Review: Iron House by John Hart

An old man is dying.

When the old man is dead they will come for him.

And they will come for her, to make him hurt.




HE WOULD GO TO HELL
At the Iron Mountain Home for Boys, there was nothing but time. Time to burn and time to kill, time for two young orphans to learn that life isn’t won without a fight. Julian survives only because his older brother, Michael, is fearless and fiercely protective. When tensions boil over and a boy is brutally killed, there is only one sacrifice left for Michael to make: He flees the orphanage and takes the blame with him.

TO KEEP HER SAFE
For two decades, Michael has been an enforcer in New York’s world of organized crime, a prince of the streets so widely feared he rarely has to kill anymore. But the life he’s fought to build unravels when he meets Elena, a beautiful innocent who teaches him the meaning and power of love. He wants a fresh start with her, the chance to start a family like the one he and Julian never had. But someone else is holding the strings. And escape is not that easy. . . .

GO TO HELL, AND COME BACK BURNING
The mob boss who gave Michael his blessing to begin anew is dying, and his son is intent on making Michael pay for his betrayal. Determined to protect the ones he loves, Michael spirits Elena—who knows nothing of his past crimes, or the peril he’s laid at her door— back to North Carolina, to the place he was born and the brother he lost so long ago. There, he will encounter a whole new level of danger, a thicket of deceit and violence that leads inexorably to the one place he’s been running from his whole life: Iron House.- Synopsis from Goodreads

This book was like a great roller-coaster, but we didn't start at the bottom and go up the ramp. No, this one started right at the top and pulled you down for the ride quickly.
 
I'll admit, this is not my usual type of book but when I was offered a copy I said, 'Sure, why not?' Thrillers like this one are, for me, like scary movies. I enjoy them occasionally but I have to be in the mood. I must have been in the mood because I was immediately drawn in to this story. 

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Hart is able to make Michael a sympathetic character despite his profession as a ruthless mob hit-man. It was quite similar to my feelings for Dexter. I should despise the character based on who he is and what he does and yet, I find myself loving, worrying about and rooting for these killers. 


 I tend to keep the books I'm reading close at hand and this one was no exception. It sat on my coffee table and even as I watched my favorite shows on TV, I found myself grabbing it and trying to squeeze in a chapter or two during the commercials. I has halfway through when I went to bed and planned to only read for twenty minutes. I ended up staying up way late and finishing the entire thing because I couldn't find a suitable place to stop. Each time I finished a chapter, I had to continue on to see what was going to happen. It was a total page-turner.

I'd recommend to anyone looking for a great thrill ride. It didn't disappoint. As a word of caution, there is a some colorful language and quite a bit of graphic violence (It is about the mob, people!). So, just be aware of that if you are sensitive to that stuff.

*Disclaimer- I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.