The Last Child (Johnny Merrimon, #1) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Feb 04, 2014 Book Concierge rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: abuse, concierge, crime, friendship, southern-lit, library, coming-of-age, tragedy, audio, adventure

Audiobook performed by Scott Sowers

Johnny Merrimon is a troubled young man. At thirteen he is shouldering far more responsibility and guilt than any child his age should carry. His twin sister disappeared a year ago, his father has left the family, his mother is lost in a fog of drugs, and his father’s former boss has insinuated himself into their home. Detective Clyde Hunt hasn’t given up searching, but he’s increasingly concerned for Johnny and his mother. Johnny won’t trust anyone – except h Audiobook performed by Scott Sowers

Johnny Merrimon is a troubled young man. At thirteen he is shouldering far more responsibility and guilt than any child his age should carry. His twin sister disappeared a year ago, his father has left the family, his mother is lost in a fog of drugs, and his father’s former boss has insinuated himself into their home. Detective Clyde Hunt hasn’t given up searching, but he’s increasingly concerned for Johnny and his mother. Johnny won’t trust anyone – except his best friend Jack, who accompanies him on his search for the truth.

What a ride! Plenty of twists and turns in the plot. I was sure I had it figured out (and, in fact, I did guess one of the bad guys), but I was still surprised by several events. Hart took a crooked path with many side trips and more than a few dead ends. Unfortunately I felt he was repetitive – how many times do I need a discussion between Johnny and Jack about whether Jack will succumb to his fears or stick by his friend to help him search. Ditto repeated descriptions of Hunt’s speeding through town to get to his next locale. I also wasn’t sure that much of the story regarding Levi Freemantle was necessary to the main plot. A good editor might have trimmed this by a hundred pages without losing any of the momentum or most of the plot twists.

I loved Johnny. He was intelligent, tenacious, courageous and sensitive. If his success at figuring things out was a little unbelievable, I’m willing to forgive Hart for that. This is a child grasping at straws and truly left to his own devices to make sense of what has happened to his family and to try to put it back together. I couldn’t help but cheer him on.

Scott Sowers does a fine job reading the audio version. He has good pacing and was able to sufficiently differentiate most of the characters. Occasionally, when two similar characters (Jack and Johnny, or Hunt and Yoakum) were in conversation it was a little difficult to tell who was speaking, but that was really minor.

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May 24, 2011 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it liked it

Shelves: thriller-suspense, thriller-mystery, winter-2013-14

3.5 Stars

What would you if your child just vanished? Fall apart, become a fierce advocate for Lost/Missing Children, or absolutely ignore your last child - the surviving twin. Johnny Merrimom can't forget his twin sister, Alyssa. His best friend, Jack Cooper saw her being pulled into a white van the year before. The detective, Clyde Hunt, hasn't forgotten either. Alyssa's case haunts him and the little girl's mother has a hold over him. He's obsessed. Johnny doesn't trust him nor any cop. A cop ...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Rusty rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller, contemporary-fiction, foreign-language

This is an excellent mystery/thriller read. It begins as a simple story when a boy's twin sister disappears. Cast into grief,, his mother is depressed and addicted to drugs. Johnny Merrimon hates the man who introduced drugs to her and wishes that man were gone. His heart's desire is to find his missing sister and return her to his mother. In addition, his father has vanished. The mother believes that he has abandoned them. As Johnny searches for his sister, the detective who worked the case of ...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Lori rated it liked it · review of another edition

I don't read very many books like this. This book was good. I did like it. It was a little slow to start, but it picked up after the first couple of chapters. However, I was not completely thrilled with the way it ended. I guess I like a happier ending. ...more

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Mar 20, 2019 TheReadingKnitter/ Kasey rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, audiobook, 2019

Why did I put this book off for so long and let it linger on my to be read list? This book was amazing! It had me guessing up until the end when it all came out. Loved it!

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