BOOK REVIEW: The Hush by John Hart

Scrappymags 3-word review: Supernaturally Thrilling Sequel,
4.5 stars
All my reviews available at scrappymags.com
Genre: Mystery/Supernatural/Contemporary Fiction/Crime. A long-awaited sequel to one of my favorite books of all time, The Last Child (5 Stars). Not mandatory to read the first book but highly recommend.
Shortest summary ever: It’s 10 years after tragedy and Johnny Merriman is isolating himself from unwanted fame in his 6,000 acre forest/swamp NC home, one that holds an eerie and spectacular history.
Jack is still his best friend, a newly hired attorney at a prosperous law firm. Johnny requires his help with a legal matter over the land, but Jack senses something amiss on the land, a danger lurking that might not be entirely human… Why is Johnny so connected to this land and is it something worth dying for?
What’s good under the hood: like most sequels, it’s best to start with The Last Child (TLC) a book so astounding, touching, and heart-pounding I successfully converted scads of teenagers (okay 10 ) into readers by the mere thrill of the novel. That relationship helped with my rating as I felt the story jived with characters I connected to in the first book. That foundation was there thus I felt invested.
The suspense in the book is palpable. My dog barked while I was reading and took two years off my life, I was THAT on edge (bad Finnegan!!) That is an element Hart brilliantly retained in his writing from TLC. The suspense… that feeling of “what IS it?” drawn out into agonizing drama??

My weird dog that almost gave me a heart attack.

Damn right, I loved every second!

I also curiously (and pleasantly) enjoyed looking more into Jack’s perspective in this novel as he was more the “side kick” to Johnny and eagerly and metaphorically loved kicking around the thoughts from his brain, learning what’s behind his character. I liked what I found.
What’s bad or made me mad: 
Can’t say anything major. My 1/2 point off was simply I don’t think any sequel could measure up to TLC and there were a few motivations of characters I struggled with, but ultimately accepted. So in a nutshell, nothing major.
Recommend to:
  • If you read TLC you MUST read and I’d love to hear your feedback.
  • Lovers of the genre need to give this a try. It’s different in The irreverent way only Hart can do.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Mr. Hart for an advanced copy (and delivering a rare and unexpectedly thrilling sequel) in exchange for this completely honest review.

Leave a Reply