Review: Hangman

Hangman by Jack Heath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THIS IS SO MESSED UP I LOVE IT.

Blake, aka Hangman, is a totally despicable character but he knows it and that made it okay for me to like him. It means pretty brilliant writing that an author can create a character this messed up and still have me rooting for him!

Blake's trying to help the FBI find a missing kid, but he has his own reasons for doing so, and those reasons are so disturbing and so of course that leads to a highly addictive thriller

I LOVED IT.

Every second.

Blake is disturbing, but he's super intelligent and exceptionally good at what he does. He's incredibly flawed, but because he knows it and kinda hates himself for it, I pitied him. He was such a fascinating character to read and it was such a unique take that I found it hard to put this one down. (view spoiler)[The introduction of his 'habit' was so brilliant my jaw dropped, I said, 'oh shit' out loud, and then laughed about it for a good minute or so before I eagerly carried on. (hide spoiler)]

The kidnapping case is curious, and I honestly wasn't able to predict much at all, which was such a blessing! Normally with police procedural-type books you can spot the perp a mile away. This one definitely kept me guessing. (view spoiler)[Admittedly, I did like the music teacher for it from the beginning, so I was mad that such a smart man didn't put that together when Blake saw him while talking to Bobby's gf. But he got there in the end and with that lead dead I had no suspicions. It's always someone you least expect but I still didn't figure this one out. (hide spoiler)]

There's plenty of action to keep you hooked, and there's the drama of Blake's personal life that rules every moment so when he's not out hunting on behalf of the FBI, he's got his own stuff going on. The junkie roommate was an interesting addition, too. All in all, never a dull moment.

There really are some horrible characters, so I kinda feel for Thistle, being the (black) knight among them. She's so badass and honest and pure and I'm sad she's surrounded by corrupt criminals. She's a great character, though. Less interesting for it, but I'm glad she was the ray of light in this dark, despicable tale.

The actual case of the missing boy was a bit strange, and I don't think it ever really came together for me in my mind. But I did really love the puzzles at the start of each chapter! I'm kinda bummed there was no solutions page at the back of the book haha. Now I'll have to Google the few that I couldn't get. (How'd everyone else go with the riddles, out of curiosity? Did you stop and have a think and try to solve them, or just move on?)

This is a really unique, fast-paced thriller with some fascinating characters written brilliantly. There are some moments that might make you a little squeamish, but overall I loved it and I'll be looking to get my hands on the next one ASAP.

Blake, you have earned my loyalty.

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