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John Hart’s latest novel, Iron House, is an intense, taut thriller with non-stop action and suspense. Michael and Julian are brothers who are growing up in Iron House, an orphanage where abuse is common and fear is ever-present. As the oldest, Michael is Julian’s protector. After a violent incident, Michael is forced to flee the orphanage and they go on to live very different lives–Julian is adopted by a wealthy family and Michael is forced to flee the orphanage. He survives by his wits and strength on the brutal streets of New York and is eventually taken in by a mob boss. The mob becomes his family and he is trained to be a hit man. Michael meets and falls in love with a woman who has no idea about his background and he tries to leave the violent life he has known. But walking away from the mob is not easy, and all that Michael cares about is threatened. There are plots and subplots and twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. This is a thriller, but also a story about love in its many forms and about the longing for family and belonging that we never outgrow. Themes of trust, forgiveness and redemption are woven into the story along with action and suspense. Readers need to be aware that there is a high level of violence in the fast-paced story line. Be prepared to stay up late into the night reading this novel–it is one that you won’t want to put down! Hart has won two Edgar Awards for his previous books Down River and The Last Child.