John Hart Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

John Hart
Photo: Eddie Bauer

John Hart

John Hart Biography

John Hart is the author of the Redemption Road (2016), and of four New York Times bestsellers, The King of Lies, Down River, The Last Child and Iron House. The only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels, John has also won the Barry Award, the Southern Independent Bookseller's Award for Fiction, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and the North Carolina Award for Literature. His novels have been translated into thirty languages and can be found in over seventy countries.

A former defense attorney and stockbroker, John spends his time in North Carolina and Virginia, where he writes full-time.

John Hart's website

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Interview

In a letter to his readers, John Hart talks about becoming a writer and the challenges he faced in writing The Last Child.

Dear Reader,

I never thought that I would be fortunate enough to make a living as a writer. I dreamed of it, fantasized about it, but even as I walked away from a law practice to write my first novel, the decision was based on an undeniable need to at least try. To aspire. That kind of need is very different from the conviction that it would actually work. I often think of it as a kind of desperation - one that is probably known by a lot of working writers – an urge to do something different, to make something from nothing: a compelling story, unforgettable characters, a message, maybe. I knew the odds of getting published were small and that the odds of becoming a bestseller were even smaller, but I never much cared for being an attorney. I guess it had something to do with all of those guilty clients.

My wife never doubted. When I told her that I wanted to quit my job to pursue the only dream I’ve ever had, she said, “Of course you should quit.” We had a newborn at the time and serious plans for another. She was not working. “It’ll work out,” she said, and I love her for that. That total trust.

I walked away from the law and never looked back. We lived lean while I wrote: no dinners ...

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Books by this Author

Books by John Hart at BookBrowse
Redemption Road jacket Iron House jacket The Last Child jacket Down River jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for John Hart but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Sebastian Barry

    Sebastian Barry

    Sebastian Barry was born in Dublin in 1955. The 2018-21 Laureate for Irish Fiction, his novels have twice won the Costa Book of the Year award, the Independent Booksellers Award and the Walter Scott Prize. He had two ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Redemption Road

    Try:
    Days Without End
    by Sebastian Barry

  • Lou Berney

    Lou Berney

    Lou Berney is the author of November Road, The Long and Faraway Gone (winner of the Edgar, Anthony, Barry, Macavity, and ALA awards), Whiplash River, and Gutshot Straight. He's also written a collection of stories, The ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Redemption Road

    Try:
    November Road
    by Lou Berney

We recommend 17 similar authors


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