The Unwilling by John Hart

February 23, 2021

The Unwilling by John Hart

The French family has had their share of sorrow: son Robert was killed in Vietnam, and his twin brother Jason came home drug-addicted with a serious case of PTSD that landed him in prison. His mother has disowned him and is pinning the family's hopes on youngest son Gibson, about to graduate from high school.

Jason encounters Gibby at the local quarry where everyone goes swimming, and wants to reconnect with him. He proposes spending a day of fun and adventure together, but he shows up with two skanky young women. One of the women taunts the inmates on a prison bus and later is found murdered in a horrific manner (even if you're a skank, you don't deserve to be murdered). With no suspects, the police focus on Jason (who has a criminal record). Jason disappears, and Gibby and his girlfriend are determined to find him and help him clear his name. Their search leads them through the underworld where they meet bad people and learn bad things.

John Hart is a great writer and I have really enjoyed his previous books. This one was somewhat flat for me, partially since some of the characters were like caricatures. Jason is a macho sort, almost too macho, the kind who would say "if you don't do this, you're not a man." Likewise, X the criminal is so bad that he's like a supervillain in a comic book.

If you haven't read John Hart before, I would suggest reading Down River instead.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.