Iron House

Sep 13, 2011 Daniel Audet rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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. I'm glad I did.
Third person POV...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Vannessagrace Vannessagrace rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 walking 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 moun

...more

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 walking 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 mountains, two hunters come across a ten month old infant, Michael, and his premature brother, Julian, left abandoned on the river bank. The hunters carried the boys inside their coats to protect them against the elements. The next time we meet the brothers is during their stay at Iron House, a state run orphanage for boys located in the North Carolina hills and far away from civilization on Iron Mountain that was once a mental institution that housed shell shocked soldiers.

Michael learned early that to survive Iron House he would have gather all his courage not to run from a fight but to win every one. Julian was the opposite of his brother; he ran from every fight, was caught, brutally beaten then thrown out of windows. This was Julian’s life. After each beating, Julian learned to retreat into himself to pretend life wasn’t as bad as the beatings he incurred.

Michael told Julian he’d have to learn to fight back if he wanted the beatings to stop. And so Julian did. He found the courage to fight back when he found an old rusty knife and plunged it into the neck of the worse of the five boys who had tormented him throughout the years. His brother, suspecting that his nine-year old brother would be sent to prison, took the blame because he knew in his heart that his brother Julian would never survive prison. While Julian was murdering his tormentor, a senator’s wife, who had come to adopt them, sat waiting for them to be brought to her. Michael runs away, Julian is adopted, and they don’t see one another for a couple of decades, and then, under extreme unpleasant circumstances.

The bodies of the other boys who had tormented Julian are turning up in Julian’s family’s lake and Julian is suspected of being the murderer and Michael feels obligated to clean up the mess to, once again, save Julian.

The author does an exceptional job of making us go back and forth on whom we suspect of being the killer because we all know that Julian is not the killer, or do we?

It’s a challenge to distinguished truths from untruths from all the twists and turns.

Iron House is a piece of fiction that should remain on the New York Times best sellers list for years.

If made into a movie it should be made by a Clint Eastwood like director, or Clint Eastwood himself, Iron House would be at the top of my list of movies to see.

Iron House is a must read!

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Jun 15, 2011 Valerie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

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 Julian and d...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, north-carolina, suspense, thriller, now-come-on

There's something about John Hart novels. They suck me in, string me along for 300 pages or so, then ultimately leave me vaguely unsatisfied. Iron House is no different, although this time it took a bit longer for the disappointment to set in.

Here's the premise. On a cold November morning, hunters find a pair of baby boys left in creek, nearly dead. One is about ten months old, the other is a premature newborn. They are taken to Iron Mountain Home For Boys, a decrepit orphanage straight out of C...more There's something about John Hart novels. They suck me in, string me along for 300 pages or so, then ultimately leave me vaguely unsatisfied. Iron House is no different, although this time it took a bit longer for the disappointment to set in.

Here's the premise. On a cold November morning, hunters find a pair of baby boys left in creek, nearly dead. One is about ten months old, the other is a premature newborn. They are taken to Iron Mountain Home For Boys, a decrepit orphanage straight out of Charles Dickens.

Now here's the first reason for putting this book on my "Now Come On!" shelf. A couple of white baby boys found in a creek--that would make the TV News and people would be lining up to adopt them. And orphanages are pretty much gone. Abandoned children are usually sent to foster care or group homes.

Iron House, as the boys call it, is a terrible place. The director lets the boys run wild, with the stronger ones preying on the weak. Michael can hold his own, but his younger brother Julian is a constant target.

They stay at Iron House until they are nine and ten. Julian finally stands up for himself and stabs Hennessy, one of the bullies who made his life hell. Michael runs away, instructing Julian to blame the murder on him.

Of course their lives taken drastically different directions. Julian is adopted by a wealthy childless couple (where has that happened? Oh yeah, Dickens' Oliver Twist. And Little Orphan Annie.) Under the loving care of his adoptive mother Abigale Vane, he becomes the author of children's book with dark themes. Micheal is on the streets, fighting for survival. At the age of 14, he comes to the attention of a powerful mob boss who takes him in and trains him to be a hit man.

