John Hart's first novel is well-written, engrossing, has a moderately suspenseful plot and is rich in character development. Hart's writing style in many ways reminds me of Scott Turow's. The King Of Lie's plot basically revolves around the lawyer, Jackson Workman ("Work") Pickens, whose life is deeply affected by the earlier death of his mother and from the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his father, with whom "Work" is in partnership. As a result, Pickens's law practice and personal life is in shambles. "Work's" life changes dramatically with the discovery of his father's murdered body. Hart demonstrates considerable potential in The King Of Lies, yet, it is not without flaws. While the characters are richly developed, they are mostly emotionally scarred and somewhat whiney; thus becoming somewhat annoying and making me not care too much about them. As a consequence, my overall liking of the book was less than it could have been and I, at times, found the plotting to be slow-moving. Further, without going into detail, Hart leaves some "threads untied", such as about what happens to the homeless man who helps Pickens, and what were the motivations of the female detective for deciding to pursue Pickens from the onset with such vehemence. Despite these flaws, Hart is clearly a very talented writer. I definitely plan to read his second book, Down River, as well as his upcoming book, The Last Child.