John Hart Books in Order
John Hart has written 7 books, published between 2006 and 2021. The first book is The King of Lies (2006) and the newest is The Unwilling (2021). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 7
- Published
- 2006–2021
- Confirmed
- 7 of 7 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,595 in 6 of 7 books
- Reading time
- 43–65 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,595 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 6 of 7 titles with a page count on record.
North Carolina is where John Hart sets his crime novels, which turn on families, fathers and sons, and murder. The King of Lies (2006) opens a catalogue of seven books that runs through Down River (2007), The Last Child (2009), Iron House (2012), Redemption Road (2016) and The Hush (2018) to The Unwilling (2021). Johnny Merrimon carries one short series; the rest stand alone. Nothing new has been published since 2021.
How many John Hart books are there?
John Hart has 7 books, released between 2006 and 2021. 2 of them belong to the Johnny Merrimon series.
John Hart Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 7 John Hart books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 12006–3/4
- 220074643/4
- 320094323/4
- 420124803/4
- 520164173/4
- 620184183/4
- 720213843/4
John Hart books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
John Hart Standalone Novels
5 books5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Johnny Merrimon in order
2 books- 1. The Last Child
- 2. The Hush
John Hart Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the John Hart books run from The King of Lies (2006) to The Unwilling (2021), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for John Hart in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read John Hart books in order?
You only need to read John Hart books in order within the Johnny Merrimon series, which holds 2 of the 7 John Hart books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
What order should you read John Hart books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with The King of Lies (2006), the earliest published title. After it come Down River (2007), The Last Child (2009), Iron House (2012), Redemption Road (2016), The Hush (2018) and The Unwilling (2021).
What is the newest John Hart book?
The Unwilling (2021) is the newest John Hart book released so far.
Is there a new John Hart book coming?
No next John Hart book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards John Hart has won
Wikidata records 2 awards for John Hart. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Edgar Awards2007Won
- North Carolina Award for Literature2003Won
John Hart at a glance
- Paused
- No new John Hart title has appeared for 5 years. The last was published in 2021.
- Release pace
- John Hart books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 2,595 pages across the 6 of 7 books with a recorded length, a median of 425 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most John Hart books, 3 of 7, were published in the 2010s.
What the John Hart books are about
All 7 John Hart books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: family life is tagged on 2 of 7. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Family life 2 of 7 books
- Fathers and sons 2 of 7 books
- Murder 2 of 7 books
- Mystery & detective 2 of 7 books
- North Carolina 2 of 7 books
- Psychological fiction 2 of 7 books