<DIV><DIV><DIV><P>John Hart&#8217;s <I>New York Times</I> bestselling debut, <I>The King of Lies</I>, announced the arrival of a major talent. With <I>Down</I><I> River</I>, he surpassed his earlier success, transcending the barrier between thriller and literature and winning the 2008 Edgar Award for best novel. Now, with <I>The Last Child</I>, he achieves his most significant work to date, an intricate, powerful story of loss, hope, and courage in the face of evil.<BR><BR>Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he&#8217;d been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is---confident in a way that he can never fully explain.<BR><BR>Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene.<BR><BR>Then a second child goes missing . . . <BR><BR>Undeterred by Hunt&#8217;s threats or his mother&#8217;s pleas, Johnny enlists the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both boys to the limit.<BR><BR>Traveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom, between hopelessness and faith, <I>The Last Child</I> leaves all categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of unique power.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV>