I don't give 5 stars out to just any book. However, Iron House by John Hart is an extroidinary thriller. It is not my usual genre of reading but I can say for certain that I will be reading more of Hart's work in the future. If you plan on reading this book, make sure all your chores are taken care of because you aren't going to want to take a break from reading. Be prepared to remind yourself to eat and sleep because you will likely forget such trivial things. 
 So what did I enjoy most about Iron House? Where do I even begin? The characters are great. Even though their circumstances are abnormal, they still felt very relatable and complete (except I. Felt like I did want to know more about Jessup and maybe Steven). The landscape and scenery described by Hart was detailed without being overly stylized. His description of the locales in the N. Carolina mountains felt like they were isolated from everything which gave the story an even heavier feeling. No where to run to. 
 Michael and Julian were brothers abandoned when they were small babies, and were raised in Iron Mountain Home for Boys. They had a rough time of it, Julian always being picked on for being frail, until one day he broke completely and killed another boy that was hurting him. Michael took the blame and the murder weapon and ran away from the home. That is where their lives split until twenty-three years later. 
 The mob, crooked politicians, murder, schizophrenia; this book has all that and more. Of course there is little twists and turns that make these books all the more gut wrenching, so you have to read it to find out. 
 *Note(I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway)