The Hanged Man by Simon Kernick

3 stars from me

I have to pinch myself as I write that – 3 stars from me for a Simon Kernick novel – I never thought I’d see the day.

It genuinely pains me to say that I didn’t love it. I found the beginning too ‘explainy’, I know that it is useful to have a bit of a catch up but if you have to essentially rehash most of the previous book then something is not quite right – or was it just padding?

Don’t get me wrong, Kernick’s fabulous, engaging, clever writing style is still there – it just isn’t there for the whole book. I found myself really struggling to stay engaged which is so not typical of a Simon Kernick thriller – they are normally lightening fast, unputdownable pieces of mastery.

I hate leaving reviews like this but honesty is all I can offer and this simply isn’t up to his usual standard.

Synopsis: A house deep in the countryside where the remains of seven unidentified women have just been discovered.

A cop ready to risk everything in the hunt for their killers.

A man who has seen the murders and is now on the run in fear of his life.

So begins the race to track down this witness before the killers do.

For Ray Mason and PI Tina Boyd, the road ahead is a dangerous one, with bodies and betrayal at every turn…