Book club discusses "The Last Child"

The book club selection for May was John Hart's third published novel, The Last Child.  The award-winning North Carolina writer uses the state again as a backdrop for crimes, mystery and family discord in the story of a missing child.


John Hart (picture from his website)

 The book focuses on 13-year-old Johnny Merrimon whose missing twin sister, Alyssa, consumes his thoughts and goals.  She suddenly disappears one day and he works relentlessly to find her. 

Convinced that he can do what his family and the police could not, Johnny fearlessly strikes out on his own.  His mother, Katherine is nearly an emotional wreck after his father quietly disappears leaving the two alone and the local detective, Clyde Hunt in charge of the investigation, is concerned but cannot find Alyssa.  That leaves Johnny and a reluctant but faithful friend Jack to travel on the road into an unknown and dangerous environment with criminals, peril and another missing child case.

Comments from the book club included:

• the novel "pulled me in."
• liked the characters and the (plot) twists
• "liked the puzzle and the solution but not the writing."
• "writing didn't flow"
•  Detective Hunt seemed too good to be true
•  a drug abuse element of the story seemed far-fetched
• liked book jacket cover with the silhouette of a boy walking a bike 

The Last Child was the 2010 best novel winner for the Edgar Award.

The book discussion on "California Girl"...

During our last book, we discussed the T. Jefferson Parker novel California Girl for our selected monthly title. And it worked well for our group as it provided a lively discussion. That said, the book seemed to rank low on the favorable list of good reads. One participant noted how she liked Parker's other books but did not like this one. She recommended reading--to another attendee who asked--the books featuring Detective Merci Rayborn (in the books The Blue Hour, Red Light and Black Water.)

Overall, the "mystery" story appeared to be a good as a murder mystery. It features the death of a troubled, yet popular and pretty young woman with attachments to various elments of her Orange County, California community. Set in the late 1960s, Janelle Vonn has ties to the drug community but also works a police informant while being involved with several men. Who killed her?

The other central characters of the novel are a flawed family of brothers and those faulty individuals just didn't ingratiate themselves to the book club readers. This family of brothers, though, become involved with Janelle through her life and death. The family was described as dysfunctional and with pampered kids. And that soured the story for many. Additionally, a few instances of foreshadowing--the crime story begins in the 60s but ends roughly in the present day--was annoying to least a couple in the group. And two twists in the novel due to fate and justice drew negative comments too.

However, two of us liked the novel overall though. I liked it--though not as much as Parker's more modestly-developed book Silent Joe. That book was also read by the book club and I remember it as a personal favorite that year.

Otherwise, the 60s referrences in the novel were fun for everyone. Including the soon-to-be president, Richard Nixon, the story had a few real life individuals and the 60s down pat. I had forgotten how the cops were often called "pigs" then.

California Girl won a the Mystery Writers of America Edgar award in 2004 for best book of the year.