When the novel opens, Michael has fallen in love with Elana and wants to give up The Life. But his sadistic co workers won't allow it. So he takes Elana on the run. But he doesn't go to Morocco, or Argentina or some obscure Caribbean island. He goes off to the mountains of North Carolina to find his brother.

There is trouble at the Vane estate as well. The dead body of one of the bullies from Iron House is found in the old boat house, and others pop up in the lake. Not to mention the mob hit men out to get Michael, Elana and anyone else who gets in their way.

Michael keeps his cool throughout, thwarting his nemesis Jimmy (who's fond of torture, and there are a number of pages describing his methods that I'd advise the squeamish to skip over), protecting Elana, discovering the secrets of his origins and figuring out who's killing the Iron House boys.

I won't reveal the end, but as I said it's a bit far fetched and my disbelief refused to be suspended at that point.

Still, I would recommend this novel. It's a page turner and a throwback to the old "brothers separated as children only to have their paths cross at a crucial time in their lives" theme. Just because a story's been told before doesn't mean it's not a good story any more. I just wish Hart had made a more plausible explanation for the murders than the one presented here.
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Jul 02, 2011 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-to-read

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 his brother...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Flash Beagle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, 2011-reviews

Visceral - violent - an expertly-crafted story of survival.
The story starts with a boy struggling through a snow storm - tall timbers, dogs baying, and in his hand "a knife no child should own". That phrase speaks volumes - it's not a condemnation - it's a glimmer of things to come - the unfolding of an insidious & unknown past that brought him to where he is - and a future that seeks to destroy him.
His name is Michael, and until his escape through the snow storm, he and his brother Julian h...more Visceral - violent - an expertly-crafted story of survival.
The story starts with a boy struggling through a snow storm - tall timbers, dogs baying, and in his hand "a knife no child should own". That phrase speaks volumes - it's not a condemnation - it's a glimmer of things to come - the unfolding of an insidious & unknown past that brought him to where he is - and a future that seeks to destroy him.
His name is Michael, and until his escape through the snow storm, he and his brother Julian have lived at Iron House orphanage, an island of suffering where anarchy reigns. But while Michael is a survivor, Julian is a target, suffering merciless beatings at the hands of sadistic bullies.
Michael and Julian both escape - but the difference of an hour is the difference of a life time - Micheal ends up on the streets, tough and unafraid, where a mob boss takes him under his wing and he becomes the favored son. Steeled by his past, he becomes cool and articulate (similar to Michael Corleone of the Godfather, and at times sounding like him). But now he has met a girl and because of her he wants to leave the mob. The boss gives his blessing - but the boss is dying - and a power struggle is about to happen. Michael escapes - in a blaze of gunfire that is both intense and lyrical - because, in love or not, Michael is still a killer at the top of his game.
All this time, his brother Julian, whose deep scars sometimes turn his mental landscape into a primordial mess, has lived in wealth, as the adopted son of Abigail Vane and her senator husband. But Julian is now a target - the psycho mob boss wannabe has told Michael so - and just as he did when they were small, Michael is determined to protect Julian. In doing so, he enters the quagmire that holds the secret of his past.
At the estate where Julian lives, the bodies of his boyhood tormentors start turning up. Julian is the logical suspect, but something new has happened to Julian, something terrible, and he wavers in and out of sanity. Michael and Abigail become allies of a sort - both of them love Julian and will do anything to protect him.
Michael's search for answers takes him full circle, back to Iron House, back to an Appalachia-like pocket - the dead end where it all started.
The violence is graphic and the sinister element ratchets as Michael gets closer to the truth.
For the good of others, Michael will keep some things secret - as will Abigail's long-suffering, devoted body guard - but there is a 3rd person they seem to have forgotten - a wild mountain girl, and the one Julian loves, and when he was not in his right mind (or maybe was in his right mind) he told her things. How long the fragile but growing bonds & stability will last is anyone's guess.
At the end of the day, family and love are the affirming messages, rising above violence for its own over-described sake.
Top rate thriller - definite "R" for graphic violence; literal depictions of mayhem.
**Reviewed, goodreads 1st reads**(less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All other stories on absolute hold until I finish ALL of John Hart's novel. Half way through Iron House, fabulous read, all the elements in a thriller I enjoy.... And after this one, I'm going all the way back and reading his very first novel, "The King of Lies."
When I'm done, I'll go back and finish the Paradise Trilogy... for now, John Hart is the Man!

