Iron House

Hart's ambitious new thriller%E2%80%94a unique mixture of Dickensian plotting, violent action, and hardboiled attitude%E2%80%94benefits from Scott Sowers's relentless narration. The novel follows Michael, an oddly moral hit man who's on the run (with his pregnant girlfriend in tow) from his former mob associates. The sadistic criminals are seeking revenge and hunting for a treasure that once belonged to their recently departed mob boss. Meanwhile, Michael is searching for his frail brother, Julian, whom he has not seen since their childhood, which was spent in the grim Iron House orphanage in the mountains of North Carolina. Michael's quest leads him to a compound belonging to Julian's wealthy and powerful foster parents, where he uncovers the corpses of other Iron House orphans. Sowers's rat-a-tat delivery captures the spirit of the novel, complimenting Hart's clean prose, maintaining suspense, and clarifying the book's complex backstory. A Thomas Dunne hardcover. (July)