The Unwilling, John Hart
The Unwilling, John Hart
11 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
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The Unwilling
A Novel

Author: John Hart

Narrator: Kevin Stillwell

Unabridged: 13 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/02/2021


Synopsis

"The tension in Hart’s story never lets up, and you’ll find yourself unable to break away — disc after disc (or page after page) — long past your bedtime." -- NJ.com

This program includes a letter read by the author

“We the unwilling, led by the unqualified to kill the unfortunate, die for the ungrateful.” —Unknown Soldier

Set in the South at the height of the Vietnam War, The Unwilling combines crime, suspense and searing glimpses into the human mind and soul in New York Times bestselling author John Hart's singular style.

Gibby's older brothers have already been to war. One died there. The other came back misunderstood and hard, a decorated killer now freshly released from a three-year stint in prison.

Jason won't speak of the war or of his time behind bars, but he wants a relationship with the younger brother he hasn't known for years. Determined to make that connection, he coaxes Gibby into a day at the lake: long hours of sunshine and whisky and older women.

But the day turns ugly when the four encounter a prison transfer bus on a stretch of empty road. Beautiful but drunk, one of the women taunts the prisoners, leading to a riot on the bus. The woman finds it funny in the moment, but is savagely murdered soon after.

Given his violent history, suspicion turns first to Jason; but when the second woman is kidnapped, the police suspect Gibby, too. Determined to prove Jason innocent, Gibby must avoid the cops and dive deep into his brother's hidden life, a dark world of heroin, guns and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

What he discovers there is a truth more disturbing than he could have imagined: not just the identity of the killer and the reasons for Tyra's murder, but the forces that shaped his brother in Vietnam, the reason he was framed, and why the most dangerous man alive wants him back in prison.

This is crime fiction at its most raw, an exploration of family and the past, of prison and war and the indelible marks they leave.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

“Another scorcher from Hart ... [he] keeps us engaged ... subtly folding quiet, character-driven moments into the story while still powering the narrative toward an all-stops-out ending—and a chilling coda.” -- Booklist, starred review

About John Hart

John Hart is the New York Times bestselling author of The King of Lies, Down River, The Last Child, Iron House, Redemption Road, and The Hush. The only author in history to win the Edgar Award for Best Novel consecutively, 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 more than seventy countries.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Debra on November 12, 2020

Oh, war, I despise 'Cause it means destruction of innocent lives War means tears to thousands of mothers eyes When their sons go to fight And lose their lives I said, war, huh good god, why'all What is it good for Absolutely nothing say it again - Song lyrics from War by Edwin Starr The French family has be......more

Goodreads review by Tammy on February 29, 2020

A family suffering from the loss of a son during the Vietnam war confronts the drastic changes the war had on another son who returns hardened, drug addicted and recently released from prison. The youngest son is on the brink of manhood and refuses to abandon his veteran brother regardless of what h......more

Goodreads review by Bridgett on December 24, 2020

I liked this novel...to a point. But here's the deal, by the halfway mark, The Unwilling became, shall we say, a little silly and a lot implausible. I was willing to (mostly) overlook this, as the writing was skilled, and the plot kept my attention. Just be aware, the book does take a major left......more