9/10/12 ... had to set this one down for the time being as there's something more important to my life and spirit to read and partake of.....

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Feb 28, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I lost interest in thriller/suspense novels quite a few years back and haven't read too many of them since. I heard about this one on a podcast that I like, so I thought I would give it a try. It was actually a pretty good book from start to finish, but I still don't love this type of book in general, so I was glad to be done with it. Someone who loves suspense novels would probably really enjoy it.

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Jul 13, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

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!

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Mar 22, 2013 Sar2them rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd like to say I hated this book. I'd like to say I loved it. However im just not sure how I feel about it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Yes, it was slightly overly descriptive in places but overall it was an excellent blend of drama and scen setting.

I thought the plot was great; a brilliant example of when past meets present. I wasnt expecting the twist surrounding Abigail which was a pleasant surprise. I couldnt put the book down.

But then after reading and reflecting on the story I beg...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Carolyn Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I admit to being a bit squeamish, and thrillers are not my genre of choice. I would have never chosen this book to read, or if I had I would never have finished it, but it was a book club choice based on the awards the author received for previous books and the North Carolina connection. Though the book certainly kept my attention and was riveting as a good thriller is supposed to be, I can't say I enjoyed it. (Does that mean I should give it two stars?) The writing and the pacing were good, but...more I admit to being a bit squeamish, and thrillers are not my genre of choice. I would have never chosen this book to read, or if I had I would never have finished it, but it was a book club choice based on the awards the author received for previous books and the North Carolina connection. Though the book certainly kept my attention and was riveting as a good thriller is supposed to be, I can't say I enjoyed it. (Does that mean I should give it two stars?) The writing and the pacing were good, but it fell short on plausibility and characters. The protagonist Michael is a hit man for a mobster and, now that his girlfriend, who doesn't know his true identity, is pregnant, he wants out. He wants to try to live a normal life. But Michael, who was raised in a hellish orphanage in the mountains of North Carolina with his brother until he ran away under the suspicion of murder, has never known normal. And we all know that once a member of a crime family, one can never escape. The author had the task of making a hit man a sympathetic character. Did he succeed? Yes and no. I found myself rooting for Michael, while still not totally buying that he was basically a good person who had to do terrible things to survive. He loved his girlfriend Elena and his brother Julian fiercely, and loved the mob boss who rescued him as a father. And though he was sympathetic with Abigail, Julian's adoptive mother, Michael's humanity does not run deep. He has no regrets for the many killings he has done, referring to the victims as less than dogs. It's a killer's mentality - denigrating the target as sub-human and not worthy of living. True, he had to survive in a culture that was kill or be killed and his victims were most likely the dregs of society, but Michael never looks at his victims and sees a connection to himself or that he could have met a similar fate. There is no remorse. But, hey, this is a thriller, right? And bodies piling up is par for the course. I suppose violence and torture are to be expected as well these days, but I don't care to read about it. There was plenty here and it did get rather gruesome. That's one reason I lowered my rating, and another is that all the characters, with the exception of Elena, are either damaged, psychotic, psychopathic, twisted, criminal, self-serving, sadistic, greedy, gross, ignorant, impoverished or unimaginably wealthy, or a combination of these. Not a 'normal' person in the bunch. Definitely not my cup of tea.(less)

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May 27, 2012 Rita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is the past at Iron Mountain School for Boys that is the nucleus of the novel and the two brothers who were separated there, Michael and Julian. Michael ends up surviving in NYC after being raised in a powerful crime family and Julian, who was emotionally damaged and traumatized by his experiences at Iron Mountain after being left by Michael, is eventually adopted by a wealthy family.

