There are not too many mystery books where the author is writing for adults but the central character is a 13 year old boy. But The Last Child by John Hart departs from the norm in other ways as well for it is more than a mystery, it has an underlying theme. Moreover the theme is not the dangers of nuclear terrorism or corporate conspiracies (thrillers) or that crime doesn’t pay (police procedurals); no, the theme is more universal – forgiveness.
As the story begins we meet Johnny Merrimon whose twin sister Alyssa disappeared during the year before when both of them were twelve. One moment she was riding her bike home from the library, and the next moment she was pulled into a vehicle and never seen again. Within days, Johnny’s father walks out leaving his beautiful wife to shoulder the responsibility for Johnny all by herself. Loaded with anger and guilt, the mother turns to alcohol and leans on an abusive man for financial support.
Johnny, angry with the poor results of the police investigation into his sister’s disappearance, determines to find and save her himself. The book kicks into high gear when he witnesses the apparent murder of a motorcyclist on a country back road, who whispers to Johnny, “I found her,” just before dying.
Tension in the story is ramped when Johnny tracks down and is nearly killed by a pedophile, and when he is nearly killed by a delirious escaped convict in a historic cemetery hidden in a forest. He is a kid that’s apparently toughened by his anger about all he has lost: his precious twin sister, the father he looked up to, and the mother who has withdrawn all warmth from him. As other reviewers have said, there is a Huck Finn quality to Johnny, yet the author has done well to make him believable.
Meanwhile his mother directs all her anger toward the husband that she blames and who subsequently abandoned her. The son of the principle police investigator is angry with his father who has obsessed over the Merrimon abduction. Indeed the story reveals several broken relationships.
John Hart does a terrific job of weaving in all the requisite features of a good mystery – subplots, suspense, betrayals, investigation, interesting characters, and a terrific twist near the end, that leaves you mulling over the story for days.
I highly recommend to mystery book fans The Last Child by John Hart. It’s an enjoyable experience.
