The Unwilling by John Hart

☆☆☆☆☆
.ePUB, 345 pages
Expected publication: February 2nd 2021 by St. Martin's Press

About the Book:
Gibby's older brothers have already been to war. One died there. The other came back misunderstood and hard, a decorated killer now freshly released from a three-year stint in prison. Jason won't speak of the war or of his time behind bars, but he wants a relationship with the younger brother he hasn't known for years. Determined to make that connection, he coaxes Gibby into a day at the lake: long hours of sunshine and whisky and older women. But the day turns ugly when the four encounter a prison transfer bus on a stretch of empty road. Beautiful but drunk, one of the women taunts the prisoners, leading to a riot on the bus. The woman finds it funny in the moment, but is savagely murdered soon after. Given his violent history, suspicion turns first to Jason; but when the second woman is kidnapped, the police suspect Gibby, too. Determined to prove Jason innocent, Gibby must avoid the cops and dive deep into his brother's hidden life, a dark world of heroin, guns and outlaw motorcycle gangs. What he discovers there is a truth more disturbing than he could have imagined: not just the identity of the killer and the reasons for Tyra's murder, but the forces that shaped his brother in Vietnam, the reason he was framed, and why the most dangerous man alive wants him back in prison.

My Review:

I shared my thoughts on brothers and death and the guilt I harbored for my easy life

Oh my gosh, I so enjoyed this gritty historical thriller.  Once I started reading, had to tear myself away when life called. I wanted to bury myself in Hart's lyrical writing and unusual story. This is not your typical Vietnam era novel. It's beautiful and gritty historical fiction combined with mystery and suspense and completely unique characters, who are living through some very difficult times.

This story is character and dialogue driven, which is a wonderful thing. With so much detail given about each character you will know them intimately and the dialogue (internal and otherwise) is so quick moving that the 345 pages flow swiftly along. So swift that I was able to read it in a couple of sittings. The emotions and tension of each character are intense and resonate loudly. I hope the ending means there will be a book two as I would love to see what happens to the French clan in the future. I admit that this book won't be for everyone but for me it was a five star read...my favourite kind. This will be in my top five for 2020...Highly recommended.

Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, John Hart and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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