{"product_id":"9781429961936","title":"The Last Child: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003eWinner of the 2010 Edgar Award for Best Novel\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHeralded by the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e as a \u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003ea magnificent creation, Huck Finn channeled through \u003ci\u003eLord of the Flies\u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003cb\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003eJohn Hart's \u003ci\u003eThe Last Child \u003c\/i\u003eis his most significant work to date, an intricate, powerful story of loss, hope, and courage in the face of evil. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he'd been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is---confident in a way that he can never fully explain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDetermined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen a second child goes missing . . . \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUndeterred by Hunt's threats or his mother's pleas, Johnny enlists the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both boys to the limit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTraveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom, between hopelessness and faith, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Child\u003c\/i\u003e leaves all categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of unique power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow with an excerpt from John Hart's next book \u003ci\u003eThe Hush\u003c\/i\u003e, available in February 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"St. Martin's Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47154143527152,"sku":"9781429961936","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781429961936_p0.jpg?v=1763749808","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781429961936","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}