Everything changes when Michael unexpectantly falls in love and wants out of organized crime causing a chain r...more

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May 17, 2012 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Iron House by John Hart

Once an Insane Asylum, Iron House later became a poorly funded, badly managed hell-hole of an orphanage. A place where bullies ruled and the weak were broken. A place where two brothers survived because their love for each other was stronger than anything or anyone at Iron House. A love that tragedy, separation, time, and fate could not defeat.

One brother, Julian, was adopted by a Senator and his wife. He lives a life of privilege, loved and cared for by a devoted mother....more

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Dec 28, 2011 Gloria Feit rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 broth...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Jonah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 The Old Man an...more 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 The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway’s famous novella is first mentioned on page 22 of Hart’s novel, and having read The Old Man and the Sea numerous times, I immediately recognized that Michael from Iron House’s “old man” is Otto Kaitlin. In other words, Kaitlin is a mentor character (as is Santiago), and Michael is his disciple (as is Manolin to Santiago). A neat little link, I thought. In this case, the literary allusion helps build characterization.

Though not directly mentioned, I would argue that Hart gives The Old Man and the Sea a nod again on pages 206 and 207 in order to develop the theme of his work. On these pages, Abigail is speaking with Michael about the stories that her “son” Julian writes, and she says,

“‘But the books are about more than that, aren’t they? They’re about damaged people finding a way to move beyond the things that damaged them. They’re about light and hope and sacrifice, love and faith and the fight to do better. No matter how troubling or terrible the story, his characters find doors through the violence. They cope and move on’…'His books don’t end happily, no. His characters go through hell and end up close to destroyed, but you see the good in the people he makes. You see small strength and the power of choice, movement through fear and loathing and self-doubt’”.

I don’t feel like getting into a whole literary comparison piece here, but anyone who has read both books will see the obvious thematic connections, right up to the idea of "destruction".

Finally, the aforementioned allusion-highlighting-thematic-connection is revisited again on page 287 of Iron House, where Michael sums up a key understanding that he has: “…life is hard, and it pays to be strong.” Sounds an awful lot like something Santiago might say…

A few other items of note:
• Some GoodReads posters have noted that Hart tends to be unsympathetic toward women. I would argue that we see a little of that here again in Iron House with the depiction of the elder Gautreaux and Arabella Jax. One could also argue, however, that in the younger Gautreaux and one “aspect” of Abigail, we see some feminine goodness (both women are flawed, though, but aren’t all of Hart’s characters [and people in general, actually])?
• Hart has found a new pet phrase. In The Last Child, it was the word “gash”. Here, it’s the descriptive phrase “a spill of”. One might describe my feelings as “a spill of annoyance” after a while.

Bring on the next book, John Hart—I’ll be waiting.(less)

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Oct 22, 2011 Frederick Masterman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 mobster,...more 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 mobster, falls for innocent Elena and wants out of his life of crime, for which his dying boss/father-figure grants permission. However, the reformed Michael must flee the wrath of the other mobsters, two of which are potent enemies: Stevan, the actual son of the dead chief, insanely jealous of Michael because of his father’s favoritism, and Jimmy, the sociopathic henchman who has trained Michael since his entry to the gang as a lost teenager. Michael’s plan to escape with Elena is complicated by his need to say farewell to his brother Julian, who was a child with Michael in a hideous orphanage, Iron House, buried in the mountains of North Carolina. Throughout the story, with its many violent convolutions, Michael sails on unscathed. The reader sympathizes with Julian, a schizophrenic suspected of multiple murders, who flees into a dense forest with the aid of a feral girlfriend. The reader sympathizes with the mother of the adopted Julian; she is the prisoner of deadly secrets, and is vulnerable before her jealous, power-crazed husband. The reader sympathizes with innocent Elena, pregnant by Michael and kidnapped by the bloodthirsty gang of mobsters. However, it is hard for the reader to sympathize with Michael, whose decision to be good somehow ignores the murderer he is, considering he was so deadly even the insane Jimmy fears him. Michael never shows a grain of regret for the murders of his past, and the reader must accept him as having converted into a noble champion for lost brother (whom he has not seen for twenty years) and kidnapped, terrified lover/fiancée/whatever. Michael goes from place to place in the spooky mountainous setting, not knowing “why, but he must go”—and in each place finds exactly the right person to speak with in unraveling the mysteries of the past. The mysteries eventually come to light: cleverly woven into the fabric of the story with a few clues dropped along the way. ~~ The story is a good read, a page-turner at times. But this fact is unfortunately balanced by the need to constantly accept incredible coincidences, and the fact that the reader never worries about the protagonist. He rides over the tempest with hardly a scratch (even a gunshot seems to heal overnight) and actually ‘gets the girl in the end’. A book that simultaneously entertains and disappoints, which is a kind of accomplishment. I guess.
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Oct 17, 2011 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 redemptive power of lov...more 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 redemptive power of love, Hart may be paying homage to Thomas Perry's killer-gone-straight-except-when-he-has-to-protect-himself protagonist, who also calls himself Michael, although everyone else has called him The Butcher's Boy, since his first appearance in print 'way back when.

