unexpected twists, and honest emotions.
I believe the character of Elena may be the most honest, realistic character in the book even though some have said she is the least. Elena is a stranger to violence, and she is in shock. Her character does not need to be "fleshed out" more: She is on the defensive and is bei More...
I believe the character of Elena may be the most honest, realistic character in the book even though some have said she is the least. Elena is a stranger to violence, and she is in shock. Her character does not need to be "fleshed out" more: She is on the defensive and is bei More...
Jun 20, 2011
Dan
rated it:
I had planned on reading this while on vacation on a North Carolina beach but plans change. My mistake was starting to read this book on a rainy Saturday a week before my trip; I finished it the next day. It had been quite some time since I tore through a book with such such velocity, so immersed in the author's world that it became almost a false memory.
Iron House is a book of barely suppressed memories, of abuse and rising above the pain. The thing that makes Hart's characters wo More...
Iron House is a book of barely suppressed memories, of abuse and rising above the pain. The thing that makes Hart's characters wo More...
Jun 13, 2011
Ronald
rated it:
This is a fast moving book full of action and intrigue. It has more twists and switchbacks than a dusty North Carolina back hills road. Peopled with enough eccentric characters to pique your interest throughout the book, this will make a great summer read. Michael and Julian spent the first years of their lives in the orphanage called Iron House, far back in the hills of North Carolina. There were few rules and even less supervision. The two boys learned only two things counted in this world; st
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Jun 24, 2011
Gabriel
rated it:
This is the first (possible future) current NY Times Bestseller that I've read in a long while. I forgot how much fun they could be.
Take a few distraught children, throw extra brutality at them when young, then fast forward 30-some years and see how they have survived. Though this formula has been done by many different people with varying successes (recently I read It which follows a similar premise), I appreciated John Hart's take and like what he did with the main characters of More...
Take a few distraught children, throw extra brutality at them when young, then fast forward 30-some years and see how they have survived. Though this formula has been done by many different people with varying successes (recently I read It which follows a similar premise), I appreciated John Hart's take and like what he did with the main characters of More...
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Jun 22, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Despite the glowing marketing blurbs on the book’s cover, this novel is not an Agatha Christie suspenseful story. So many motives and explanations are revealed after action has taken place. I prefer some hints prior to any playing out that allow me to be surprised with plot twists or character disclosures.
The sinister history of the orphanage, for example, is not given until about page 230, well after we initially visit the place in the first couple of chapters, and it’s delivere More...
The sinister history of the orphanage, for example, is not given until about page 230, well after we initially visit the place in the first couple of chapters, and it’s delivere More...
Jan 13, 2012
Kat
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 11, 2011
Clarissa
rated it:
In true thriller fashion, this book had me in its grips from beginning to end--I read the story in two days. Sure, some of it was a bit cliche and not very realistic, but it worked.
What I loved best about the book was uncovering the mystery behind Iron House. How did all the characters fit? I had my suspicions as to who was behind the various murders that took place throughout the story but the writer would then throw in a twist or two to make me doubt myself. Why would a Senator's wif More...
What I loved best about the book was uncovering the mystery behind Iron House. How did all the characters fit? I had my suspicions as to who was behind the various murders that took place throughout the story but the writer would then throw in a twist or two to make me doubt myself. Why would a Senator's wif More...