Hart's Michael was a foundling who grew up in a boys home in North Carolina along with his weaker brother. When Michael kills the mob boss who took him in, every hood on the East Coast seeks his head, and someone tracks down his brother, who knows nothing about his older sibling...except that he's taken the blame for a years-old killing he didn't really commit. Michael flees with his lover and returns to Iron House to save his brother from the mob's vengeance, encountering a soulless politician (is that redundant?), a cynical and far-too-cagey security guard, a suspicious wife, and a host of angry and exploited poor hill folk.

Nobody trusts Michael, and he returns the favor, but has to figure out how that now deserted orphanage connects him with his brother and a long-forgotten death. Abigail, the fiercely-protective foster mother of that fragile writer, has secrets of her own. Nobody can afford to tell anybody anything, but they have to find ways to work together before the whole world collapses around them. Fun and games on the minefield.

Hart writes terrific dialogue and fills his prose with imagery to make other writers drool with envy. He could probably pull back on a couple of plot twists and revelations (this book is as convoluted and connected as his previous one, The Last Child, which was also a little too much), but Iron House is such a great read that I could forgive him even as I felt myself shaking my head.(less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Mo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

From ReadingWithMo: http://www.readingwithmo.com/2011/08/...

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 based on ratios. Each c...more From ReadingWithMo: http://www.readingwithmo.com/2011/08/...

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 based on ratios. Each character is comprised of greatness, mediocrity, and evil. The magic is in how these are proportioned within each character. There are no cookie cutter characters in Hart's works. They are deep and complicated.

The settings in Iron House were described in a vivid way that was unobtrusive to the plot. The mountains in North Carolina seemed so removed from the rest of the world, adding to the sense of desperation some of the characters felt while forced to be there. The compound of Senator Vane equally added to the nefariousness of his character.

My commute is about an hour each way, so audiobooks are my preferred method to pass the time without going crazy. With some books, I have found it hard to keep focused on the story. But not with this one. It held my interest from the very beginning. I found myself sitting in the parking lot at work trying to justify listening to just a little bit more.

The narration is top shelf. Scott's voice has a deep, raspy timbre that just feels comfortable right away. His pacing and emotion make it easy to identify with the characters, especially the main character, Michael. If you have not listened to many audio books, this would be a great one to start with. There is plenty of action and suspense, and hearing it, somehow makes it just pop.

It is rare that I give a book a five out of five rating. I feel this one deserves it. Iron House is a hard charging thriller with lots of action and suspense. But it is also an intense psychological thriller, with deep characters that are both flawed and exceptional. The narration by Scott Sowers makes this experience a memorable one.(less)

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Aug 28, 2011 Marsha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 murder committed by Juli...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Alla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“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...more “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 other person close to Michael’s heart—his troubled brother Julian.

Flash-back twenty-five years. Michael and Julian are both at a boys’ orphanage called Iron House, after being abandoned when they were babies. Both hate Iron House. However, Michael is strong and able to stand up for himself. Julian is weak, and constantly gets beat up by the gang of boys headed by the evil Hennessey. One day. A rich woman named Abigail Vance, who is married to a billionaire senator, comes to adopt Michael and Julian. Only this is the day that Julian snaps—and murders Hennessey as revenge for all the bullying he had to endure. Knowing his brother would never be able to tolerate prison time, Michael takes the blame and runs away from Iron House the same day. He goes on to New York City where he meets Otto and starts building a life for himself. Julian, meanwhile, gets adopted by Abigail and moves into her and the senator’s mansion.

Flash-forward to present. Michael arrives at Abigail’s residence to try to warn Julian about the peril he is in, before it is too late. Only things go terrible wrong. As bodies start piling up in the nearby lake, his girlfriend gets kidnapped, and Julian is in a mysterious state of madness—Michael is the only one who can figure out what is going on and save them while he still has the chance.

This is a pretty gripping story, with many plot turns. Hart keeps the suspense strong, while creating multi-layered characters who, for the most part, are hard to figure out—making the story unpredictable. Most of the story takes place in North Carolina and Hart really uses the imagery to add a Southern taste to the story. This was a satisfying read. (less)

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Aug 06, 2011 Miles rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

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, political fo...more 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, political fortunes at risk and bodies piling up, the brothers must reunite to solve the mystery of their shared past.

We are half way through the year and I have a monumental problem – not only is there a distinct lack of sunshine for our supposedly glorious British summer - I honestly have no clue how I’m going to finalise a Top 20 reads list for 2011. The quality on offer this year has been outstanding so far and with the addition of John Hart’s Iron House, the front runners are now getting anxious and even if I declared 2011 over right this minute, I’d still have a problem.

So where does one begin reviewing Iron House? I guess, following the advice from Super Nun Maria in The Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start” – not that there are any comparisons between the two – actually, come to think of it, both have great big mountains in the storyline so a tentative link has been formed! Et voilà! [Ok ok so I don’t see Michael singing Do-re-mi – he’s just not that type.]

The first couple of chapters in Iron House, like so many other titles out there, set the tone for the entire book and until its dénouement there really is no let-up in its pace, intrigue, freneticism and of course death – cold, hard and calculated death. Within a matter of pages I’d lost track of the death count and an abacus was called for and although there are moments when, believe it or not, no-one is murdered the narrative continues regardless with a mesmerising storyline that teases throughout.

Full Review on my blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2011/06/17...

Iron House is a complex page turner in every sense. You think you know what’s going to happen but believe me you really have no idea. I distinctly remember reaching the half-way point and thinking that I had everything sorted and couldn’t see any other way out but I couldn’t be further from the truth. The book keeps changing; Hart takes you one way and then flips everything on its head and changes direction – very clever.

John Hart is a magnificent storyteller and I couldn’t shake the comparison I felt with another of my favourite authors, Michael Koryta [So Cold the River, Cypress House]. Writing evocatively Hart draws the reader in with a wonderful narrative that is effortless to read and incredibly morish.(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Michelle Will rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 killer most of his life, but he has...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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. Julian becomes the...more

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Jul 23, 2011 JoAnne Pulcino rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, adult-mystery, adult-thriller

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 HOUSE, an orphanage in the mou...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Lacey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 and...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Chris Wolak rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller

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 Carolina. Th...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 job. His j...more 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 job. His job is killing, by the way. But now he's fallen in love and is ready to settle down into a respectable life with a family. Problem is, the only way out is by death.

Meanwhile, there is a brother that was adopted from the awful orphanage at the age of 9. Michael was not so lucky as circumstances escalated and he had to leave very quickly. Julien, the younger brother is a wee bit unbalanced. Okay, he's completely psychotic at times which brings me to my one irritation about this book. Just to clarify, it is very well written, pacing is perfect, characters are well developed, story is cohesive. What bugged me is the way the story lumped two distinct psychotic personalities into one; schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. There are multiple problems with this scenario. First, they are distinctly different. Schizophrenia, as indicated in the book is largely organic. The disease manifests itself by little voices inside a person's head. These are not necessarily violent voices. These are the homeless folks you see talking to themselves on the streets of cities.

Multiple Personality Disorder no longer exists. The new diagnosis is Dissociative Identity Disorder. Rarely does a distinct personality manifest itself but when it does, it is not because of schizophrenia. This is not an organic disorder but caused by extreme trauma, usually from childhood. The child can not deal with the event dissociates. This is what the actual diagnosis should have been in the book. Not schizophrenia.

Besides that little pet peeve, the book was a solidly written story. The characters were engaging and each distinct in their own ways. The story did come full circle and cohesively tied together. I ended up liking every single character except, of course, Jimmy. Stevan I didn't hate. The senator was a necessary evil. Michael, the assassin, is very human, although much too cool under pressure. He's like the Fonzie of New York.

Violence - Extreme
Language - Strong
Dialogue - Moderate
Thrill factor - Extreme

Solid 4.5 star read.(less)

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Jul 11, 2011 Stephanie D. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 annoying 180...more 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 annoying 180 at the end served up as a twist which plagued some recent thrillers that preceded this one.

A huge part of what made Iron House so compulsively readable is the character of Michael, the sophisticated mob killer trying to turn legitimate so that he can be with his beloved, but unsuspecting Elena. The mob, however, won't let him walk away. Either he's with them or he and everyone he's ever loved is dead, including Elena, their unborn child, and Julian, the brother he hasn't seen in over 20 years. For someone who grew up in a terrifying orphanage and was forced to make it on dangerous streets alone, Michael is now ironically caught between families: the mob family who built him and made him the killer he is; the biological brother he swore to always protect; and the woman carrying his child.

"Control was part of what made Michael so good at his job: choosing the time and place of the things he did, manipulating the elements involved and then acting with calm regard for every possible consequence. Most people in the business were the exact opposite of Michael. They killed in rage and fear or got off on it for their own screwed up reasons. They let emotions run, and those guys rarely lasted. They burned out or got sloppy, became a liability for the organization that paid their freight. More than a handful ended up with a target on their backs, and Michael had taken out a few himself. The math was simple in Michael's world. Emotions are bad. Control is good. But there was no control now.

"Elena was gone."

Equally as compelling is the supporting cast: the fragile Julian; his adoptive mother, Abigail; and the mob boss' second-in-command trying to hunt Michael down. Each one is an unexpectedly complex, multi-faceted character with their own dark secrets, proving Michael's theory that "There are no innocents."

Iron House approached near perfection - the writing is solid and muscular; the characters fully fleshed out and believable; and the plot had me guessing at every turn. Just when I was sure I knew what secrets were going to be exposed, Hart constantly surprised me to the last page.
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Jul 04, 2011 Linda Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"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.

Michael is a professio...more "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.

Michael is a professional killer whose allegiance since his teenage years has been to the only father figure he has ever known, Otto Kaitlin, racketeer and killer. Michael has met a woman that he loves and gets permission from the dying Otto to get out of the “life”. However, he knows that after Otto dies there are others in the organization that are not so willing to let him go. On the surface, Iron House is about what Michael has to do to make good his escape, but there is much more going on here; family, old sins coming to haunt the present and the possibility of redemption and change.

My thought at the outset was that Hart would have “a hard row to hoe” to convince me to like and root for a professional killer. However, he had me by Chapter Six. The early events of his life, and that of his brother, Julian, in the orphanage named Iron House are important pieces of the puzzle. Julian was adopted by the wife of a senator, and Michael fell into the hands of Otto Kaitlin, but Julian is by far the more wounded brother. There is literally nothing that Michael will not do to save those he loves from his enemies.

Iron House is meticulously plotted, proceeding at a breathtaking pace. The characters are well fleshed out and believable, from the wounded Julian to the wife of the sleazy senator to one of the scariest psychopaths I’ve ever encountered in a book. It is also extraordinarily violent but never falls into a “violence for violence’s sake” trap. Why only 4 ½ stars? The only element I found missing was a sense of place. The bulk of the action takes place in North Carolina, but the events could have taken place anywhere in America where poverty, ignorance and violence meet. As a native North Carolinian, I have always enjoyed that sense of place in Hart’s first three books. However, I doubt that my one small caveat will detract from any one else’s enjoyment of Iron House.

Iron House comes highly recommended and thanks to Goodreads for the giveaway!

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Jun 26, 2011 Freida rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 Michael is in dang...more

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